Inter-Varsity Press

Contents

Foreword

Introduction: Why should I read a book about Jesus’ resurrection?

Real lives – Sally

Part 1: Is it relevant?

1. Is there anybody out there?

Real lives – Addlan

2. Why hasn’t God done something about all the suffering?

Real lives – Slobodan

3. What happens when we die?

Real lives – Christine

4. Does life have a meaning or purpose?

Real lives – Slava

5. Which religion, if any, is true?

Real lives – Abdullah

Part 2: Is it true?

6. Looking at the evidence

7. Is the evidence reliable?

8. Dead . . . ?

Real lives – Albert

9. . . . or alive?

Real lives – Sir Lionel

Part 3: So what?

10. What are the implications of Jesus’ resurrection?

Real lives – Miguel

11. Life from death

Real lives – Terry

12. Dead or alive?

Real lives – Deborah

13. Meeting the risen Jesus

Postscript: What next?

(From the) Introduction:

Why should I read a book about Jesus’ resurrection? I haven’t written this book to waste your time. At the moment you might think that whether or not Jesus was raised from the dead is about as relevant as the current weather forecast on Mars. But I’ve discovered that Jesus’ resurrection is the basis of fantastic news for me here and now – news far too good to keep to myself. Millions of others around the world have come to that same realization and have committed themselves to following the risen Jesus. In fact, from the very earliest days of the Christian faith, it’s been heralded as ‘the good news about Jesus and the resurrection’. Wouldn’t you like to get some good news?

What’s more, Jesus’ resurrection sheds light on some of the big questions we all ask about life, death, God and meaning. In Part 1 of this book, we’ll explore those very questions in the light of Jesus’ resurrection. In Part 2 we’ll look at the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection itself, so that you can come to your own conclusion about whether or not Jesus did come back from beyond the grave, never to die again. Part 3 will unpack exactly why Jesus and his resurrection is such good news for us personally.

But, above all, I don’t simply want to persuade you that Jesus’ resurrection is relevant and true. Jesus claimed that he came to offer us ‘life . . . to the full’, so I want to show you that following the risen Jesus is life-transforming. Throughout this book, I’ll introduce you to a handful of Jesus’ followers from around the world, because if Jesus really does offer life to the full, then it must be able to work for anyone and everyone. Meeting these ordinary people is a way for you to judge whether following the risen Jesus actually works.

But why look at Jesus and his resurrection?

Although he lived 2,000 years ago, Jesus towers over the pages of human history. Great leaders such as Napoleon Bonaparte are still remembered a few hundred years later; I imagine that people like Martin Luther King will be heroes for a few centuries yet. But who else has their birth celebrated as a national holiday in almost 200 countries 2,000 years later?

Today, more than 2 billion people claim to follow Jesus Christ. His birth marks the start of our calendar; his teaching underpins some of our laws; remembrance of his death shapes our school terms. Faith in him has inspired ordinary individuals to great goals: the explorer Sir Francis Drake, the scientist Sir Isaac Newton and the humanitarian worker Mother Teresa – to name but a few – took their lead from Jesus.

If Jesus’ life stands far above all others in human history, his resurrection – his bodily coming back to life having been publicly executed – must rank as the single biggest event in world history. No war or natural disaster has had such a widespread, long-term effect. If Jesus had stayed in the grave after his crucifixion on that first Good Friday, the world would have forgotten about him long ago. At best he would feature as a footnote in the history books.

Jesus Christ’s resurrection is central to the Christian faith. One of the first Christian leaders wrote, ‘If Christ wasn’t raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith.’ In other words, if Jesus’ resurrection is removed, the whole of Christianity collapses into a pile of dust.

So here’s my tip: the quickest way to weigh up whether or not Jesus has anything to off er our world is by exploring his resurrection. If the claims about his coming back to life are exaggerated, you can knock Christianity off your list of genuine spiritual options straight away. But if it’s true, then it shows us that there is a real spiritual power at work in the world that we can tap into.

Over to you