Perhaps I've mentioned my love of a good mystery. As an early reader, grade level books lost their appeal. Mama handed me my first Nancy Drew mystery book when I was seven as a birthday gift. "The Secret of the Wooden Lady" was the title. I could not wait to read more. "Tixie Belden" and the "Hardy Boys," too. I still love a mystery.
"Evidence based" is a term we hear often. We watch crime shows on television and try to solve the case as we watch. One show typically showed the killer at about 20 minutes into the hour show. I figured it out by noting who was on screen twenty minutes into watching. The evidence proved my guess to be true... most of the time.
There are times "evidence" can be misleading. We have to be wise and keep digging, even after something appears "obvious." Due diligence is what some might call it. A majority is not always right. A majority is not always wrong.
How about this bit of evidence:
but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. -Mark 16:6
What were the odds women could have moved that stone? How many soldiers did it take to put it in place and seal it? And, an angel with an explanation must have seemed unusual, but keep in mind Mary, the mother of Jesus, had been visited by an angel thirty years before the crucifixion of her son.
The evidence was a folded burial linen, an empty tomb, and a memory of Him saying something about "in three days..." something would happen.
There was evidence of his power over life and death, the most recent was Lazarus. But, to raise himself must have seemed like a long shot, in spite of the previous evidence of His power. Some would have to see it to believe it.
Hebrews 11:1 tells us that "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Thomas, the disciple, had a hard time grasping the idea Jesus was alive. He had walked with Him and seen many miracles. Still, he wanted to see where the nails had been.
John 20:29 is the record, "Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
We love evidence, yet, trust without seeing moves the heart of God. Trust. Faith. Boundless belief.
"because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." -Romans 10:9
Today, I am grateful for evidence of the resurrection and the power of faith.
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