(Each Saturday, a faith leader in Franklin County offers a personal perspective in this space. To become part of this series, email religion@recorder.com or call 413-772-0261, ext. 265.)

A few years ago, I received an email from a friend who was stranded in London, England. He told me how he was pickpocketed and in dire need of money. His wife had fallen ill, and he had to pay her hospital bill before he could leave the country. He requested me to wire him $1,000 to temporarily help him out. What confused me was that I knew my friend was vacationing in London. I decided to give him a call. Something didn’t pass the smell test. My friend was shocked. He had not lost his wallet and his wife was fine. His email account had been hacked. The email seemed genuine, but it was a hoax.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. For millions of Christians, Easter is more than egg hunting, Easter baskets, and watching “It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown,” as enjoyable as those activities are. To those who know God, Easter marks the pinnacle of the Christian year. It’s a time of celebration and hope, because Jesus triumphed over sin and death.

But for many others, the Easter story is a hoax, falling into the same category as email scams. Only those who reject science, logic and common sense can believe Jesus rose from the dead, they argue. To believe otherwise is the epitome of gullibility. Don’t we know that the Gospels — the historical sources that tell us about Jesus — are misunderstood allegories? Or that Jesus was a legend, or a mythical story about a pagan god?

These and similar popular opinions are presented as irrefutable. But are they? Do they provide the best explanation of the evidence available? The Gospel accounts are simple and straightforward; they just don’t read like legends. The book of Mark and the letters of the apostle Paul were written within the lifetimes of the eyewitnesses. Folklore usually takes much longer to develop.

Others may ask, What if the disciples were hallucinating when they “saw” Jesus? I’m afraid that is very unlikely. Hallucinations are not group events, but individual occurrences. But what about Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection to his followers? Is it possible they knew Jesus had not really risen from the dead, but were trying to keep the myth alive? It’s theoretically possible, but it doesn’t square with the data. Each one of them was martyred for their belief in the resurrection of Jesus. We know that people may mistake the truth for a lie and die for it. But people don’t usually die for something they know is a lie.

There is simply too much in the Easter story to be quickly brushed off the table as myth. Most people who dismiss the Easter story don’t do so on historical grounds, but on the philosophical. If you don’t believe that God exists, you don’t believe there is such a thing as a resurrection. And if your world view rules out the possibility of miracles, you can’t do otherwise than assume the Easter story is a hoax.

Mark Twain said, “Faith is believing in what you know ain’t true.” This not the philosophy of the Christian. Christianity stands or falls with the existence of a historical person named Jesus, who died a real death and rose again in a physical body on Easter morning. If this is not the case, then as the apostle Paul put it, our faith is worth nothing (1 Corinthians 15:17).

The resurrection of Jesus proves that God’s rescue mission to overcome our rebellion against him was successful. God loves us. We can be forgiven of our sin. And that’s why we celebrate Easter.

About North Leverett Baptist Church

North Leverett Baptist Church can be found at 70 Leverett Road in Leverett. We’re an independent church that believes that God exists, that Jesus Christ is real and that God’s Word, the Bible, is true. Come and visit us! The Sunday morning service is from 10 to 11:15 a.m. Children’s church is available. From 11:30 to 12:30 p.m., we have Sunday School for all ages. Our church also offers a Wednesday evening program, Food Pantry, Youth Group and Health Clinic. For more information, visit our website: www.nlbcma.org.

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