What if it's True?

I remember the first taxi ride that my wife and I took into Manhattan as soon-to-be residents. The driver was conversational and friendly as we passed the time together, getting an insider's perspective of New York. As we crossed over the Queensboro bridge into the city, I noticed the Roosevelt Island tram passing overhead and jokingly remarked to the driver, "Ah, so we're on the bridge where Spider-Man saved all those kids in the falling tram." He replied rather seriously, as if I nailed an important fact of NYC history. "Yep, actually this is that bridge."

Upon the taxi driver's affirmation and as we dipped off the Queensboro bridge onto 60th street, it felt suddenly true: Emily and I were actually moving to Stan Lee's exciting New York City, where the amazing Spider-Man was hard at work protecting us from wild and dangerous villains. I had entertained the question "what if it's true?" and it utterly (albeit fancifully) redefined my perception of our new place of residence.

It seems to me that we often find ourselves in a similar situation regarding the news of God's action in Jesus at the cross and empty tomb. Many of us have grown up hearing the truth of scripture so often that when we hear "Jesus died for your sins" or "Jesus rose from the dead," it seems devoid of any real meaning or life-changing power. The gospel news may sometimes be perceived as baseless dogma, as potentially comforting but ultimately unrelated to the daily realities of life.

But... what if it's true?

If it's true -- that is, if Jesus' life-giving death and resurrection are real events that occurred in real time -- then, if we let it, we might find the gospel news suddenly redefining our perceptions of the world and our lives, reinvigorating our senses of wonder and hope, and infusing our daily realities with new meaning.

What if it's true that God would suffer the wear and tear of human life to identify deeply with us? What if it's true that this God who is Jesus would bear the weight of our suffering and sinning so that we would know real freedom and real intimacy with our creator? What if it's true that Jesus' resurrection is the unanticipated beginning of God's mission to destroy the finality of death and bring life to broken things? What if God actually does care that much?

If it's true that the gospel is historical, then the world and our place in it must be radically redefined by and reoriented around the death-defeating king who is the life-giving God. Practically speaking, this works itself out by providing the motivational resources I need to do the things in my life with distinct hope and positivity; I can do "husband-ing" differently, "student-ing" differently, "friend-ing" differently -- all soaked in the grace and wonder of the gospel, because it actually happened.