“What If It’s All True?”

Before asking what the resurrection means… we have to ask what actually happened. 

Who was at the tomb?
 What did they see?
 And why did it change everything? 

In this episode of Bible, Basically, we slow down and walk through the events of that first Easter morning — not just as a story, but as a real claim people have wrestled with for centuries. Because if it’s true, it doesn’t just inspire belief… it demands a response. 

Bible, Basically — figuring out faith, together. 

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 2:10

Welcome to Bible basically, where we are figuring out faith together. Guys, it is Easter Sunday. That is when I am recording this episode. Happy Easter. He is risen, and he is the reason we are here. I am so excited to be talking to you today. We are going to be talking about the resurrection, but we're doing it a little differently. Uh, we are gonna go into the story, right? We'll talk about the account of what happened, but we're gonna take a little different approach once we hear the account. So I am looking for a little bit of feedback, by the way. I know that the last few episodes have been deep and heavy, and I am I want advice on should I do a couple lighter episodes? The Bible is not all heavy and and dark, it is light and good news and love and peace and happiness. So I don't I don't want everybody out there to feel this weight all the time. God provides peace, and I understand that you know we're talking about how to attain that, but I don't know, just give me some feedback, let me know for next episode. I I'd appreciate it in the first part of the week. I try to do this weekly, so you know, give me some feedback if you can. If you know me, shoot me a text. If you want, drop me an email. Uh, you can leave fan letters on my sites, you can drop comments. I don't care. Anything to let me know. What do you think? Do you want to keep down this road of dealing with problems in your life, or do you want to take a break? Not a permanent break, but a couple episode break of Dennis, tell me something happy. Tell me some good stories of the Bible. Tell me, let's talk a little bit about the the the positive things. So yeah, let me know. But today we're gonna kind of stride, we're riding the fence on this, okay? Because what we are talking about is the resurrection, and the resurrection is the good news, right? It is, like I said, the reason that we are here. I had a uh a good friend post a meme today that I hadn't read before and I thought it was very poignant. And it said his death was proof that he was a man, and his resurrection was proof that he was God. And that's just so true. So true. I mean, uh most of us are familiar with Easter. And I'm not talking about the bunny, I'm not talking about the wascally wabbit with all the eggs, which I don't know how y'all eat Cadbury eggs. I know one person in particular that's listening to this loves Cadbury eggs. And no, no, that's like snot-covered chocolate or chocolate-covered snot or whatever. No. I'm not talking about that part of Easter. They are comfortable with Easter, they're comfortable with the thought of what Christians perceive Easter to be about, as long as it stays a story to them. Just a moment, a tradition, something we acknowledge, and then we just move past. But that's the problem. See, the resurrection was never intended to be comfortable.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

You have to think about this. I know understand and it's shallow.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

Because if a man really walked out of a grave, then it's not something you just believe. I mean, that's something you should probably respond to.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Because dead things don't come back. This isn't Pet Cemetery. This is a historic account. This doesn't happen.

SPEAKER_00 7:29

Not after three days, not after a public execution where everyone watched him die.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

So either it didn't happen, or it truly changes everything. And not just in theory. In you. So the question isn't just did it happen?

SPEAKER_00 8:07

The real question is, what do you do if it did? So look, let's let's take a second and talk about the actual account of what happened. Okay, and we're going to the gospel according to Luke, chapter twenty-four, predominantly verses one through six. We're gonna bounce around, but we're hanging out in Luke today.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

Okay. Jesus had been executed publicly, brutally.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

A bunch of people watched it happen. He died, he was placed in a tomb, and a ginormous stone was rolled in front of it. So by all accounts, done. Over with yeah, that he's he's dead. But then early in the morning, a group of women went to the tomb. And in Matthew, basically it says it was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Okay, so the Marys went to the tomb. And the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, verse 1 says, But on the first day of the week at early dawn, they went to the tomb, talking about the Marys. They weren't going to celebrate, they weren't going to mourn. Or excuse me, they were going to mourn.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

But when they got there, something weren't right.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

The stone was already moved, and the tomb was empty. 24-2. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. So imagine you are going to see somebody in their place of rest. Where he was placed. And they went to watch him get played. They were there. I mean, it was.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

He was in that tomb. And when they got there, he wasn't anymore.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

And while they were trying to process all that, something even more unexpected happened. Luke 24, 4 says, While they were perplexed about this, so they're looking at the tomb and they have question marks over their heads, going, huh? While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. Now, when you look at other books that are reliving the same account, these guys weren't just random men.

