Remember the Resurrection

Remember all the miracles God performed through Moses?  They weren't just miracles.  They were signs to everyone that God was communicating to and through Moses.  When Moses said, "Thus says the LORD," they had reason to believe it was true.  Later prophets would also have signs/miracles that would show they were speaking for the LORD, too.  One of the most common signs was a short-term prediction of something miraculous that would happen.  People could watch, then, for that sign to come true.  Then they could know that what the prophet said on behalf of God was true, too.

If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. (Deuteronomy 18:22)

Jesus was asked for a sign to prove his claims as well.  He claimed quite a bit.  He claimed to be the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Messiah (Christ), and the "I AM" (Yahweh, God).  That was a lot to claim.  People wanted Jesus to prove these things with a sign.

As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. (Luke 11:29-30)  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40)

When Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, that was his sign.  His prediction of this miracle was correct.  That was his way of confirming that he was speaking for God, just like previous prophets.  He was claiming to be more than a prophet, though.  His resurrection was God's sign that Jesus was who he claimed to be.

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31)

How about you?  Do you believe Jesus is the Son of Man?  Do you believe he is the Son of God?  Do you believe Jesus is the Christ?  Do you believe Jesus is God in the flesh?

Remember Jesus

Imagine that you lived in the days of Jesus.  Imagine hearing about him, finding him, and following him around.  Imagine seeing his miracles, hearing him teach, and even being healed by him.  What stories would you tell others about Jesus?  Here are a few that Luke wrote down:

• Virgin Born (Luke 1)
• Wisdom by Age 12 (Luke 2)
• Baptism and Confirmed by Heaven (Luke 3)
• 40 Days in Wilderness (Luke 4)
• Teaching, Healing, & Casting Out Demons (Luke 5)
• Healed Lame Hand on Sabbath (Luke 6)
• Raised the Dead (Luke 7)
• Legion of Demons and Pigs (Luke 8)
• Healed Woman & Raised Child from Dead (Luke 8)
• Feed 5,000 men & Transfiguration (Luke 9)
• Sent out 72 (Luke 10)

This list includes less than half of the stories Luke told about Jesus.  Matthew and Mark shared some of the same stories as well as others.  John filled in the gaps with many other stories and details of his own.  How about you?  What stories would you tell others about Jesus if you saw them happen?  What would you make sure to pass along to your children and grandchildren?  Which stories strengthen your faith and your walk together with God?

Eyewitnesses

How many eyewitnesses does it take before you believe a story? Is it one? Do you need a second person to corroborate the story? Do you need a group? How big does the group need to be? Today we think of one person with a video camera as a "witness," until flash mobs or internet scams make us cynical. Now we want to know that the video was "verified" or that there were more people there who actually saw the event happen. The people in the Bible were the same.

They didn't believe every person yelling on a street corner to repent, either. They wanted more evidence - proof really - that God was at work. When God performed miracle after miracle in the days of Moses, people saw it. They lived as a result of it. They were eyewitnesses.

These are the Israelites, counted according to their families. All the men in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550. (Numbers 2:32) The total number of Levites counted at the LORD's command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000. (Numbers 3:39)

Across the 12 tribes, there were 625,550 men of fighting age. That's why they didn't count the women and the children, by the way. They weren't eligible for the draft. Imagine that there was one woman and one child for each man that was counted. There were probably more, but this is a good way to think about it. With one woman and one child per man, that would mean 1,876,650 people walked through the Red Sea with water like walls on either side of them (Exodus 14:22,29). That's a lot of eyewitnesses.

Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here." He replied, "You give them something to eat." They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish--unless we go and buy food for all this crowd." (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. (Luke 9:12-17 NIV)

Jesus had eyewitnesses, too.  People saw him healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising people from the dead.  They at the meal that came from five loaves and two fish.  Once again, we have a limited count from that day.  There were 5,000 men.  These eyewitnesses not only saw his miracles and heard his teaching.  They also watched as he died.  They saw the blood and water flow from his side.  They saw him wrapped up and laid in the tomb.  And, after all that, they saw him raised from the dead.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)

How about you? How many eyewitnesses do you need before you believe a story? Do you believe the stories are true? They proclaimed them, shared them, and carefully passed them down from generation to generation so we would have them today. They went to their death saying these stories were true. Many of them died because they wouldn't renounce that the stories are true. They believed that Jesus died and rose again. Do you?

Remember Moses

I don't know about you, but I would certainly remember some of the significant events that happened during my lifetime if I lived in the days of Moses. Can you imagine what it would have been like to live in slavery in Egypt and then have this guy Moses come in and demand that Pharaoh set all of us free? Can you picture what it would have been like to watch as God set you free? Think about some of the things God did through Moses. Here are some examples:

• Burning Bush (Exodus 3)
• Leprous Hand & Snake-Staff (Exodus 4)
• 9 Plagues (Exodus 7-11)
• The First Passover, Final Plague, and Exodus (Exodus 12-13)
• Pillar of Cloud & Fire (Exodus 13:21-22)
• The Red Sea (Exodus 14)
• Bitter Water Better (Exodus 15)
• Manna and Quail (Exodus 16)
• Water from a Rock (Exodus 17:1-7)
• Battling Amalekites and Winning through Prayer (Exodus 17:8-16)
• Empowering Judges (Exodus 18)
• Powerful Presence at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19)
• The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20)

You wouldn't have been the only one who remembered these events. Other Israelites would have lived through them with you. They, like you, would have walked through the Red Sea on dry land while water, like walls, were on your right and on your left. How many other eyewitnesses were there, you ask?

These are the Israelites, counted according to their families. All the men in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550.(Numbers 2:32 NIV) The total number of Levites counted at the LORD's command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000. (Numbers 3:39 NIV)

These numbers, of course, only include men of fighting age. They don not count women or children. If there was one woman and one child for every man, that would mean nearly 2 million people witnessed these events. When Moses came down Mt. Sinai and said, "Thus says the LORD," I would have believed him, too.

How about you? Would you have remembered all these events? Would you have agreed that God was at work in and through Moses? Would you believe that God was the one speaking through the ten commandments? Would your memory strengthen your trust in God?