Everyone has an opinion about Jesus. But one of the questions everyone has to answer-especially historians-is how one explains Jesus being worshipped as God within 20 years of his public and disgraceful crucifixion as the King of the Jews? You need a big enough cause to generate that effect! I think the resurrection would do it. Here is a link to the audio of a message I gave last Easter on the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.
“Students of Jesus today are faced with a multitude of options, ranging from the traditional Jesus who was Savior, Lord, and founder of the church, to a Jesus who was considerably different—a Jesus who was a sage, a religious genius or social revolutionary. These latter three portraits though clearly drawing their energies from live wires in the Gospels, leave us with a Jesus who is not big enough to explain his crucifixion, his following, or development of the Church. If we today are going to be honest about Jesus, we have to choose a Jesus who satisfies all the evidence historians have observed and who will also explain why it is that so many people have found him to be so wonderful that they attend churches every week to worship him.”—Scot McKnight