T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s
217
April 1928
A Cross-Examination of Resurrection Witnesses B y the L ate D r . A . G. D ixon
to enter. And I went in. There was no indication of a grave robbery. Everything was orderly. The linen clothes were lying in their right place. It looked as if it had been arranged. I went out. And a few days afterwards I was with a company o f the disciples when the Lord appeared in our midst, with closed doors, all of a sudden. We were perplexed as to what had happened, and He pre sented Himself, the real Christ who died, the real Christ that I knew, walked with, talked with, ate with, worked with. He withdrew Himself from us for a while, and we decided to go back to our former occupation. And a group of disciples fished all night with no success. Early in the morning we saw a form on the shore, like Jesus. A voice said, ‘Have ye anything to eat?’ ‘Nothing at all.’ ‘Cast your net on the other side of the ship.’ And when we cast our net it was filled with fish. And then we said, ‘It is the Lord. He knew the fish were there.’ I threw my fisher’s coat about me, and plunged into the sea and swam ashore. And there He was, with some fish on the coals. W e brought our fish and shared them with Him. W e ate breakfast together.” . “ The same Christ that you knew ?” “ The same One. With the marks o f the spear in His side and the nails in His hands. I was with Him for forty days. There can be no doubt of the identity.” J ohn E xamined Let us put John in the witness-box. “ Do you confirm what Peter says? He is rather excitable; you are cool- headed and quiet. You will stop to think.” “ Every word he said was true. I went with him to the open sepulcher. I saw what he described. I have looked into the face of Christ. I have talked With Him. The very Christ who was crucified and buried, rose from the dead. I am will ing not only to stand by that with my life, but with my death. And, more than that: after a few years I was arrested and banished to the Isle of Patmos, a little island out in the Mediterranean. And there, on that little island, surrounded by the ocean, I had a vision o f the Christ who arose from the dead and ascended into glory. I saw Him again. I saw Him as He shall come by-and-by and set up His kingdom. I saw Him in all the glory of His power and majesty.” , C leopas Q uestioned Well, we will place another in the witness-box. “ What is your name?” “ Cleopas.” “ What do you know about it?” “ All I know is that a friend of mine went with me from the village o f Emmaus, where we lived, into the city. And we saw the crucifixion. We realized that He whom we expected to be King in Caesar’s stead had been cap tured. He was crucified, and was dead. There was a rumor floating around that He had risen. Some women went to the sepulcher and' said they saw angels ; and then some disciples went, and they found it just as the women had said. We had about given up hope, and started home. And as we were going along, depressed and sad, a traveler fell in with us, and began to talk with us about the events o f the day. And He unfolded to us the meaning o f the Scriptures that we loved. He opened to us their meaning. W e had a strange glow of heart and warming o f soul.
(T ex t: “ He is risen.” —Luke 24:6.) HREE little words which give us the greatest fact in all history : “ He is risen.” Nine letters m Ç L and three o f them repeated. What evidence have we that would convince an unprejudiced mind iBOi ¥ that He is risen from the dead? I wish to I t U. empanel you as a jury and summon witnesses into the witness-box, and ask them what they know about the claim that Jesus Christ literally rose from the dead. You will accept the evidence, will you not, without preju dice? First o f all we will place in the witness-box a woman. “ What is your name?” “ Mary Magdalene. I was a wicked woman, possessed o f seven demons. My friends strove to bring me to Christ, and I resisted. But one day He came along, and I listened to His words. I was charmed by His manner and His utterances. And He cast out of me the demons that bound me. I followed Him as He went from placé to place, ministering to Him as best I could. I saw Him when He hung upon the cross, for I pressed my way through the crowd and looked right' into His face. I could not sleep well the night He was in the grave. I was up early in the morning, and, with some other women, went to the sepulcher, bearing our spices to anoint Him, and we found the stone rolled away. W e stooped down and looked in, and we saw some shining forms. And one o f these angels told me to go and pro claim the fact to the disciples, especially to Peter.” “ Are you certain that the Christ you saw hanging on the cross came out o f that tomb ?” “ As I turned away from the sepulcher I saw a Man I took to be the gardener, and I asked Him if He had taken away the body of the Lord, when He turned to me, and in the familiar tone I knew so well, spoke my name. I recognized Him as Christ Himself. I fell at His feet worshiping, and wishing to clasp them. But He said, ‘Cling not to Me. Not now. Go and tell the disciples all about it.’ And I went with the rest to proclaim it. I know as certainly as I know I am living, that the Christ I saw hanging on the cross was the Christ I saw in the early morning alive.” But a woman may be mistaken. She gets excited, doesn’t she— especially a woman of this type? Let us put into the witness-box a man, one o f intelligence, to be sure, and one who has been with Christ for quite a while. P eter T estifies “ What is your name ?” “ Simon Peter. I was a swag gering, swearing fisherman. The Lord Jesus captured my vision and my heart, and one day He commanded me to leave my boats and my nets and follow Him. And with my brother I went. I have been in close association with' Him. I was at the trial. Sad to say, I lost heart, gave up hope, took sides for the moment against Him, on the side o f His enemies. Early in the morning we met Mary Magdalene, John and I, as we were going toward the sepulcher, and she announced that the Lord had arisen, and we quickened our steps. John, who was younger than I, could outrun me. He came to the sepulcher first, When I got there I found him sitting outside the door, fearing
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