"…Neither is this Thou" (- C. Williams)

It is a classic “liberal” move to admit the problems raised by biblical texts and then, rather than try to force a solution that leaves the interpreter with a sense of disingenuousness, looks penetratingly through the text to the truth beyond the details of the narrative. It is now several days since the celebration of Resurrection Sunday. The biblical texts do not provide a unified vision of the events behind the Christian proclamation of Jesus of Nazareth’s resurrection; nor a clear answer to the question, “In what way did his life continue after death?” He walks through walls acts otherwise as a human person without the usual limitation. “Behold,” says Paul of Tarsus, “I tell you a mystery…” He refers to how Jesus’ continuing life is hope for all of us. Looking beyond the details of the story to the heart and spirit of this foundational proclamation of the early Christians, a belief that Bart Ehrman calls the unique aspect of Jesus among other apocalyptic prophets of the time, I think we can say at least this: The Creator works through death perpetrated at our human worst, in order to bring about life here and now beyond our human best.