Today, 9/11/2012, marks the eleven-year-anniversary of the terrorist attacks known simply as “9/11”: a day that we saw nearly 3,000 people lose their life - from the the United States, United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, and India. If you were alive that day – no matter where you were - you were affected.
As I began to think back to how the day – 9/11 – was, something began to stir in me.
I was in Ms. Pollards class as a junior in high school. Where I went to school – Palmetto High, in South Carolina – you sort of got used to the schedule of when the intercom went off. On this day, when the intercom sounded in the nine-o’clock-hour; my very first thought, before a word was muttered, was, “something is wrong”. Dr. Gary – our principal then– spoke through the intercom and instructed everyone to turn on their television; as we did, jaws dropped, gasp’s filled the room, just before silence befell us all. We – just like the rest of the country – stood still. I remember where I was; I remember my angle of the television; I remember putting my hands over my mouth: I was in shock. But weren’t we all?
I decided to do an experiment (albeit unscientific): I posed a question on Facebook. Simply, I asked – for those who wanted to participate – for readers to “comment with where you were when you heard about the 9/11 tragedy”.
These are the comments I received:
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David Chambers: “Amanda and I were on our honeymoon in Charleston, SC on the Isle of Palms”
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Tim Morse: “I was in one of the darkrooms at PHS, Homeroom. Someone opened the door to tell me, and ruined my exposures. Before I could get frustrated, the whole day changed. Etched in my brain.”
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Jamie Allen Givens: “Mr. Whitten’s class”
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Diana Meaders: “Watching the morning news with Matt Lauer & Katie Couric after sending both boys to elementary school. I saw the 'first 'cut-in' from a guys video from cell phone--then it went to news cameras recording the second plane....panic that we were being attacked or suddenly at war from another country. I called the school; they were unaware....”
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Chant’e Blanding Bolden: “I was at the career and technology center in computerized video production. At first, i thought ‘this is not real’. Boy was I mistaken . I remember some of my classmates crying.”
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Bob Cason: “I was in a machine design meeting at Bosch. We just happened to have a TV and turned on the news to see that a plane had hit the first building. Within minutes we watched as the second plane hit. A close friend of mine had just moved with his job to NY and worked at trade center building 7. So I called him immediately. He was a little late that morning and was coming out of the tunnel when second plane hit. He works for the government and was one of the many heroes that day rescuing kids and people from buildings. He also witnessed peopling jumping to their deaths and the collapse of both buildings. I drove up four days later to hang out with them. What a tragedy it was.”
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David Levy: “At the Career and Technology Center sitting in Accounting/Academy of Finance class and the teacher came in and turned the t.v. on showing the airplane hitting the World Trade Center towers. My heart dropped and I felt as though I quit breathing. All the world seem to stop. I remember going back to Palmetto and everyone was glued to the t.v. Everyone's parents were coming to get them out of school. I was freaking out. I thought to myself that President Bush was going to order a draft, and I would be sent to fight in a war that had already begun when that first airplane hit the tower. After so many years I still have that day stamped in my mind and it will never be erased .”
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William Cobb: “Fort Bragg, NC: On a field training exercise. I remember vividly the night before, actually early morning of September 11th; I awakened to unbearable nausea. I got up and vomited at around 2:30 am. Then, I was awakened later that morning around 9:15am and was told to report to our Battalion Assembly Area (BAA). My platoon and I went to the BAA and was briefed by our Company Commander. The Commander said, "This morning, at approximately 8:46 am; then, again at approximately 9:03 am, in an apparent terrorist attack, hijackers flew two aircraft into the World Trade Center." It was at this point I said to myself, "Are these guys joking? What a worthless scenario for training in the woods.” Little did I know, they weren’t prepping the scenario for the training exercise. Once the commander said to start taking down tents and begin packing up equipment, I knew it wasn’t an exercise. I became sick to my stomach that I thought it was a hoax and immediately felt sorrow for the families of those involved. After the very quick breakdown and packing of the equipment, we were back off to our company areas and were “locked down,” disallowed to go anywhere. We were given ammo and told to pack up our bags in preparation for retaliation; war. This was the standard in the 82nd Airborne Division; being able to be anywhere in the world in 18 hours or less to conduct a combat parachute assault and confront the enemies of this great Nation. At any rate, on the way back in, I remember passing by the “Delta Compound,” that “Top Secret” Army unit that does not exist, and seeing these guys screaming in their vehicles into the parking lot; this is when it really sank in that something serious was going to happen. Once we got into our company area, we discovered the Pentagon had been hit as well and shortly thereafter, we learned of Flight 93 had crashed in Pennsylvania. It truly is a day I’ll never forget. God bless the families who lost loved ones that day.”
