The Facts of Jesus Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection

By Rev. Ernest O'Neill

The twin facts of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection are more fully reported and historically established than almost any other facts of the history of mankind.

It is incredible that this fact of Jesus' resurrection, subjected to more legal, literal, and psychological examination than any other fact, remains absolutely sure and certain. So that even we, the most technically and scientifically advanced society in our world, are observing this Easter more realistically than we have ever done before.

It's not looking at it as the renewal of the rights of Spring or some wishful hope that death was not real. The advance of scholarship over these past 10 to 20 years, has made us more certain of this event than ever before. With all the archaeological examination and research, we're surer of the manuscript evidence than ever.

Therefore we know that legend, lies, grave robbers, or hallucinating disciples do not explain the fact that He lived despite being pronounced 'dead' by the experts of that time. Despite all the strain that this man went through- all the things that we know cause death- He lived. And He lived not by getting a new body. That's the incredible thing. He came back with the same body- with all the symptoms in it that would indicate death.

Now, loved ones that's a new force and power in our universe. It's not like the physical life that you and I have coursing through our bodies at this minute. It's a different power. I think some of us feel if that's a power that exists in our universe, why did it appear only that once? Why didn’t it express itself again and again? It did. While Jesus was here in a physical body, he expressed and manifested that power.

You see, this life destroyed death so that Jesus himself has always been alive. He was alive long before he came to Nazareth and he's been alive ever since he ascended off the earth and left Palestine. So his was the life force that manifested itself to the Old Testament people.

Loved ones, it was Jesus' resurrection life that enabled a 90-year-old lady to have a baby. It was Jesus' resurrection life that came to the Red Sea and divided it so that the Israelites could pass through. It was Jesus' resurrection life that made one little cruise of oil last and last, day in and day out. It was Jesus' resurrection life that healed people in Old Testament times. It was Jesus who walked beside Daniel in the fiery furnace and was the fourth person that prevented the flames from burning up Daniel's body even though the flames touched his body. That power has always been in our world, and we shouldn't be surprised at all of this.

The only reason we continue to exist is that this resurrection life force is raising the sun every day. It's coming into the midst of hopelessness and coming into the midst of deadness and creating life against all the odds. It is life's power. We can't do without it. You know certain attitudes in certain people and all your work will not change them. You know when you're home there are certain things there that you can't change. You've given them books to read, you prayed for them, you've tried to influence them and nothing changes. You and I know there are financial things and professional career things that we cannot break with all our efforts.

Jesus' resurrection life specializes in that kind of situation. We the evidence of it here in this historical event of his resurrection. Look anywhere in this world and you can't fail to see evidence of this incredible power changing the unchangeable and inserting enough of these little miracles into our observations that we are convinced. We cannot see everything and we cannot understand everything. But if you want to experience it in your own life it's easy. It's just one plain principle: "be it unto you according to your faith," that's it.

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