Jesus' obituary

TODAY is Resurrection Sunday, when Christians celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ over death. The doctrine of Jesus' resurrection is so pivotal and crucial in Christianity that Paul called Christ's followers people to be pitied if it were not true. But it is.

Christ is risen—Christ is risen, indeed.

That He is alive, forever interceding for us, having purchased our salvation through His blood, is enough reason to keep us joyful for eternity. It is, true, as well, that because "He lives, [we] can face tomorrow," this, quoting from one of the songs we sing in church.

The secular magazine Vanity Fair features an obituary written by Sam Roberts in the style of The New York Times obituary.

Jesus of Nazareth, a Galilean carpenter turned itinerant minister whose appeals to piety and whose repute as a healer had galvanized a growing contingent of believers, died on Friday after being crucified that morning just outside Jerusalem, only days after his followers had welcomed him triumphantly to the city as “the anointed one” and “the Son of David.” He was about 33.

It ends with:

After running afoul of the Jewish elite in Jerusalem for blasphemy and his arrest on Thursday, Jesus was sentenced to death by Governor Pontius Pilate. (The Jewish authorities lacked jurisdiction to impose capital punishment.) The charge, in effect, was treason, for claiming to be King of the Jews or “the anointed one” (Messiah in Hebrew and Aramaic; Christos in Greek).

After he was declared dead on Friday night, he was buried nearby in a cave. On Sunday, his disciples reported that the body was missing.

We believe that He has risen and He is alive. Happy Resurrection Sunday!