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Jennifer McCullough: “I was working at MCI doing lives sales calls to NY on 911, I was on the phone with a lady working on a sale when she asked me to hold on she was getting another call, not wanting to lose my sell I said sure. She came back on the line her voice trembling and asked if I were near a tv. I said no mam why. She said the call was from her son whose wife worked at the World Trade Center, she had called him to tell him what was happening and while they were talking the line went dead. He was calling his mother because he was worried because his wife their child were there at the WTC. She hung up with me in tears, just sobbing, she had no info, only the repeating news report on the events unfolding before America's eyes. I sat there dumbfounded. We were able to turn on the tvs and watch what was happening. We all watched in horror as the news kept replaying the planes crashing into the towers. I remember after a few hours, rushing to pick up my son who was almost two from daycare and bursting into tears when I picked him up. I don't know if the son's wife and child were casualties on that horrendous day, or if they were blessed beyond measure like I was that day. I was able to wrap my arms around my baby boy and breathe in the scent of him once more, many parents were not given the blessing that day. I know that the heartache I felt in those moments will never leave my memory as long as I live”
I asked my fiancé the same question: she responded with like-vividness.
One thing I asked my fiancé that I did not ask on Facebook, however, was, ‘Now, do you remember where you were or what you did on April 14th, 2004?’. She had zero clue; nor do I.
Think about it. If you are old enough; the memories people recall from 9/11 – eleven years ago – are just like the ones told by those alive when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated (November 22nd, 1963); or when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded (January 28th, 1986); or possibly even when Elvis Presley died (August 16th, 1977). There are some things, when they happen, that impact you like no other.
Over two-thousand years ago something happened that left an impression – an even greater impact – on a group of people; that impact is still felt throughout the world today: it is the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, from the Christian point of view, crowns Christianity not just as “a” religion, but “the” religion.
Hank Hanegraaff, in his book “Resurrection”, wrote: “The resurrection is not merely important to the historic Christian faith; without it, there would be no Christianity. It is the singular doctrine that elevates Christianity above all other world religions. Through the resurrection, Christ demonstrated that He does not stand in a line of peers with Abraham, Buddha, or Confucius. He is utterly unique. He has the power not only to lay down His life, but to take it up again” (p.15)
The resurrection of Jesus is told through the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The resurrection, obviously, is disputed by many; however, if it did happen one would have to admit that it would have great implications on one’s life.
What is not disputed is that there was indeed a man named Jesus who lived and was killed under the rule of Pontius Pilate:
“Jesus’ death by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate is as sure as anything historical can ever be. For if no follower of Jesus had written anything for one hundred years after his crucifixion we would still know about him from two authors not among his supporters. Their names are Flavius Josephus and Cornelius Tacitus” – John Dominic Crossan, Co-founder of The Jesus Seminar, “Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography” p.145
[Note: The Jesus Seminar portray Jesus as an illiterate Jewish sage; a faith healer; a follower of John the Baptist; a man of great wisdom who taught a message of inclusiveness, tolerance, and liberation from injustice in startling parables and aphorisms; obviously non-Christian and obviously skeptical. (The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus; The Acts of Jesus: The Search for the Authentic Deeds of Jesus; and The Gospel of Jesus: According to the Jesus Seminar)]
“Jesus’ death as a consequence of crucifixion is indisputable” -Atheist, Gerd Ludemann: “The Resurrection of Christ” (p.50)
“It is a historical fact that some of Jesus’ followers came to believe that he had been raised from the dead soon after his execution. We know some of these believers by name; one of them, the apostle Paul, claims quite plainly to have seen Jesus alive after his death. Thus, for the historian, Christianity begins after the death of Jesus, not with the resurrection itself, but with the belief in the resurrection”. -Atheist, Bart Ehrman: “The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings”. (p.276)
“No serious historian of any religious or nonreligious stripe doubts that Jesus of Nazareth really lived in the first century and was executed under the authority of Pontius Pilate the governor of Judea and Samaria.” -Craig Evans”: “Jesus, The Final Day” (p.3)
Among scholars, historians, Christians, and skeptics the following are, for the most part, agreed upon:
1) Jesus lived.
2) Jesus died by crucifixion.
Then, with me, think: IF Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected from the dead; and IF He then appeared to people (after death); and IF His tomb was subsequently empty – that, very obviously, would be an “impact event” would it not? Had you witnessed (or known about) Jesus’ death and then – after death – saw the man (or heard from someone) you know as Jesus of Nazareth walking around, eating, and talking, that would impact your life substantially; would it not?
Holy Writ (scripture) is sometimes argued against because today’s logic is used for a time-period of two-thousand years ago: that is, that the happenings of Jesus’ life were not written down for directly after the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth. However, I will not argue specifically on this topic; rather, I will just pose the question (again): if Jesus was risen from the dead - whether it was ten, twenty, thirty, or forty years afterwards – that would have to be etched into one’s brain; it would be a moment one could never ever forget.
