Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What are we accomplishing?" they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him.”
John 11:47
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
I Corinthians 15:14, 16, 17, 19
On the cathedral-bedecked square of Bressanone in northern Italy, there is an ancient Bishop’s Palace that houses a centuries-old collection of more than 5,000 figurines. These are the “actors” in a series of dollhouse-sized scenes called “presepi” that depict the life of Christ from stable to cross. (Americans would call the nativity scenes “creches.”) These
presepi (see link) are marvelously theatrical, poignant, and beautifully rendered. One that caught my eye, is shown below. It tells the story of the friends who opened a hole in a Galilean roof to bypass the crowd, and drop their paralyzed friend at the feet of Jesus (Luke 5:17-25).
Just take a moment, look at the scene, and think about it. Those guys really believed Jesus could do something. They thought Jesus could heal their friend. He did. The crowd was there for a reason – crowds were everywhere Jesus went. They expected miracles from him – grabbing the hem of his robe, following him into the wilderness, gawking at his audacious Sabbath miracles performed in broad daylight, in front of the noses of the temple hierarchy. They were always hoping for healing; hoping for his touch; hoping he could take another couple of fish and some rolls and feed every last one of them. He did that too.
The thing is, miracles are everywhere in the gospels. If you clip them out, you have a shredded mess. Strangely enough, even the Pharisees believed in Christ’s miracles. They went after him, because the miracles were convincing people that Jesus could save them. They said, “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him.”
Throughout the gospels Jesus insists over and over that his miracles are the proof that he is the Son of God. He said, “Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.” (John 10:37)
The ultimate miracle, of course, is Christ’s resurrection – promised, proclaimed, and trumpeted throughout the Scriptures; throughout history; in the lives of untold numbers of his people; and in the Nicene Creed that we profess each Sunday. It is the centerpiece of our faith. On this claim we rest all our hopes.
If Christ has not risen from the dead, we are fools and our hope is in vain. If this is a fable, a lovely metaphor, or some sort of religious allegory, what have we got? Not a hope, but a hobby. Not a Christ but a club.
God bless you!
Donna
