There Must Be Something More

95 | Was Jesus Actually Resurrected?

I straightened my coat in the rear-view mirror and ran a hand through my slicked-back hair. I imagined what the crowd would think tonight. How they'd take the new information.

I glanced out the window of my car and eyed Trey out front. He was wearing a black and gold Hawaiian shirt and one-piece Oxfords. He was waiting for me by the school steps. I took the keys from the ignition and the car died down.

Trey and I slapped each other a high five.

"You look ready," he eyed me from head to toe, looking as if he was about to double over.

"Save your laugh," I said, straightening my tie. "I borrowed this from my dad. Said I had a school project to do that needed looking good."

"Well, it is school project," he said with a shrug. "Just the different kind."

We walked to the halls.

~~~

"You set?" Lily asked. She had her hands to her hips, eyeing me from head to toe.

"Don't do that," I told her, making a disgusted face.

She laughed. "Just checking if you look right for the topic."

"Guys, two minutes," Aubrey came in. She clutched her clipboard on one hand and held two fingers up at us. She quickly disappeared behind the curtain, where the lights and sound system were.

Trey came in. He gave me a wide smile and patted my shoulder. "Go change the world tonight."

I turned in a hurry and took a peek behind the red velvet curtains covering the audience outside and sure enough I saw a great crowd of witnesses. They all stared at me, their eyes never seeming to blink. The same girl with frizzy brown hair and a white lab coat from the Science Committee was there. Samuel was still there. Calum and Amanda--still not together--were still there. The guys from the soccer team doubled in number. Principal Powell and his assistant Dan Powers were there too.

The sight of the increasing crowd made me more nervous. I made gulping sounds as I straightened my tie. I wiped away a trickle of sweat down my ear.

"Relax, dude," Trey said behind me, chuckling.

"You wouldn't say that if you're to be in my situation," I snapped.

"Just imagine watermelons," he said.

"What?"

"They said if you imagine people's heads are watermelons or any kind of fruit, it'd be less nerve-wracking."

I stared at him. "That's ridiculous."

He laughed. "Try it, man!"

"This must be some kind of mistake, right?" I said. "Maybe God doesn't intend for me to be here. Maybe I decided all this on my own. Maybe Meredith should--"

"Fight. The. Good. Fight. Of. Faith," Trey said, slapping my cheek lightly with every word.

"I know, but--"

"Thirty seconds," Aubrey came back, showing her phone screen on Timer. She glared at me. "What's up with you? You look terrible!"

"Thanks a lot," I mumbled.

"And why are you wearing a suit like that?" She added, glaring down my outfit. She had her hands on her hips. "Trey! Get this boy a gray comfort jacket and a white V-neck to wear underneath."

Trey saluted. "Aye, aye, captain!" He disappared to the dressing room. Then he came back and yanked my arm to drag me with him.

Meredith stood behind the corner of the stage, sitting on an abandoned theater speaker from the drama club, I presumed. She turned to me and gave me the thumbs up. I gave her a nervous smile.

I had just come out of the dressing room. I had to give Aubrey credit for this. The outfits seemed expensive and they were really comfortable. My hair was swept to the side, like those hairstyles you see with men from the 90s.

The curtains parted as soon as I stepped onto the platform. All eyes seemed to be trained on me. I should have been afraid, but instead I felt confident.

I flashed the audience a wide smile and said, "Welcome to Grace Club's next wave of conference about the eyewitness accounts of the resurrection of Jesus. I'm Charlie Borlock, your speaker for tonight."

To my surprise, Coach Anderson came walking in, wearing his orange dri-fit soccer shirt and khaki shorts. He had his hands in his pockets and a neutral expression on his face.

I tried not to get distracted. I turned to the screen.

I clicked on the remote and the words 'JESUS'S RESURRECTION: EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS' appeared in bold, black letters. I was impressed by my own hard work.

I began, "Paul identified people who saw the resurrected Christ during the 40 days before His ascension. Even Jesus' enemies and disbelieving friends were eyewitnesses.

"First of all, the Bible records eyewitness accounts of Jesus's resurrection."

I turned to the audience about that. I was afraid they'd start giving snide remarks again, but they were silent. All eyes on me, all eyes on the screen.

I said, "Was Jesus actually resurrected? Many critics today find it hard to believe Jesus' resurrection ever occurred. The apostle Paul had to quash rumors in the Corinthian congregation that Jesus Christ had never been resurrected at all, so in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 he named eyewitnesses who had been with the resurrected Christ.

"People were questioning one of the fundamentals of Christianity-that we have a resurrected Lord. Can we prove to you from the Bible that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and lives today?"

"From the Bible?" The girl from the Science Committee stood up. She had a nameplate on her left shoulder that said 'ALEX'. She frowned at me. "We need legit sources, Charlie. Not some made-up---"

"All questions will be addressed after my lecture as Meredith has mentioned earlier. We'll have a Question and Answer part in this conference." I reminded.

Alex scowled and tossed a lock of her hair from her shoulder in irritation and sat down.

"The records we will be examining are available worldwide. The events described had such an impact on some of Christ's former enemies and disciples that they gave their lives believing in Him as their resurrected Savior. Consider the following evidence confirming Jesus' resurrection," I said, turning away from the projected screen behind me.

"First up are numerous reliable texts," I said. "There are many documents, manuscripts and fragments of the Bible, Old and New Testament, in addition to secular sources that speak of Christ's resurrection. This contrasts with relatively few documents about some historical figures such as Julius Caesar. God has ensured that the historical record of Christ's resurrection would be preserved accurately for us."

Hope I know what I'm talking about, I thought as I said all this. If this all blows, I'd have given up everything for nothing!

Disclaimer: This info was taken from an article called "Jesus' Resurrection: Eyewitness Accounts" by Peter Hawkins