“And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one
appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear
witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his
name.” (Acts 10:42-43)
In this time of pandemic, the Lord desires that all people seek Him out for healing and
comfort. Who else is there to approach for such help? The talking heads in media are
no help. Though they claim to be sources of helpful information, they are essentially
providing disinformation. In the process they hype up the danger because it justifies
their existence, ego, and income. Government and the medical professionals can
provide a measure of physical and financial relief, but no spiritual comfort for the dying
or those who are mourning. Many people will try to take comfort in blaming some one,
filing law suits, and in engaging in angry tirades. Yet the source of help really lies within
the church even though the government has declared them to be nonessential. Those
who have faith in Christ have the help and hope that everyone is seeking, because we
have seen the Lord!
As we see from the various readings for Easter Sunday, the Gospel accounts of Jesus’
resurrection rested upon the testimony of eyewitnesses, men and women who saw
Jesus crucified, buried, and resurrected from the dead. Peter cited these testimonies
when preaching the gospel to the Roman centurion Cornelius and his household (Acts
10) as did Paul in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15).
Eyewitness testimonies were powerful evidence of the resurrection of Jesus for it was
an event which far exceeded the world view of all people, even today. A person could
easily dismiss the resurrection as fantasy because it was unbelievable, until one was
confronted by the eyewitnesses. These witnesses were unlikely to tell such bold lies or
concoct fantastic tales of events totally beyond the scope of their worldview: they were
simple people, humble and meek, not well-educated. In addition, their testimony did not
put them in a good light for they admitted they had been extremely fearful when Jesus
was arrested and crucified. They testified that they had completely misunderstood
Jesus, His teachings and His mission. If they had been lying they would not have
admitted to such stupidity and weakness but would have put a “spin” on the story to
make themselves look good, much like many people do today. People rarely admit to
failures, faults or sins even when there are witnesses and proof. These days It all is a
matter of how well one can spin or skew the facts.
When we present the gospel to an unbeliever we can tell them of the testimonies
presented in the scripture. More than that, we can tell them of our own testimony. We
can tell them of how faith in Christ has changed us and how that faith sustains us
through the trials and difficulties of life. We can also tell them of the grace and mercy of
Almighty God who grants forgiveness of sin through the sacrifice of Christ for imperfect
and unworthy people. Only through Christ are we made right with God. Only through
Christ, then will anyone find comfort in times of sickness, fear, and tribulation.