but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
If ever there was a verse to focus on, it’s this one. It boggles the mind as to how many can hear the gospel and respond readily to it, yet the majority will not seem to understand a word of it, let alone call themselves a Jesus Freak. It’s like telling someone they won $20 Million every day for the rest of their lives and hearing them respond with, “Whatever. I don’t want it.”
What don’t they understand? How do we get it and they don’t?
You have to admit, the story of the crucifixion and the subsequent resurrection 3 days later is quite a story. I mean, 3 days is a long time for someone to be dead. That is just a smell that no amount of air freshener can put a dent in!
A common alternative explanation for Jesus’ resurrection is that he wasn’t actually dead, just unconscious. This is called the swoon theory. That sounds to most skeptics like the better reason for his reappearance after being in a tomb for 3 days. Yet, if you account for all the events leading up to his reappearance, you would realize that:
- He was immediately ceased by soldiers, there was no time for a plan
- His beating beforehand alone should have killed him
- Crucifixion was death by suffocation, not bleeding to death
- He was stabbed with a spear before he was entombed
- Would you want to be shut in a tomb for 3 days over a hoax?
Theories Are The Bigger Leap Of Faith
On top of being scourged by Roman soldiers, beaten about the head with a stick, and then charged with carrying a cross to his final destination at Golgotha, even if he had a plan to pretend to be dead, how would he have survived the ordeal beforehand? Under Roman rule, a government widely known for their cruel punishments, a flogging was so severe that many didn’t even make it to their crucifixions!
It is a common thought that crucified people died because they bled out from their injuries, but this is not so. Suffocation begins for the victim when they are no longer able to hold themselves up to breathe. Not to mention, to prove that he was dead before he was removed from his cross, he was stabbed by a spear into his side. If his beating, cross dragging, suffocation, and now spearing didn’t kill him then surely being shut up in a cold, dark cave would have done the trick after 3 days! Many think the resurrection is ridiculous, I submit that the supposition that he could have survived this to emerge 3 days later a whole person and strong enough to do so after what he had been through is the bigger laugh.
Being A Jesus Freak Will Get You Rejected By A Lot Of People
It’s no fun to be laughed at, made fun of, or blown off when you try and share the gospel with others. The tendency is to let your emotions rise when faced with jeering and harsh words. As the verse describes, it’s not personal. What they reject is not you, the person, but what you are saying is truth. They simply reject what they hear because their natural minds and emotions are the only ones processing the information, not the Holy Spirit interacting with them. It is the Holy Spirit that reveals the truth, not you. There are no clever enough words for someone who rejects the Holy Spirit. They are blinded from seeing the truth.
This does by no means excuse us from sharing our faith. Certainly not! If we are truly living like a Jesus Freak, then rejection is a part of that. He never promised us that being a Christian would make us popular or give us an easy life. In fact, there are several stern warnings that the opposite is our fate. Know that your Father is well-pleased with your efforts, despite the words from others.
Before you share, pray for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of their heart to what you will say. Ask the Holy Spirit for the words that the hearer needs to hear the truth. Lastly, let the outcome be God’s, yours. Are you a Jesus Freak like us?
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