Continuing with the exploration and reflection through a series of articles written in a conversational language about Catholicism, about God, about Jesus, about the Church and many other faith related topics. Here we present:

Question 19 – Has Jesus risen from the dead? 

The Gospels* do not describe Jesus’ resurrection* at Easter* anywhere. What you can read is that he became alive again after his death. It is not known exactly how this happened. The grave is empty, the witnesses say. They also say that they have seen, heard and touched him. Some even ate with him. Their encounters are real; Jesus is not a ghost that lights up. Yet there is a lot of mystery around it. The risen Jesus comes in while the doors are closed. Another time he disappears inexplicably. More than once he comes to his disciples, but ‘they don’t recognise him’ (Lk 24:16).

The resurrection of Jesus means that he has entered the world of God*, a world that is still unimaginable for us. Jesus’ resurrection does not mean that his dead body began to breathe and move again. He has not become an ordinary, living and therefore mortal man again. The risen Jesus is immortal. He is different and yet the same.

It is not easy to believe in the resurrection. It is no coincidence that in almost all apparitions* there is unbelief and doubt, also among the people who knew Jesus very well. At the same time these hesitant witnesses are going to proclaim his resurrection.

Perhaps this is the strongest proof of the reality of the resurrection. The disciples of Jesus were traumatised by the shameful failure that Jesus’ (and their own) life’s work had turned out to be. They had fled in all directions. Shortly after that the same people are going to proclaim with unimaginable passion that their hero is the Saviour of the people. They no longer conceal his death on the cross. They will now proclaim it almost with pride. Between both moments they must have experienced something even more shocking and dramatic than the catastrophe of Jesus’ crucifixion: his resurrection.

– What do you think the resurrection of Jesus means?
– Do you recognise any of the doubts of the first witnesses of the resurrection?

Feel free to leave your thoughts, reflections or comments below.

Watch this space! Coming up:   Question 20 – Does it matter if Jesus has risen?    

Follow these links to go back to Question 1 – Is believing exceptional? , Question 2 – Is Faith for simple souls? , Question 3 – Can you be a Christian and yet doubt your faith? , Question 4 – Can a believer be critical? , Question 5 – Can faith and science get along? , Question 6 – Are you born a Christian?, Question 7 – Can a human being meet God?, Question 8 – Did God create the world in seven days?, Question 9 – What did God do before he created the world?, Question 10 – Is God a man or a woman? , Question 11 – Can you be a Christian without believing in Jesus?, Question 12 – Did Jesus really exist?, Question 13 – What is the importance of the hidden life of Jesus?, Question 14 – What is the message of Jesus?, Question 15 – Is Jesus God or human? , Question 16 – Is Mary a virgin?, Question 17 – Did Jesus do miracles? and Question 18 – Did God want Jesus to be crucified?

If you wish to learn more about this resource follow this link  “52 Questions and Answers about faith”

About the author:

Nikolaas Sintobin, SJ, joined the Society of Jesus in 1989, following a short career as a lawyer. He was trained as a Jesuit in Brussels, Paris, and Santiago de Chile. Today he is a spiritual director who is keenly interested in online ministry and discovering new ways to help people find God.

This text is republished with the permission of Messenger Publications, Ireland. To buy a hard copy of the book click here.