Finding Jesus

Have you heard that James Cameron has found the body of Jesus? I'm so relieved that someone has actually found Jesus' body now and all of us idiot Christians can give up our obviously misguided and foolish belief that the Son of God is risen from the dead and pursue something worthwhile. Maybe we'll all start searching for the body of Jimmy Hoffa.

Isn't it amazing that after 2000 years, we're just now finding the body of Jesus? Lo and behold, he's buried right there in Jerusalem too? Jerusalem--right where he was crucified. Not only that, but everybody knows Jesus was really married to Mary Magdalene, so obviously, she is buried right beside him, along with another casket that bears the inscription, "Judah, son of Jesus."

James Cameron even goes so far as to tell us that "We don't have any physical record of Jesus' existence." I guess the Bible doesn't count as physical proof that Jesus existed. I guess the millions of Christians who know without a doubt that Jesus lived and died and rose again could never be counted as physical proof. Yes, Mr. Cameron, I'm glad you cleared that up for us.

Doesn't it seem unlikely that at the time that Jesus' disciples were first claiming his resurrection, Jerusalem would have been an obvious place to look for his grave? Even if the disciples were trying to hide his body, wouldn't they have hidden it better than that? And even if Jesus had not rose again, and his body were buried in Jerusalem and he had a son and a wife, do you really think that they would be buried right there with him? I think if the resurrection were a hoax, then the evidence would have had to have been hidden alot better than that.

On March 4, a film about these findings will be aired on the Discovery Channel. The filmakers had statisticians calculate the likelihood that any other family in first-century Jerusalem would have had that cluster of names--the numbers range from 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000 that there is some other family. Okay. First of all, the name "Jesus" was very common in that time and area. Secondly, we have no indication from that Jesus was ever married and had a family. They have proven using DNA evidence that "Jesus" and "Mariamene"--Mary Magdalene--were not brother and sister, so they could have been married. What they cannot prove, is that the Jesus they have found is the Christ.

But you know what? I can't prove to you that the Jesus I've found is who He says He is either. I could tell you all the things I know are true about Him. I could sit here and tell you what a difference He's made in my life and that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he rose again and His body is not buried anywhere. He's busy in heaven preparing a place for us. But I can't prove any of that to you. That's why it's faith. That's why James Cameron could present me with all the physical proof you can fit in a warehouse and I would still laugh at him.

Better yet, let's pray for him. As Christians, let's all pray that James Cameron would find Jesus, this time for real.