the Resurrection.

Once I heard a theologian pose the question, 'Would Christianity have had the impact it did on the world without the resurrection of Jesus?' and then he added, 'Would you be a Christian had Jesus not resurrected?'

Every Easter Sunday, almost inevitable I think of these questions. After all, that is the most important event that sets Christianity apart from any other tradition or religion. The fact that we believe that Jesus Christ came back from the dead. That he did so in a real way, in flesh and bone and dined in presence of the apostles. It is often simple to believe in the resurrection in a very non-physical type of way. At least, for a while I used to reconcile the very difficult idea of Jesus resurrecting. I often thought about resurrection as the overcoming of obstacles, pain and suffering that is embodied in the cross, and the willingness of the spirit to not only endure trial but overcome it. In this way, we can actually relate to the resurrection many times during our life.
 Whenever life becomes difficult, and we know it does often, whenever we get through these hard times we often think and feel as if we had resurrected. As if we are a new creature that thinks and feels different about the world or a particular state of affairs. But, the question the theologian I heard many years ago was posing was a very direct one--not metaphorical or symbolic at all.

I wrestle with the question because I do not seem to be so caught up on the fact that Jesus came back from the dead. Shocking! Yes. I do not entertain whether the project of Christianity had taken off and been such a success without the resurrection story, but with the part of whether I would still follow Jesus even if that part of the story was missing. If Jesus had died on the cross and that had been the end, whether I would be Christian at all. I know that logically I could not entertain this question without first acknowledging first that Christianity became a success historically because of the resurrection, but granting that this could have happen without the resurrection, whether I would still follow Jesus.

Part of what makes Christianity so appealing in fact, is that it cheers for the underdog. Maybe this is why the project of Christianity would still have been successful even without the resurrection of Jesus Christ. How much more dramatic would have been if Jesus, had died and not been a 'winner' by resurrecting? Would his followers be still more detach from the 'heaven in their minds' and live a life simply without any reward by following a messiah that gave his life and did not receive anything in exchange? I do not know, but it is nice to think of this 'type' of Christianity.

So, to go back to the question, I would like to believe I would still be Christian had 'those pages' from the gospels had gone missing at some point in history. Why? Because despite of the resurrection I find in the man of Jesus Christ a person that is not only worth imitating and following, but one that speaks with an authority that makes the kingdom of heaven a possibility. A man that indeed I know is God-made-man. A God-man that goes under the cross for the sins of humanity and who speaks of the love of the Father as the one of the Progidical-Son parable. Perhaps, a God that manifests himself this way does not need to resurrect to show humanity the nature of his being, which also, is inevitable to love in return.