05 Apr So, You Want Proof that Jesus is Real?

If you ask me how I know, I know He’s real

I could believe that He’s still with me

In spite of how it feels

If you ask me why I trust Him

When it feels like everything has come undone

All I can tell you is I’ve just seen too much

I’ve just seen too much

(Big Daddy Weave, “I’ve Just Seen Too Much)

I was maybe 9 or 10 years old when someone, probably my dad, pointed to the railroad tracks we were walking on and said: “Hey, a train just passed through here, I can still see its tracks!” Yes, dad jokes have been around for a long time. Railroad tracks, of course, can’t tell us when a train last came through. Now, the fresh raccoon tracks in the snow several times in my driveway this past winter are another matter. I didn’t have to see a raccoon to know that one had visited overnight. In this life, we want proof before we believe.

Today is Resurrection Sunday. Many today refuse to believe Jesus rose from the dead because they didn’t see Him die and they didn’t witness the empty tomb. There is, they insist, no proof Jesus is real. I respectfully disagree. Proof of Jesus is everywhere. Like the refrain in the song above, I’ve just seen too much not to believe.

I recently received a Facebook message from someone whom I had treated badly in my days as a radio talk show host. He said: “So great to see you putting your awesome talent to use! I hope you are well.” I responded that I wasn’t quite sure what He was responding to, but said thank you anyway. That prompted this response:

You have always been immensely talented with your spoken word. 🙂 It’s really neat to see you putting it to use for God. I’m not overly religious but in your videos, you seem genuinely happy and at peace. I think that’s really awesome! As I stated I’m not really overly religious but I was thinking about the term “born again”. You truly have transformed your life in a way that most people never will. If there is a living embodiment of that term, I think it’s you. 🙂 I’d be happy to catch up sometime. Continued happiness to you! Just wanted to send you a quick note that I noticed the good work you are doing.

I am tremendously grateful for the grace I am receiving, considering how I treated him in the past. However, I need to disagree with one thing he wrote: “You truly transformed your life in a way that most people never will.”  Because I didn’t transform myself and never could is why I celebrate the empty tomb. I responded to him with: “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

No, I’m not perfect. I’m a work in progress. I make mistakes. I still must ask forgiveness from people. I need to apologize. I need to confess to God when I slip. But I’m also not the person I used to be. Sin no longer owns me. And yes, many people have experienced the same change.

If you are among those who have shed the old and put on the new, I pray that you are rejoicing today and giving thanks for the empty grave that made it happen. If you haven’t, I pray that this is the day that you see the living Jesus in someone else and that God would use that in your life soon to have you say: “I’ve just seen too much.”