Only a fool would say, “There is no God!”
(Psalm 14:1 CEV)
A few years ago, Easter fell on April 1st, also known as “April Fools Day.” Many Christians were not pleased with the date and I could see why, but I was reminded of a lie that did actually begin to circulate when Jesus rose from the dead.
In Matthew, chapter 28, we’re told that after Christ’s resurrection, the guards that were guarding His tomb went to the chief priests and reported everything that had happened; how an angel from God came down, rolled away the stone from the tomb and sat on it. Now, of course, this wasn’t good news for the religious leaders whose sole purpose was to discredit Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. So they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, bribing them to say, “His disciples came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping” (Matthew 28:13 MSG). The soldiers did as they were told and Matthew reports, “That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around” (v.15).
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on the third day was not a lie. The only lie is trying to deny that truth and the only fools are the ones who believe it.
Happy Resurrection, everyone!
Rising with the Son 