Life Does Have Meaning

six

Death Is Not the End! Life Does Have Meaning!

Many are rightly sceptical about the possibility of Jesus rising from the dead. It just doesn’t happen. But what if it did? Each of us has a unique life, as Jesus did, too. What if this one singular, utterly unique event in Jesus’ life was real? If Jesus did die

and come back to life, then life is not, “completely meaningless!” as the Teacher puts it.

What would you do if you could drink from the fountain of youth? Would you do it? What about if you could genetically engineer your cells to keep regenerating over and over and over again? Would you do it? What about if you could simply live forever, control the variables of life, and live in harmony with all people forevermore? Would you do it?

British author and former atheist, Peter Hitchens, once appeared on Australian television and was asked which dangerous idea he thought had the greatest potential to change the world for the better if it were implemented. “The most dangerous idea in human history and philosophy,” he said, “remains the belief that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and rose from the dead . . . because it alters the whole of human behaviour and all our responsibilities. It turns the universe from a meaningless chaos into a designed place in which there is justice and there is hope and, therefore, we all have a duty to discover the nature of that justice and work towards that hope. It alters us all. If we reject it, it alters us all

as well. It is incredibly dangerous. It’s why so many people turn against it” (Q&A, ABC, 4 November 2013).

Hitchens recognized that the claims about Jesus have the potential to change everyone’s life. If Jesus did indeed rise from the dead, then the problem of death would have been solved. Life would cease to be a zero-sum-game. Death would not be the ultimate thief who robs us of everything. The universe would not be a meaningless chaos. Instead, there would be real justice and real hope. By knowing Jesus, we would stand to gain everything. All the crises we face, the emotions that upturn us, the poverty we experience, the bad decisions we make—all of them would take on a completely new sense, because instead of those things presenting us with the spectre of death, we would have something beyond all of Jesus’ resurrection is of such magnitude that it would eclipse all of the crises we have faced in human history put together.

them. We would have Jesus presenting us with the prospect of eternal life. Jesus’ resurrection is of such magnitude that it would eclipse all of the crises we have faced in human history put together.

Eating, drinking, and finding satisfaction in our work are all great things. But they are not the totality of life, and they do not even come close to filling out the meaning of life. Don’t we want our lives to be more than a vague memory for a couple of generations after we die? Don’t we want our decisions to count for something? Don’t we want to avoid our lives being absolutely meaningless? Wouldn’t it be great if we could eat, drink, and find satisfaction forever? If we want any of those things, we need to find where true meaning in life lies. We need to find someone who can get us through the universal crisis of death.

Jesus is that someone.

Please direct all correspondence to the office nearest you:

Australia

PO Box 15, Kilsyth, VIC 3137, Australia Telephone: (+61-3) 9761-7086 Email: australia@odb.org

New Zealand

PO Box 303095, North Harbour, Auckland 0751, New Zealand Telephone: (+64-9) 444-4146 Email: newzealand@odb.org

For a detailed listing of our offices, go to ourdailybread.org/locations

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?

As humans, we are curious beings. We have questions, and we like to know the answers. This instinct has fuelled our endeavours leading to great discoveries in science and technology. But the greatest question of all is less scientific and more philosophical: What is the meaning of life? Is it to eat, drink, and be merry? Or is there a deeper meaning to our existence?

In What is the Meaning of Life? George Athas examines life and all its peculiarities to discover the answer to the greatest question of all.

George Athas was born in Sydney, Australia, and completed his PhD in Semitic Studies at the University of Sydney. He is currently the Director of Research at Moore Theological College, and teaches in the Old Testament department. He is married to Koula, and they have two daughters, Hosanna and Josephine. He loves coffee, travel, books, and is an avid Formula One fan.

Discovery Series presents biblical insights for all areas of life. To read any of over 100 titles, visit discoveryseries.org.