BeanBoozled by the Resurrection of Jesus

I got a mini version of BeanBoozle for Christmas. We passed the jelly beans out and listened.

     “yum! What is this? Oh, passionfruit!”  
     Was imediately followed by,“Gross! This tastes like dirty    
     socks!”
     
BeanBoozle is a play on the word bamboozle, which means to trick or deceive. I happened to get the game for Christmas, but I think it would make a very fitting gift for the Easter holiday.

1 Corinthians 2:8, “None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” The political leaders and the spiritual forces instrumental in crucifying Jesus were Bamboozled by the resurrection!

Jesus was killed by professional executioners in the most public way possible. When Jesus reappeared to the disciples after his death and burial, he was not a bloody mess of a man who had cheated death. He was alive, vibrant, radiant and commanding.  After the Jesus’ death, the disciples went into hiding, fearing for their lives. After the resurrection, they charged out into the world and recklessly proclaimed that Jesus had risen from the dead!

This is one of the strongest historical evidences for the Christian faith. We know that the disciples and many of Jesus’ earliest followers were martyrs for the cause of Jesus. Why? Early Christians were heavily persecuted. Hebrews 10:34 informs us that many of these believers had property confiscated. “For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.“ What motivated those believers to stick to their resurrection story? Money and fame are out as motivations. Their property was being plundered!

It would have been easy and advantageous to simply drop the whole resurrection bit. They could have continued to pass on most of the teachings of Jesus without mentioning that He predicted His own death and resurrection. It’s truly amazing! These early followers of Jesus were so effective that the message of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection exploded around the Mediterranean region. Those who sought to squash the nascent Christians were bamboozled!

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