The Gospel in Twenty Questions Read Online Free PDF Page B

according to the new law of the Spirit of life.
    In Adam, we
had no power to choose. We had to live with the consequences of Adam’s choice.
But Jesus has done away with Adam’s sin and your sin and my sin, and now we get
to choose. That’s freedom.
     
    Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a
cover-up for evil … (1 Peter 2:16a)
     
    You are free to fritter away
your freedom, but it would be foolish to do so. Choosing to sin is like messing
around with handcuffs and losing the key. It is for freedom that Christ has set
you free (Galatians 5:1), so be free. Stay free.
    You may ask, “How
do I stay free in a world still bent towards sin?”
You’ve got to choose who you will listen to. The devil says, “Look at your
sin,” but God says, “Look at the Son.”
    The
cross marks the end of your old life. The person you used to be died there with
Jesus. The gospel declares that in Christ, you are no longer a sinful son of
Adam, but a righteous son of God. So reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to
Christ and get on with the joyful business of living the Father’s dream. It’s
what you were made for.
     

3. What About the Resurrection?
     
    If I ever made a movie about
the resurrection of Jesus, there would be one detail I would be sure to
include. I’d film Mary coming to the tomb in the early morning and finding it
empty. Then I’d show her telling Peter and John the astonishing news. Then we
would see the two disciples sprinting to the tomb, followed by a shot from
inside showing John’s face looking in and Peter pushing past. Next, I’d have a
close-up to capture the shock on Peter’s face before cutting to show what Peter
saw, namely, the detail that gives meaning to the whole scene. This is how John
scripts it:
     
    Then came Simon Peter following him, and went into the
sepulcher and saw the linen cloths as they lay and the napkin that had been
about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but wrapped together in a
place by itself. (John 20:6–7, KJ21)
     
    The empty tomb was not
completely empty. Sure, it was missing a body, and that fact should stop us in
our tracks. It is the puzzle that primes us for the good news of the
resurrection. But if you were a CSI investigator trying to unravel the mystery
of the missing body, you would not have been without clues.
    Could this
have been a case of grave robbery? You observe the strips of linen lying there
and wonder, Who takes the time to unwrap a corpse? You note the fine
quality of the linen and learn that it was recently purchased by a rich man
(see Mark 15:46). Since it is inconceivable that a thief would discard such
valuable cloth, you dismiss the hypothesis that the tomb was robbed.
    Next you
consider the possibility that the disciples stole the body to perpetuate a
deception. You recall that the religious leaders and the Romans took steps to
prevent this from happening (see Matthew 27:62–66). You observe the large
stone, the broken Roman seal, and the spooked Roman guards. Could the
disciples have done this? Could the men who quailed and ran at the cross have found
the courage to break the law, over-power a squad of soldiers, and shift a heavy
stone? You dismiss this as unlikely.
    Then you
notice the detail I would emphasize in my movie, namely, the folded napkin, and
you are thunderstruck. The napkin is the clue to the mystery. It tells us there
is more going on than meets the eye.
     

What was in the empty tomb?
     
    In Biblical times there were
customs governing how one should act when visiting a Jewish home. As Barbara
Richmond explains in her book, Jewish Insights into the New Testament ,
the proper way to express gratitude after an evening of fine food and
fellowship was to casually crumple your napkin. If, however, you had an
unpleasant evening and wished to express your displeasure, you would fold the
napkin and leave it as you found it. A folded napkin was a slap in the face of
the host. It was an unmistakable sign that you