SPEAKER_01 11:35

They were angels.

SPEAKER_00 11:39

And they looked at the Marys and said something that changed everything. Luke twenty-four, five, and six says, Why do you seek the living among the dead? He's not here, but has risen. Now they weren't going there seeking the dead. What the angels were telling them was, why are you looking for someone who is now alive among the dead?

SPEAKER_01 12:26

They're not talking. They are basically saying that he physically rose from the dead. Not just a statement.

SPEAKER_00 12:51

It's almost confrontational. Why do you seek the living among the dead? He's not here, but he has written. Why are you looking for life in a place defined by death? Gospel of Matthew takes it a step further in 28 6. It says, He is not here, for he has risen as he said. So this isn't new information. They should have known this was going to happen. But they went with no hope. They went in sorrow. They thought it was over. Sometimes we do something similar in our lives. We look for life, we look for peace, we look for joy, we look for happiness among dead things, among things that ultimately may bring us temporary states of those being. But ultimately will provide no hope. We look for life in control. We look for life in success. We look for life in comfort, in approval. But none of it holds water. I looked, it wasn't so much life, but I wanted to feel something. I wanted to feel. Luke twenty-four, eleven. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

SPEAKER_01 17:49

They weren't the only ones.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Thomas, another follower of Christ. He flat out says, unless I see, I will never believe. That was in John twenty twenty-five.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Doubt still didn't disqualify them. Doubt is natural. But doubt doesn't stop the truth from being the truth.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Guys, if if we really break it down, if the resurrection is real. This isn't something to just inspire you.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

This is disruptive. It's disruptive to our very nature. It's disruptive to what we perceive what we perceive, excuse me, the cycle of life to be. And I don't mean that in a bad way.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

It's also disruptive to the type of life that we want to live as far as man's nature.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

John 11 25.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And Paul in the first, in first Corinthians 15, 17 says, if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile. So how is it disruptive? Well, I'll tell you, if this is true, sin isn't something that we just manage.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

Through our faith in Christ, sin is something he defeated. I'm undergoing a lot of medical issues. I'm not going to get into the particulars of what they are. And I hope to live a very long, fulfilling life.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

But much like the Hunger Games, the odds are not necessarily in my favor. And I know some of you that are very close to me that hurts to hear, but it is the truth. But because he said, I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.

SPEAKER_01 21:41

I don't death isn't something that I fear. Death is something he already walked through. And my life isn't mine anymore. I gave my life to him. Because he gave his life for me. So maybe you should ask yourself, not so much do I know the story. But ask yourself what you're gonna do with it.

SPEAKER_00 22:45

I know a lot of you listening, um, a few of you have told me that, Dennis, I love your podcast. Yeah, I'm learning a lot, and it's great because you're not preachy. And look, I am not here to shove the Bible down your throat. This podcast is about understanding it so that you can seek a relationship with God on your own terms and find a church body and read the Bible and understand his wisdom on your own and with believers and with, you know, by fellowshipping with others. But what kind of friend would I be to you if I didn't preach to you for a second? Romans 10 9 says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. I'm gonna say it again. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you, you who are listening, will be saved.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

You will not fear death.

SPEAKER_00 24:18

You will have peace beyond understanding. You can breathe easy through adversity. You can praise through anxiety.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

Guys, this isn't a passive statement.

SPEAKER_00 24:44

This is what it means to understand the resurrection and to know that it is true.

SPEAKER_01 25:02

That morning started like an ending. Quiet. Heavy. Final. A sealed tomb. A closed story. But then everything changed. The stone was rolled away. The grave was empty. And death lost. Maybe you've heard that before.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

Maybe it feels familiar. Maybe it feels distant. But I'm begging you.

SPEAKER_01 25:55

Don't let it stay small. Because once the tomb is empty, neutrality disappears.

SPEAKER_00 26:10

You can question it, you can wrestle with it, you can even resist it. But you can't ignore what it means. Because if this is true, Jesus isn't just a teacher. He isn't just a good man. He's Lord. And that means something. It means that your life, your direction, your future are not random.

SPEAKER_01 26:44

They matter. Because that grave is empty. So I'll put it to you again.

SPEAKER_00 27:03

Question isn't what if it's all true? Question is what are you going to do about it? Guys, thank you so much for listening. I it is a real delight to be able to talk to you every week. I love doing it. I don't care if it's just five people listening or 5,000 people listening.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

I love y'all.

SPEAKER_00 27:40

And this has been Bible basically, where we are figuring out faith together.