a few years ago NT WRIGHT wrote a book entitled "the challenge of Jesus" wherein, among other things, he underlines how impossibly difficult it would have been for any first century Jew to accept Jesus' claims to be the Messiah apart from the testimony of His resurrection. I agree completely. Jesus' life, mission, and agenda (aka "his Kingdom") was and is so "not of this world" that its hard to believe a word of it apart from the historical reality of his resurrection. And I'm convinced that his resurrection IS a historical reality. I think Lee Strobel puts it well when he says that he arrived, in his conversion experience, to a place where he realized that given the facts surrounding the resurrection narrative it took more faith to continue in disbelief than to succumb to the evidence. So now having found myself in a similar place, where the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that Jesus WAS and IS exactly who he said he was (living, eternal, God, Messiah) the challenge for me now is to accept the other more peripheral, but equally radical, statements he made...and Matthew's gospel is full of them.
"blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil things about you on my account. Rejoice and be glad..."
"don't worry about what you'll eat, drink or wear...your father in heaven knows that you need these things."
"dont store up treasures on earth...for where your treasure is your heart is there as well."
It occurs to me now that if Im as convinced as I say I am that his claims to be Messiah/God are legitimate, than I'm obliged to live like the rest of what he said is just as certain and trustworthy.
