Was It Real, or a Myth?

Was there a real person who was called Jesus Christ, or are the stories in Scripture describing his birth, life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension totally made-up stories, pure legend, a total myth?  Made-up stories and a total myth would be how modern atheists and Secular Humanists would describe Christ.  One such person, one Lee Strobel, who, in 1981, was a graduate of Yale Law School and an award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune newspaper, was such a spiritual skeptic … until 1981.  What happened?  It was then that he began to research and write a series of books that attempt to answer that very question … real or myth? 

His research involved extensive travel to the offices of a host of experts in order to get their answers to some hard-hitting questions that would get to the heart of the matter.  The series of books he then wrote as a result are titled “The Case for a Creator,” “The Case for Christ,” The Case for Faith,” and “The Case for Easter.”  I purchased and read all of these over the years.  Fascinating!  Since we are so close to Easter, 2019, I picked up and re-read “The Case for Easter,” a 90-page account of his interviews with three such experts that get to the heart of the matter – the miracle of the Resurrection.  First was a prominent physician who had extensively studied the historical, archaeological, and medical data relevant to the death of Jesus.  Second was a well-known Scripture scholar with impressive credentials as a theologian with two PhDs and extensive writings on the subject of the Resurrection and the existence of God.  The third was another PhD who had written his dissertation on the subject of the Resurrection and also wrote seven books and over one hundred articles on the subject.

Here are some conclusions drawn following his three interviews.  First, after interviewing the physician, there was no doubt that Jesus died on the cross.  There is simply no way that Jesus could have survived the brutal treatment of his body by the soldiers.  Before He even got on the cross, his body was in such a weakened state from the flogging and the march to Calvary.  Then, while hanging on the cross, he would have had trouble breathing due to the weight of his body not being supported and, before long, would have succumbed to asphyxiation.  Finally, the piercing of his lungs and heart with the soldier’s lance would have been the final death blow. 

Second, after interviewing the theologian, there can be no doubt that Jesus body was not found in the tomb.  The tomb was found to be empty, the body missing.  While there exists several theories as to how the body could have gone missing, all of them were clearly and convincingly debunked.  There could be no doubt now that Jesus was dead and his body was laid in the tomb late in the day on that first Good Friday and was found missing on the first Easter morning.  A miracle of staggering proportions had occurred – Jesus had risen from the dead.

Third, after interviewing the expert on the Resurrection, once again there were convincing arguments in favor of this miracle.  Simply put, dead people simply do not rise up, walk away from the tomb and be seen by, converse with, and eat with former friends.  Passages from Scripture were used as evidence.  St. Paul had personally spoken to Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-5) and mentioned it in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).  It was not a second-hand account.

Today, Lee Strobel is a Christian, having converted from his atheism as a result of his extensive research and writing.  Have a Happy Easter everyone!