“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”— 1 Corinthians 15:3-6
Les Henson, a six-foot, six-inch senior forward on the Virginia Tech basketball team, will never forget a game he played against Florida State University in Tallahassee in 1980. With just a few seconds to go and the score tied at 77 points, Henson grabbed a rebound off the Florida State backboard just a foot from the baseline.
With every ounce of strength in him, he threw the ball overhand toward the opposite basket. He recalled later, “It was eerie—you couldn’t hear a thing in the arena. Then it just swished through the hoop!” Henson’s 89-foot, 3-inch basket that day went down in history as the longest field goal in college basketball. And Henson, who shoots with his left hand, had done it with a right-handed throw!
Now the interesting thing is that if Les Henson had done an interview before the game and said, “Tonight, I’m going to shoot an 89-foot basket and set the college basketball record for the longest shot,” no one would’ve believed him. But after seeing it, it’s impossible to deny it really did happen!
In much the same way, Jesus didn’t just make fantastic claims, He showed others who He really is by putting action with His words. He didn’t just say great things, He did great things. That’s the kind of Savior you can trust!
Prayer Challenge
Thank God that Jesus wasn’t just full of empty words, but put action to what He said!
Questions for thought
Many skeptics say Jesus was simply a great teacher. How do Jesus’ actions defy that way of thinking?
What does it say about why we can trust Jesus that He demonstrated His power not just with words, but with action?