Like lots of us, for many, many years I was skeptical about my own religion, and followed it because I was born into it. One day about three decades back, while reading about events that happened around the crucifixion of Christ, I found that most of the followers of Jesus deserted him when he was arrested, and finally hung on the cross to die.
They deserted him like rats would a sinking ship. Poor guys, they must have been petrified. All along they followed their Master, maybe thinking he would lead them against the Roman army and win. They never thought that the kingdom he talked about was a spiritual kingdom; the kingdom of God. And then with horror, they saw this same man who had done so many miracles, who had made a dead man come out of his grave, and had spoken such wonderful words, suddenly being beaten, thrashed and made to carry a wooden cross to be killed.
According to the scriptures, his men deserted Christ. They ran away.
But, and here comes the big but: The same bunch of spineless, chicken hearted, yellow belied men who ran away helter-skelter, hid, denied Jesus’ existence, suddenly turned into a bold, brave, fearless and absolutely confident bunch of diehard people, who with no fear of death, no thought of body harm went out and talked about the same Christ they had run away from. How did this group of scared followers become so courageous, facing the worst persecution anyone could have undergone from the ruling Romans and priestly Jews?
What changed them?
I realized that to have undergone such a dramatic change, they saw something that was truly spectacular.
What changed cowards into courageous men?
What changed them was that on that first Easter, they saw a risen Christ!
They beheld his rising from the dead! That they went to the grave where he had been buried and saw it empty, then they saw him alive again, coming to their room where they were hiding and talking to them, showing them his wounds from the cross!
I realize only a supernatural spectacle could have changed cowards into courageous men.
This changed my thinking and I know for sure that Christ did die on the cross, he did rise from the dead, and he did ascend into heaven. All the theories toward the contrary will not change the fact that today nearly one third of the world follows a religion, which should have ended when their leader died and his terrified men fled!
But it didn’t!
Even today, you see it happening; a political leader dies, and his party disintegrates. But that didn’t happen with the death of Christ, and therein lies the crux of my faith.
Easter is when he rose from the dead, He was seen alive by his disciples, and they changed to courageous men!
Now tell me if you believe the Risen Christ or not?

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