The claim that a man has risen from the dead with an imperishable body, no longer bound by the laws of physics, ought to be considered ridiculous without strong evidence.
And good evidence today must be strong. We should expect evidence across history that the same man who supposedly rose continues to act upon the earth, doing the same kinds of things he did when he first rose:
- Recruiting his enemies through dreams and visions
- Appearing humbly and hiding his appearance, teaching in ways that make hearts burn
- Knitting together unlikely communities, so certain of his presence that they would rather die than fail to testify to what they encounter
- Quietly moving through the world, breaking bread with the outcast, healing the brokenhearted, and resisting the proud and the powerful
We might go further and expect that a direct, sincere call to him would summon a response, though in his usual unexpected form.
Yes, only then does it make sense to believe such an outrageous claim.
The sunrise is proven not by the sight of the sun but by the warmth and rays of first light.
And if a man has truly risen and ascended, we should expect a sunlit world, warmed and colored by resurrection.
Kern Keep 