I read today that James Cameron recently announced that his next big film project is a documentary that seeks to debunk the story of the resurrection of Christ. He also suggests that Jesus had a son with Mary Magdalene. Their attempt at a real-life The Da Vinci Code documentary will feature DNA researchers, historical "experts" and, of course, a truck load of controversy.
While this web page gives some details as to the plot that Cameron will be following, it got me thinking for a minute. I have faith that Jesus lived a breathtakingly revolutionary life while 'incarnated' here with us. In 'three and thirty years' he pretty much changed everything: the way many of us see the world, and the way many of us see ourselves. The accounts of his life, his teaching, his example, his signs and wonders, his leadership and his relationships demonstrated a way of living that was radical then as it is now.
Having lived this radical life, he was put on trial, crucified, killed and, after three days, was resurrected and after appearing to different groups of people on a number of occasions, he ascended to be at the right hand of his father, our Creator God.
Without steering in any direction, my faith informs that last paragraph.
My question is this: if a movie and scientific evidence (probably in reverse order) were to reveal that the DNA-verfiable remains of Jesus were found in a crypt in Jerusalem and it was indisputable...what effect would that have on you?
Would you ignore or integrate? And how would that integration look for you?
I'm not postulating anything here, just throwing out a question.
***Please bear this in mind: I'm striving to do this in the context of Titus 3:9, 2 Timothy 2:23, Colossians 2:4. That is to say, I'm not trying to start an argument or controversy here. I'm a follower of Jesus - that's my starting point. And it's my context for the question.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Jesus and James Cameron
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5 comments:
now I'm all for dna testing, families being buried with each other, and essay-long comments.
but what i'm interested to know (from Cameron) is how they know it's the one we call Christ? So many people were named Yeshua, Miriam and Yehudah. It wouldn't surprise me that people with these names were buried together.
Cameron has managed to stick his foot in his mouth by using the word 'God' in the same sentence as 'Jesus' and claiming he's still buried.
It's not often you manage to piss off everyone in one sentence.
It's hard to go past Paul the Apostle's comments on essentially the same matter:
"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead…for if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sin…If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Cor 15:14-19)
The challenge itself may never have any credibility, however the result is that doubt gets sown into the minds of many and turns people away from Jesus. That is enough for me to continually prepare myself to give an answer for the hope I have in Christ, and to seek wisdom on such things. It also shows that Jesus Christ is still a person of great interest in an age where the western world has tried to remove any religious foundation from society...
Yeah, I hear you Douggie.
I think what got going in my head even while I was punching in the post was something I read last week in a book called 'A Generous Orthodoxy'.
The thought was that some faith traditions jump straight to 'he was born to die'. God sent Jesus to be a sacrifice for our sins. That, was ultimately true. But Jesus came to to preach good news to the poor.
to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
The dominant reason Jesus came (from what I read) was to describe and usher in the Kingdom of God.
My thought is that we jump to 'death and resurrection' which although fundamental to our faith can gloss over his life. I'm not convinced he came to die and be crucified. I believe he came to restore us to God and it took death on a cross to do that.
BTW - page 11 of The West (28/2/07) has the story today.
One more thought (and maybe the genesis of the post in the first place). When we read things like "this story (ie. DNA blah, blah, blah - he he...the fact they're even talking DNA seems funny) is controversial but has absolutely no scientific foundation, do we think 'phew..I'm glad that's been discredited'. In the same way as the DaVinci Code...are we glad for us? Our cause? Or for those whose faith journey is infant so that they mightn't stumble over 'every wind of doctrine'.
Sorry for the rambling, I'm not awake enough yet to be succinct.
:) Awake enough to provoke thought, Simon!
If we had no teachings, healings, and miraculous signs from Jesus; if we didn't 'see' his humanity; if we had no idea WHY he came, or he spoke nothing of the purpose of his death and resurrection, then what would his crucifixion have meant? (In fact, would his crucifixion have happened at all if he spoke nothing to stir the religious spirits of the High Priest, Pharisees and Saduccees?)
John called Jesus the Word; Hebrews 1 tells us that he is the exact representation of God's very being, through whom God has spoken to us. It highlights the importance of his earthly ministry which, as you rightly pointed out, many people can easily ignore.
However, as with many things in life, we are seeking to hold two seemingly contradictory things in a careful tension. Actually, they are not contradictory at all, but our minds grapple with realities like Jesus being both fully human and fully divine: many people prefer to simply "take a side" and relieve themselves of any mental strain.
But for me, I am often saddened by the fact that people get stuck on his death: his dying for our sins. If Jesus Christ was never resurrected from the dead, then what good has the sacrifice been? He has not conquered death, we have not been given new life, and our situation ultimately has not changed. it is only in the resurrection of Our Saviour that the new life and reconciliation with God happens. Remember in Eph 2? "While we were dead in our transgressions...Yet God, who is rich in mercy...made us alive in Christ." If Christ is not raised from the dead, neither are we, and there is no kingdom of God to be ushered in.
I was up until one am writing an epic on the centrality and cruciality of the death and resurrection... it's a "button-pusher" for me! i.e. it gets me very passionate about the subject!!
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