“We’ve done our homework; we’ve made the case; and now it’s time for the debate to begin.”
- James Cameron
I was tipped off to The Lost Tomb of Jesus late last night. It seems like every year before Easter, something comes out as the “real evidence” about Jesus. For years, magazines have had pictures and stories of Jesus on their covers. By their own admission, they sell more of them when they talk about Jesus. Here’s the story on the latest saga to “rock the foundation of Christianity”:
A tomb was found in 1980 and had 10 coffins in it. One of the coffins has been reported to have the name Jesus on it. Another one had the name “Mariamene” which translated means Mary Magdalene. Filmmaker James Cameron said, “That’s the Ringo, that’s what sets this whole film in motion.”
Here’s my take on all this:
Date
Uh, the tomb was found in the 80’s and all this new evidence comes up now? Give me a break.
Mary Magdalene
As soon as Cameron saw her name, “that put the whole film in motion.” His words not mine. I think there lies the reason behind the film. It’s a good idea to revisit of The DaVinci Code arguments to sort that whole thing out. Check here, here, and here for some good articles about breaking that code.
Name
The name Jesus was very common during Jesus’ life. It has been estimated that there were not 1, but thousands of people named Jesus who lived and died when Jesus Christ walked the earth. Oh and the name “Christ” means Messiah. Not many Jews called Jesus the Messiah (think about the crucifixion for a minute). There’s a dispute on whether or not the name on the coffin actually says Jesus or not.
Coffin
Well I guess that the resurrection pretty much cancels the need for a coffin doesn’t it? And why use a coffin anyway? The biblical account of Jesus’ enternment shows that the women were going to place spices on Jesus’ body.
Can Christians actually wake up and join the conversation? I mean can you imagine a better way to strike up a conversation than something like this? First you have The Passion of the Christ, then The DaVinci Code, and now this. Wow!
Instead of slamming this, I’m going to do something radical. I’m gonna use it. Use it as a way to strike up a spiritual conversation about who Jesus Christ really is. Now that’s a new idea. 
Related posts:
- Go for broke
I’ve heard the statement “go for broke” many times in different settings. Athletes will call each other out by saying... - The Case for Christ
As I published my previous post, I forgot to mention a great book to assist in your conversations. The Case... - Hell No!
Just finished watching Newspring’s experience from last Sunday. I wanted to see how well everything went. Perry shared on his... - Thoughts about the 10%
For a while now, I’ve thought about the 10%. I’m focusing on the influence of a local church. Here in... - Perseverance
Had a great conference call today with other church planters. One of them reminded us about perseverance. He said that...
Leave a Reply