Incredible?

"For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." (Acts 26: 6-9)

King Agrippa was a common skeptic and infidel. He did not believe in miracles, nor in resurrection, thinking that such a thing was incredulous, and preposterous, and unworthy of faith. Men are naturally cynics in regard to God and his working providence.

Jesus said that the Sadducees, who disbelieved in resurrection, erred "not knowing" the "Scriptures," which taught the doctrine of resurrection.

The writer of Hebrews, in the New Testament, in writing of the great acts of faith in the Old Testament, summarized some of them in this manner:

"Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection." (Hebrews 11: 35)

The widow of Zarephath, and the Shunammite (1Ki 17:22) saw their sons raised from the dead by the hands of the prophets, Elijah and Elisha.

Were King Agrippa and the Sadducees ignorant of these stories? Were they ignorant of the promises of a future physical resurrection in the Old Testament Scriptures?

Of all the miracles of power that the Lord Jesus Christ performed, while here in the flesh, none was greater than his raising men from the dead.

Giving sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk, and lepers to be cleansed, etc., as great as are these miracles, they nevertheless come short of that display of divine power exercised by Christ in his raising the dead, either personally, or through his apostles and holy disciples.

"Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him...Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already...And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." (John 11: 14-17, 37-48)

"What do we?" - with the fact of this great miracle, is still the question today, is it not? Do we dismiss it? Do we ignore the fact and the witnesses to it? Do we think it "incredible" for the Almighty to raise the dead?

"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead...Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead...The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record." (John 12: 1, 9, 17)

And yet, in spite of this great miracle, many still refused to believe in Jesus and that he was truly the Son of the Father whom they professed to serve. Unbelief towards God is a power that binds the depraved heart and mind against accepting as true the idea that God can, does, and will raise the dead.

"And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him. And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him...While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done." (Luke 8: 40-42, 49-56)

The message of resurrection, the heart of the message of the Christian gospel, is still a message scoffed at by the unbelieving hearts of sinners. They laugh Jesus and Christians "to scorn" even today for their belief in miracles and in the resurrection of the dead. Yet, it is nonetheless a fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is, in his person, and by his work on the cross, and by his own raising of himself from among the dead, as he said, "The Resurrection and The Life."

Jesus empowered others to raise the dead, and many of the apostles and early church disciples did just that (See the Book of Acts).

"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. " (Matthew 10: 7)

What a great testimony to the fact of the resurrection of Christ and of his resurrection power! His own apostles raised the dead in the name of the Risen Christ! Further proof!

"Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err." (Mark 12: 18-27)

Men may find all kinds of "logical" arguments to throw against the Christian faith in resurrection, but the answer to them will be the same - "you err not knowing the Scriptures nor the Power of God."

Omnipotence has no difficulty raising the dead. If we allow the idea of an omnipotent Being, why would we think it incredulous that he could and would raise the dead?