Celebrate Jesus

Sometimes I think the church has forgotten how to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Maybe it's because we have forgotten what Jesus has done for us or maybe it's because the stories of the Bible have gotten old and we haven’t been around any new believers to remind us of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Whatever the case let me share with you a story that proves the power of the resurection is still fresh enough to touch lives in a powerful way. 

Ben Paterson tells of what happened to a tribe in the jungles of East Asia, when missionaries showed them the Jesus film. It was a big deal when he was in Seminary and one of his friends was a missionary telling him about all that was going on with the Jesus Film. The movie was being shown as an evangelistic tool to people all ove the world even in the desert and the jungles Not only had some of these people never heard of Jesus, they had never seen a motion picture. And on that one unforgettable evening, they saw it all with the gospel in their own language, visible and real.

Imagine again how it felt to see this good man Jesus, who healed the sick and was adored by children, held without trial and beaten by jeering soldiers. As these East Asians watched this, the people came unglued. They stood up and began to shout at the cruel men on the screen, demanding that this outrage stop. When nothing happened, they attacked the missionary running the projector. Perhaps he was responsible for this injustice He was forced to stop the film and explain that the story wasn’t over yet, that there was more. So they settled back onto the ground, holding their emotions in tenuous check.

Then came the crucifixion. Again, the people could not hold back. They began to weep and wail with such loud grief that once again the film had to be stopped. The missionary again tried to calm them, explaining that the story still wasn’t over, that there was more. So they composed themselves and sat down to see what happened next. Then came the resurrection.

Pandemonium broke out this time, but for a different reason. The gathering had spontaneously erupted into a party. The noise now was of jubilation, and it was deafening. The people were dancing and slapping each other on the back. The Christ is risen, indeed Again the missionary had to shut off the projector. But this time he didn’t tell them to calm down and wait for what was next. All that was supposed to happen—in the story and in their lives—was happening.