Chaplains’ Chat

There have been some remarkable stories in history. Some almost seem unbelievable at first glance. One such story I read about was Tsutomu Yamaguchi, who survived the first atomic blast at Hiroshima in August 1945. He dragged himself to an air-raid shelter, spent the night in the shelter and then remarkably caught a train the next day to his town of Nagasaki. Three days later, the second atomic bomb fell on this city, and again, remarkably, Tsutomu survived the utter devastation of both bomb blasts.

Perhaps we can all think of stories that seem almost unbelievable. The Bible story of Jesus and his resurrection fits into this category. It is the most amazing miracle in the Bible, which speaks of Jesus coming back to life again in bodily form. The difficulty for us, as we hear this, is that it just doesn’t happen in life! However, the Bible gives us pieces of evidence that point to this resurrection, including an empty tomb, the disciples’ witness of seeing Jesus alive, as well as their willingness to attest to this fact, even dying for what they know they saw. The implications of the resurrection are immense. It certainly points to the fact of Jesus conquering death. And yet as one of the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, Peter, would later write, God “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. “(1 Peter 1:3)” What a wonderful thing to have a living hope that rests on a secure historical event and a hope that does not perish, spoil or fade.

Rev Anthony Benn
Chaplain