What if it's true?

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  –John 11:40 (NIV)
 
What if the most unbelievable story you ever heard turned out to be true? And what if the truth of that story turned out to be the most transcendent message ever delivered to humanity? Historically speaking, the existence of a prophet and rabbi named Jesus of Nazareth is not up for debate. The claims that He made about Himself are well documented. His execution on a cross, instigated by a jealous group of religious leaders and carried out under orders of a mid-level Roman official under pressure to keep peace in his assigned region – all a matter of historical record.
 
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” 
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”  –John 6:60-64a, 66-69 (NIV)
 
What happened next has been a matter of conjecture. What do we know? Roman executioners, skilled in the ways of torture and death, affirmed the death of Jesus and removed His lifeless body from the cross. Friends of Jesus, at substantial risk to themselves and their reputations, secured the body, bound it in a linen sheet with spices, and placed it in a sealed tomb. The tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers to keep anyone from tampering with the grave. After approximately thirty-six hours, the grave was discovered to be empty. No body was recovered.
 
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”  –John 20:24-28 (NIV)
 
Over the next forty days, hundreds of eyewitnesses would testify they had seen Jesus alive. In the face of severe and prolonged persecution which included loss of income, imprisonment, torture and death, followers of Jesus would stick to their story that He had, in fact, risen from the dead. They went on to explain the reason for His death as supernatural payment of the sin-debt of all mankind, with His resurrection as confirmation that He was, indeed, the Son of God. They recounted events of His life and made cogent arguments as to how those events fulfilled over 300 of the Old Testament messianic prophecies.
 
“Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”  –John 6:64-65 (NIV)
 
The historical facts, the volume of eyewitnesses, the fulfillment of the prophecies, and the unwavering commitment to the narrative held by those who stood to lose a lot by their testimony add up to a compelling case. The case is largely circumstantial, with a plausible explanation of the relevance and significance of the evidence. The surprisingly small gap that is left then, between belief and non-belief, is bridged by faith, enabled in willing hearts as a gift from the Father. It’s intellectually dishonest to dismiss the resurrection as unsubstantiated mythology propped up by fools and charlatans.
 
And if the resurrection is true, we have a decision to make. What will you do with Jesus?