Number 96:  February 27, 2007

Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, must be near because another assault on the validity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is being promulgated. Since Mel Gibson made a huge amount of money with “The Passion of the Christ,” everyone thinks there is money in religion. It doesn’t matter if what is being presented is true or not. In fact, the more outlandish it is, the more the media will promote it.  

It seems that some well-known filmmaker must either A) be in need of money, B) is getting ready to release a documentary, C) is working for the false god, or D) all of the above. He is publicly trying to discredit the resurrection based upon his interpretation of data based on names found on ossuaries. Ten bone boxes known as ossuaries were found March 28, 1980 in Talpiot, Jerusalem in a family burial cave. He claims the names Jesus, Mary, Matthew, Joseph, Mary Magdalene, and Judah Son of Jesus, can be deciphered.  

Despite these being common names of that era, his research claims that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a son named Judah a la “The Da Vinci Code.”

Burial ossuaries were quite common among the elite of that day and time, much like coffins in Egypt. They have been found in many places around Jerusalem. The fact that Jewish carpenters weren’t wealthy enough to afford a family burial cave doesn’t matter.

Many archeologists and scholars, who have real knowledge of ossuaries, have already gone on record as “highly skeptical” about the claims made by a Hollywood filmmaker. He probably should have said he found the bones of Moe, Larry and Curley; at least that would be possible. Jesus showed himself to his disciples in his resurrected body.

Luke 24:36-39:

And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be with you.

But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed hat they had seen a spirit.

And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts?

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.   

Jesus Christ was really resurrected from the dead, no matter how Hollywood portrays it.

The angels told the first visitors to Jesus’ tomb that he was already risen, go see. When Peter arrived, all he saw was the burial clothing, nothing that would require a bone box.

John 20:6 and 7:

Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

And the napkin, that was about his head, not with the linen clothes, but wrapped together, and in a place by itself.