Among all the world’s religions, Christianity stands alone in claiming that its founder rose from the dead. Yet, strangely, Jesus’ body was missing—despite the tomb being sealed and guards posted to prevent theft (Matthew 27:63-66). Historical accounts reveal that the executioners bribed those guards to say they had fallen asleep and that the disciples had stolen the body. Corruption, it turns out, is nothing new.
“While they were going, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, ‘Tell people, His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep. And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’ So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.” (Matthew 28:11-15 ESV)
The miracle of the empty tomb, combined with Jesus’ appearances to His disciples over a period of forty days, left no room for alternative explanations. The crucified Jesus was alive, yet beyond the reach of any further execution. This testimony alone gave believers the courage to no longer fear death. The disciples, once fearful, became bold champions of His mission after His departure, even when facing the same fate He did.
Theophilus, a government official, affirmed Jesus’ authenticity to the Gentiles by commissioning Luke—who wasn’t one of Jesus’ followers—to write an accurate account of His life and works. It’s possible the Roman authorities were simply keeping tabs on what Jesus was doing. For the Gentiles to doubt His resurrection, Theophilus would have had to dismiss the testimony of his trusted source, Luke.
But true Christians are not defined by a fascination with the empty tomb. Those who believe in Jesus solely because of the resurrection’s proof may not truly be His followers. Real believers are guided more by His teachings than by the burial garments He left behind or the details of His physical appearance. It is the principles, not the outward signs, that inspire them to reflect Him.
Unbelievers fixate on His miracles instead of His message. Questions about whether Jesus was white or black matter to skeptics, not to true believers. The real question is: what does it mean to believe in Jesus? There have always been pretenders—both in His time and among the believers, even in our time.
The hope is that the empty tomb draws people to Christ, serving as a starting point to explore His teachings. Yet Jesus Himself pointed out that unbelievers remain unmoved even by clear evidence. Faith is not born from proof, but from conviction stirred by the unseen Spirit.
“Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, ‘Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.’ He answered, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.’” (Matthew 12:38-41 NIV)
The people of Nineveh in their willingness to repent differed from unbelievers—a trait the proud cannot grasp. Jesus offers answers to humanity’s struggles, yet those struggles persist after two thousand years, reflecting ongoing unbelief. Even the empty tomb convinced some skeptics, but they still chose not to be persuaded to follow His teachings.
Though His resurrection was clear, many unbelievers have fabricated a false image of Jesus rather than accepting the truth. His message was meant to bring people closer to God, but it is difficult to help someone who clings to their own imagined version of Him. Scripture recounts Jesus confronting Jewish legal experts who could not accept Him as the Christ.
Seeing Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, means taking all His teachings seriously—whether easy or hard to accept. His mission was to lead humanity to the Father, and every word He spoke carried the authority of God. He never lied, and prophecy foretold His birth in Bethlehem. Yet, as He Himself declared, He existed before Abraham (John 8:58).
As the Son of Man, His physical life was meant to guide unbelievers to the Father, but spiritually He was God’s Son—just as humanity was created to be God’s children. The difference is that Jesus was free from the corruption brought by Adam. He often chose to call Himself the Son of Man rather than the Son of God, emphasizing His role as the representative of humanity. Physically, He was the son of Joseph and Mary, but not from Adam’s fallen line.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17 NIV).
All humans are God’s children, yet Scripture reveals that Jesus was the only begotten Son. This means He alone carried God’s seed within Him at birth. Humanity, after Adam’s sin, had lost God’s Spirit and become spiritually dead. All Adam’s descendants were cut off from being God’s children, born instead to reflect the traits of earthly fathers, separated from our true Father in Heaven.
Humans become God’s children again only through redemption in Jesus Christ. This begins by accepting Him as the way out and taking His words as the ultimate truth above all else. In sin, people cannot see God, though He exists eternally. Only Jesus truly knew God, having never fallen into sin like Adam. In Him, we see the original state of humanity.
Though people knew Jesus from His birth, He had always been with the Father in Heaven. Spiritual beings cannot directly communicate with physical beings, so before Christ, God spoke to humanity through prophets. With Jesus’ coming, we can now directly communicate with our Father, provided we acknowledge Jesus as the sole source of divine truth.
Spiritual beings may reach humans through dreams or mysterious means, but in our sinful state, we cannot communicate with the Father as Jesus did. His mission was to redeem us so we could spiritually reconnect with God. His death on the cross was necessary for this restoration.
