19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
Without the resurrection, the Christian message is empty, worse than that, there are other ways of living that are better. Think about it for a moment. If Jesus did not conquer death, then we are following a deluded backwoods laborer who thought he was something he wasn’t and got himself killed because of it. Or maybe his followers came to realize their mistake and embellished the story in order for them to be able to gain power and the spotlight and they got killed for it. What a bunch of losers! If the resurrection is just a good story to tell around the fire at night then we could find a better story to delude ourselves with. I might choose Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia. There is a story with power to inspire your life. Or maybe Harry Potter. Or Mahatma Gandhi’s life of hunger and privation that has inspired millions. You see there are many stories that could grip your life and cause you to change how you live your life. But these stories lack real power to change your life. They might inspire, but they can’t provide the power to make those changes. But when Jesus rose from the dead he proved He was true to His word. Paul says that if the resurrection has not a fact, we are at the top of the pity list. Not don’t stop reading this blog and get the idea that the message of Jesus is not inspiring. Think about it. God saw our predicament and set the rights of heaven aside for a time to come and rescue us. He came in a way that no one would notice, and worked very hard at not entering into the power systems of the day, knowing that the power systems of the world had failed at accomplishing any true good. He willingly gave up His life knowing that in the process we would be able to experience eternity right in the middle of temporal space and time. And then the unexpected, although openly foretold, he came back to life, picking up all his heavenly rights again. Now that is a story! But without the resurrection, it is just a myth, empty of any power. But the power is there available for you today.
The Arnold Journey 