Now consider these very minimal facts that are not (logically) refuted:
1) Paul (Saul), a Christian persecutor (Acts 7:57-58, Acts 8:1, Acts 8:3, Acts 22:4, Acts 22:19,Acts 22:20, Acts 26:9-11, Galatians 1:13, Philippians 3:6, 1 Timothy 1:13, 1 Corinthians 15:9) converted and became Paul the teacher (Galatians 1:22-24), preacher, and, then himself, the persecuted.
2) James – the half-brother of Jesus – at first was a skeptic of Jesus: “Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If you do these things, show Yourself to the world” For not even His brothers were believing Him.” –John 7:5; “Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household” –Mark 6:4.
However, James then became a believer and even a great leader in the church, Acts 1:14 says: “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers”; and in the earliest (ancient) apostles creed (v3-5) – that dates back to within five years of the death of Jesus of Nazareth – Paul writes (in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7):
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to the Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles..”
Keep this in mind: Paul – again, the writer of 1 Corinthians – recites the apostles creed in verses three through five; then, he adds, to what he personally can attest to. Paul, personally, met with Peter and James in Jerusalem. (Acts 9:26; Galatians 1:18-19)
3. The tomb was empty.
Matthew writes very clearly in his gospel – Matthew 28:11-15 – that the soldiers were given a large sum of money to say "His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep. And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble”; Matthew ends this passage by saying they took the money, did as they were instructed; and – most importantly here – “this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day”.
Keep in mind this: the first readers of Matthew – the audience as it were – would be reading this and would know whether, yes, “this story” was still being spread to this day or, no, it was not. Also, this entire passage presupposes that the tomb is empty; obviously, the chief priests – who sentenced Jesus to death – knew where He was buried. Had Jesus not been raised, they, very easily, could have gone to the tomb to and pointed out: there He is. But they didn’t. Rather, they devised a plan to cover-up what had just happened.
When the first airplane hit the World Trade Center, New York City and then the nation was propelled into a frenzy. On the “Today Show”, as the news began to break on 9/11, an eyewitnesses speculated that it could have been a bomb; “Today Show” hosts, Matt Lauer and Katie Couric, then relayed to the eyewitness (on the phone) that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center: the eyewitness had no idea – she described a “boom, not that loud, but a big ball of fire; we were all horrified”.
When the second plane hit – on live television – some had close shots, you could see the plane hitting the second World Trade Center tower; others, had view from a greater distance – where one could only view some sort of large explosion. With that, some reported apparent terrorism; while others said “bomb”. No matter what was said – one thing was said over and over on station after station: the words “intentional”; “terrorism”; and “deliberate” were muttered.
The point is this: during frenzy, chaos drives people in many different directions.
This would be no different in Jesus’ time: the news of His resurrection obviously produced excitement in, and then around, Jerusalem.
You see, all the Gospels agree that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb along with other women (Luke 24:10; John 20:2); the first three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) agree that one of the others was named Mary; Mark says that Salome was also present; while Luke says Joanna was present. If the early church wanted to invent the resurrection story it, almost certainly, would NOT have featured women as its main witnesses – actually, that is quite embarrassing. In the first century, women were given a low status; it would have been nonsensical for the New Testament writers to fabricate such a story; especially considering one of the women mentioned had a history of being demon possessed (that is, Mary Magdalene).
“What happened as a result of the resurrection is unprecedented in human history. In the span of a few hundred years, a small band of seemingly insignificant believers succeeded in turning an entire empire upside down. As has been well said, "They faced the tyrant's brandished steel, the lion's gory mane, and the fires of a thousand deaths," because they were utterly convinced that they, like their Master, would one day rise from the grave in glorified, resurrected bodies.” –Hank Hanegraaff: “Resurrection” (p.57)
Finally, the truth is this: if there was no resurrection, simply put, Christianity never would have been; the cross that Jesus died upon would have only been a sad reminder of the end of a (hoped for) messianic life; the disciples, the apostles would have remained in hiding, in fear, they would have remained defeated; but is not what happened. Christianity launched; the cross is a reminder of the promise of everlasting life; the disciples, the apostle did not remain in hiding, they overcame their fear, they emerged triumphant and went and told the world the good news of Jesus Christ – even to death.
The resurrection is Christianity's crown: it means there is a God; it confirms scripture and, too, that Jesus the Christ – God incarnate – came to earth, to live the life we couldn’t, to die the death we deserve, so that we may, too, join Him in Heaven one day.
Because all – Christian and non-Christian alike; all of mankind – have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23); and because of that sin, the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a) we are bound for hell and in desperate need of a savior: Jesus Christ paid it all; the free gift that is offered (Romans 6:23b) is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Just saying, “Jesus is Lord” or “Jesus rose from the dead”, though, cannot secure salvation. The devil (James 2:19) and many other (Matthew 7:21-23) by those standards would be going to heaven. What matters, rather than saying, is submitting to Jesus as Lord of your life; because after all: a man who claimed to be God, who then came back to life proving He is triumphant over sin and death deserves our complete devotion.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” –Romans 1:16
