Have you ever made a claim that wasn’t true? Here are some accident insurance claims that seem to me a little far-fetched:

• “A house hit my car.”

• “I had been driving for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.”

• “The car in front hit the pedestrian but he got up so I hit him again.”

• “I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.”

• “In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.”

• “I was on my way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.”

• “The pedestrian had no idea which way to run, so I ran over him.”

• “Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.”

• “The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.”

• “When I saw I could not avoid a collision, I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car.”

• “The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him.”

“He is Risen”

Amazing claims those, but last year a man approached me who claimed to be Jesus. I asked if he had been raised from the dead. He said, “Yes.” I said, “Can you bring me some friends to verify this?” He blinked and wandered away.

Surely the most outrageous claim ever is the claim of Easter. That Jesus, the Son of God, died, was buried and was raised to life.

If it is false, Christianity is a lie. If it is true, we dare not laugh it off or ignore it.

The letters of Paul in the New Testament were written just 15 to 20 years after Jesus’ death. So how could Paul get away with his own eye-witness account and claims that the risen Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at once—most of whom were still alive?

Only Jesus had followers who went to their graves because they insisted He had been resurrected. Why would Jesus’ disciples do this—unless they had seen Him risen?

At my father’s graveside, the thought hit me, What would it take to convince people that my father had risen from the dead? It’s impossible.

If you don’t believe me, I have a suggestion. Try faking a resurrection in your town. Let me know how it goes.

My wife and I marvelled as we stood at the empty tomb in Jerusalem. It says, “He is not here. He is risen.”

I am sometimes criticized for laughing too much, but the truth of the Resurrection makes it impossible for me to stop for very long. We’re forgiven. The truly important issues were dealt with by Jesus on that cross. He defeated death and promised us eternal life.

So let’s celebrate the truth of the most outrageous claim in history.

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