BY KONRAD ZIESING

I wasn’t always a follower of Jesus. I grew up in a home that valued science and math. My father was an engineering professor, and my older brother became an engineer, as well.

After graduating from high school at the top of my class, I began my path to becoming an engineer myself. But between my sophomore and junior years in college, I encountered the resurrected Christ.

As these types of encounters are wont to do, it forever changed me and the course of my life. My relationship with Jesus Christ liberated me.

In a moment, I experienced profound inner peace and happiness. That was 30 years ago, and it remains true today.

In John 11:25-26, Jesus said to Martha, the sister of Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

This is one of the most important questions a person will ever answer. Taken at face value, it seems like a binary question, but I have found it’s not that simple. You won’t get off that easily.

Before my encounter with Christ, I was asked a similar question. The first time I went to a traditional Christian church was at the age of 20 while working in Alaska during the summer fishing season. After the service, someone asked me if I knew the Lord.

It was an interesting question. My quick response would have been, “No,” but I knew a more honest answer required qualification. I replied, “No, but I’m curious.”

The question Jesus posed to Martha that day, before he raised Lazarus from the dead, is asked in much the same way. No one should adamantly respond “Yes” or “No” without giving the claim fair examination.

It shouldn’t be based on a meme, someone’s opinion on social media or even an article like this. To be fair, many who profess to be Christian have not fully investigated the matter themselves.

The lyrics of an older gospel hymn include the refrain: “You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart.” While this is true, it’s not the sole proof of Christ’s resurrection.

In each of the major resurrection narratives, women were the first to visit the empty tomb and the first to see Jesus alive. Later, the disciples and others spent time with him, touched him, ate with him and spoke with Him.

The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 that more than 500 people saw Jesus alive at once. No wonder C.S. Lewis wrote, “The first fact in the history of Christendom is a number of people who say they have seen the Resurrection."

This was, after all, at a time when anyone could have cried foul. The Apostle Paul encouraged such skeptics to speak directly to the eyewitnesses themselves. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden, a new tomb. Today, you can visit the site where Christ was crucified, buried and raised.

My intent here is not to convince you at this moment to accept the claim that Jesus is the resurrection and the life—though I would be overjoyed if you did. I only hope you will consider it in good faith.

Prominent Christian apologist Josh McDowell recognized that there is more than one conclusion, writing: "After more than 700 hours of studying this subject, and thoroughly investigating its foundation, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the (cruelest) hoaxes ever foisted on humanity, or it is the most fantastic fact of history."

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I will concede that some will not acknowledge the latter. Michael Shermer, a prominent atheist and skeptic, once said: "The principle of proportionality demands extraordinary evidence for extraordinary claims. Of the approximately 100 billion people who have lived before us, all have died and none have returned, so the claim that one of them rose from the dead is about as extraordinary as one will ever find."

Though unintentional, this argument underscores an important point. If Christ was indeed  raised from the dead, he is no ordinary person. Many would say that there is extraordinary evidence for the extraordinary claims, and that these extraordinary claims are worth considering.

This Easter season, as Christians celebrate the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, it’s a good time to reflect on what you believe. It has everything to do with life and death.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ—one of history’s most carefully examined and well-documented events—upended everything. It lends tremendous weight to Jesus’ declaration that he is the resurrection and the life. The question remains: Do you believe this?

“For what I received, I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” – The Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:3-7

EDITOR’S NOTE: Konrad Ziesing is the pastor of The Rock Church on Main Street Hailey, which meets at 10 a.m. Sundays. The church serves a free dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday followed by an informal Bible study.