The value of Jesus in bringing redemption comes from accepting Him as our personal Savior, embracing His words as absolute truth, and living according to them. Nothing he said should be altered from its original meaning. In sin, people are spiritually dead, cut off from their true source of life. As God’s children, we share in His creative and transformative power, making the word “miracle” seem unnecessary.
Jesus revealed our potential, teaching that even faith as small as a mustard seed can make anything possible. Only those who truly believe in Him can fully grasp His message, and real believers understand that taking unnecessary detours only slows spiritual growth. There is no need for intermediaries to access what Jesus offers.
Much of what Jesus taught, though meant for us to live by, is not of this world, so no one from this world should be trusted except Him. I believe anything I write should be dismissed if it cannot be confirmed by His teachings. The limits we face in our physical form belong to this world, but as God’s children, we are capable of doing even greater works than Jesus Himself.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:12-14 NIV)
Believing in Jesus isn’t just about accepting His physical presence; it is also about embracing His spiritual nature as a reflection of Godliness and living out His teachings without hesitation. For Christians, faith in Jesus means they share in His capabilities. Doubting one’s ability, unlike Jesus, is a sign of unbelief. What seems miraculous to most—like the empty tomb—is not surprising to those with the true faith of Jesus.
The faith of Jesus removes the fear of death, revealing the true nature of humanity. That faith can be adopted by applying His teachings. His physical body was not truly Him—He existed with the Father long before Mary gave birth. Through the Holy Spirit, believers become God’s children, sharing the same spiritual condition as Jesus. The world could not recognize Him because they saw only an ordinary man, unaware that He was not of this world.
The idea of being a child of God is often misunderstood, even by believers—especially those who study theology yet keep God’s greatness distant from humanity. Many cannot accept being like God, seeing His light as too bright to merge with human nature. Living in sin means dwelling in darkness and needing Jesus as the guiding light.
God’s brilliance is beyond reach, and direct connection with Him is impossible unless one lets go of all worldly attachments and is born again. Yet, if God is the Creator, His children also have the potential to create. There is nothing God does that His children cannot do. Even in a sinful state, Jesus showed humanity the way out—beginning with believing every word He taught, without the slightest doubt.
When we truly grasp what it means to be God’s child, we stop living like the rest of the world. There is no need to conform to what others think we should be. Looking down on some people while praising others only keeps us trapped in a cycle of captivity. Christians cannot change without Jesus, who lived as one of us. Only He fully understands and values humanity, though believers cannot successfully follow His example without His direction.
As God’s newly redeemed children, we remain prone to foolish choices, sometimes damaging our renewed relationship with Him. Yet Jesus, our advocate, stands before God to defend us. No one knows the human condition better than He does. Pride is the only thing that can block our defender—which is why Jesus calls us to give up all worldly attachments to follow Him. The lie we often believe is that our worth comes from what we own.
“So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich, and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness, and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:16-20 NIV)
The only thing that truly keeps humans from becoming God-like is pride. If we’re honest, pride builds up from the achievements we collect in life—our social status, material wealth, and educational successes. These things bring comfort but also feed our pride. Proud people often cannot even admit they are proud; instead, they find it easier to point fingers and label others as the proud ones, rather than themselves.
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14 NIV)
True believers are not drawn to the empty tomb because they think they know more than others, but because humility grants them deeper understanding. Still, applying the humility Jesus calls for often causes the world to dismiss true Christians. If Jesus was humiliated, spat on, and killed by the worst offenders, why should we resist such treatment? Humble people are frequently overlooked by those who judge based on status or appearance.
Every person is made in God’s image, and failing to recognize that does not make anyone less. The impulse to compare people did not come from God, who promotes unity and oneness. For committed believers, one of the greatest distractions is a preoccupation with physical status, just as James warned. This lies at the heart of humanity’s sinful nature. Calling someone inferior is as unacceptable as calling God inferior; labeling them superior essentially makes them a god.
“My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, must not show favouritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:1-4 NIV)
To break free from this trap, we must let go of our human tendencies and fully embrace the teachings of Jesus. Letting go of anything that makes us feel either superior or inferior is the first step toward allowing Christ to work in our lives. Everyone is equal, no matter their status, and there is no reason to see anyone as above or below another. That is the only way to find our way out of the maze of confusion.
This is only possible by accepting Jesus as the one true source of guidance and safety (Matthew 23:8-12). When His words are taken to heart and lived out, there is no pull toward fascination with miracles or idolizing others. Everyone welcomes Jesus without conditions to return to being God’s children, with pride standing as the only real barrier.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, relieving those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions, leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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