Easter
Mood:
celebratory
Now Playing: "Farenheight" - Five Iron Frenzy
Topic: General Religion
Happy Easter everyone!
Today, of course, is the day that Christians celebrate as the resurrection of Jesus after having been crucified on Friday.
Many people, including some Christians don't fully realize how important this event is to the theology of Christianity. Without this single event, the whole religion is a travesty. Sure, Jesus may have said some Confucious-type stuff, but that's pretty much it without coming back to life.
You see, it's his only proof or validation of who he claimed to be. He told his closest followers that he would not just die but come back to life. Afterall, anyone can be martryed - that's no reason to follow their doctrines. But how many leaders come back to life after being killed? Not many.
So what exactly went down today approximately 2000 years ago? Well, each Gospel has a slightly different account because each author had a different agenda. Matthew was writing to other Jews. Mark was writing to non-Jews. Luke was taking a "scientific" and "historic" interpretation, and John's purpose was to show the caring side of Jesus. So I don't see any of them as more right than the others, it's just that each focuses on different details depending upon what's important to their audience.
So I'll meld it all together. As you may know - it was semi-common knowledge that Jesus claimed he would come back to life. So the High Priests had Roman guards guarding Jesus' tomb to make sure that no one could steal his body and claim that he rose from the dead. This is listed as one of the counter-arguments to those who claim that the apostles just stole his body and claimed that he rose from the dead.
Now, back in those days enbalming was as good as it is today, so some of the women who used to follow him in his three year ministry showed up at his tomb to ask permission of the guards to have access to the body so that they could apply their enbalming perfumes to his body. Yet they found the guards absent, the tomb rock out of place, and the tomb empty. Needless to say, they were a bit frantic. This is when Jesus first appears. At first they don't recognize him and mistake him for the gardner. After a while they recognize him and run off the tell the men.
Well, back in Jewish society (just like American society until the 50s/60s) women were seen as inferior and irrational creatures so the men don't believe the women's claims that Jesus has risen from the dead. Although they'd seen him do all types of micracles - this was nothing new in those days. There were a decent amount of people who did a certain amount of miraculous things. And throughout Jewish history, prophets could always perform certain feats, so they didn't believe.
That is, except for Peter, John, and James. They were skeptical, but at the same time they had been let into Jesus' inner circle. For whatever reason, he entrusted them over the other 12 main apostles (and the hundreds of other lesser followers) with more of his secrets. So they decided to go check things out. Well, they also find the tomb empty of a human, but an angel inside tells them that Jesus has arisen.
They return to tell the others and Thomas infamously proclaims that he'd have to put his fingers into the holes in Jesus hands to believe it. (this is where the phrase doubting thomas comes from if you hadn't heard about its origins before) At that precise moment Jesus appears, putting him to shame. However, Jesus forgives him - afterall how often do people come to life?
After this he appears to a few hundred people before ascending and promising to return again.
So, in a nutshell that's the ressurection story. And whether you are a Christian or not - it is the most significant moment in history for two reasons. If you believe that it actually took place, then you now are able to directly commune with God. No sacrifices or high priests are necessary to intervene for you. There is a lot of stuff that we don't understand about the spiritual realm - as anyone who has studied quantum mechanics and its applications to living - such as transcendental meditation. We have powers to heal ourselves and others that we leave untapped simply because our minds are too clouded to access it. That's just one way in which things are complex. The more I learn about science the more I realize that there must be some organizing force behind it all. So, just because it doesn't seem rational that something like sin should keep us from being able to commune with our creator, doesn't mean that it can't be true. After all, it doesn't seem rational - at least to me - that there are particles that can be in eight different states at once. It doesn't seem rational that in quantum mechanics effect can sometimes precede cause. So, who knows.
But even if what I said in the preceding paragraph sounds like nothing but babble to you, the resurrection is still the most significant event in history. It allowed a small and radical sect of Judaism to rise to dominance in the known world. Everything is the way it is today because of Christianity. Of course, there was some sick stuff that happened in the name of Christianity. Some people abused the power and used it to commit acts of genocide against Jews, Muslims, and other groups of people. But every religion has times when it is abused. Currently, radicals abuse the Muslim religion to further their political goals. They take vulnerable young men and brainwash them into thinking that they are doing good for Allah by killing innocent people. But this should not speak ill of the Muslim religeon any more than the Crusades should speak ill of Christianity. It is simply an abuse of power.
Still, you have to admit that Christianity has been one of the largest forces in history and it all has to do with one person. One person both divine and human who was killed by an oppressive regime. They didn't think that anything would come of it. Even the Roman historian Josephis, writing around 100 AD, was surprised that they were still around.
Have a Happy Easter and I hope that all goes well in your life this year.
Posted by Eric
at 3:05 PM EDT
caffeinated
happy
chatty