disciples are willing to die for the truth

The constant reporting of suicidal murder by militant Islamists makes this seem like an everyday part of our world now.

How many people were killed this time?
How did the Lakers do last night?

Purposely trying to kill innocent people for your religious cause is astoundingly arrogant and narcissistic. “Unless you think exactly as I do I will try to kill you.” Why do these bombers do it?

First of all, when you mix a cult of death and hate it is a deadly combination. There is an obsession with death that is hard to comprehend. The bombers die willingly because they believe they will go directly to Paradise. Most of the bombers are young men and for many of them their imam’s (religious teachers) are telling them they will receive 72 virgins to have sex with in Paradise as a reward for blowing up babies on purpose at restaurants, or children on school buses, and so forth.

Not a very attractive worldview. And a lie. Unfortunately, dying for a false cause is not uncommon. The suicidal murderers don’t realize you don’t get to “party with the babes” when you hate and destroy. Not only is that sick (sexist, as well, by the way), but I don’t think that’s exactly what God has in mind for these young men.

Now, contrast this to the first disciples of Jesus. They followed the cause of life and love. Because they knew Jesus personally, and knew he had died (they had seen it happen) and had raised from the dead (they had spent time with him after), they were embolden by the Holy Spirit to spread his message of hope and new life throughout the world. Tradition tells us they got pretty far. From Great Britain to India.

If you didn’t think like the disciples and trust in Jesus as your Savior, they didn’t blow you up, they just moved on to the next town to see if there was a more receptive audience for their message, following the example of Jesus (Mark 6:1-6). And they prayed for you to change your mind.

The disciples didn’t kill for their cause. They died for it. Tradition tells us every disciple but John was killed for their faith. But unlike suicide murderers, the disciples died for the truth. You see every disciple except John was killed because they would not recant (go back) on witnessing to the living Jesus. If he hadn’t risen from the dead, there was no reason to die for something you knew for a fact wasn’t true. They had seen Jesus alive.

This is powerful evidence for the truth of the resurrection. People will die for what they think is true. In the disciples case, a truth they were eyewinesses to. No one gives their life for a lie knowing it is a lie.