But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3
We all have questions.
Some that I have heard recently: Why did God allow this sickness? Why did God let ancient Israel slaughter entire cities? Can the story of parting the Red Sea be true? Why are Christians so narrow-minded and mean?
To answer these questions, you have to have a starting point. My starting point is the resurrection.
In March 2020, I was leading a tour group in Israel. We were one of the last groups in Israel when COVID hit, with the result that the sights we visited were empty of tourists.
When we visited the Garden Tomb, I took this photo. Notice – nobody! Just me. After the photo, I walked to the entrance and then entered the tomb. To the right was a flat surface carved into the rock.
This was the area on which they would place bodies in the time of Jesus.
There was nothing on this surface. I had this moment when I saw the empty tomb… the empty surface… with nothing there. Then I imagined the Apostle Peter running to the tomb, pausing briefly at the entrance, and going inside to find…
Nothing. Jesus was alive!
Historically, it’s debated if this is the actual tomb, but it is close to the crucifixion site of Golgotha, and even if not the real tomb – exactly like that tomb.
I was alone in this tomb, like Peter 2,000 years ago.
If there isn’t a body, then there is a resurrection! If a resurrection, then God is all-powerful (dead and then alive is evidence of total power) and all-loving (God so loved the world that He gave His Son).
When I doubt or question, when I listen to the questions of others, I start at the tomb. It was empty.
God is all-powerful and all-loving.
I can’t answer all your questions or challenges to the Christian faith in a brief blog. But I can say that hope founded on the resurrection means we will know the answers one day. Doubt should not control your faith. Don’t let questions eliminate your hope. Discouragement can too easily slide into despair.
If you don’t accept the empty tomb as real, the only alternative is an empty life.
Start with the empty tomb to have hope!