“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”” (Matthew 27:50–54, ESV)
“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.” (Luke 23:44–45, ESV)

Last week I wrote about the conversion of Paul, the Jewish leader who had been persecuting Christ’s followers. I am still trying to digest all of the thoughts and information that came up during my preparation for that blog. I can’t get over the drastic and immediate change that occurred in the Apostle’s life. I am also amazed that he suffered so much and never relented.

Since Paul the Apostle had been living during the time of Christ, it stands to reason that he could check the facts. Was he in Jerusalem the day that Jesus died? Did he experience the darkness that day? I wondered if Paul knew any of the people who were raised from the dead and if he went to talk to them. I also considered the fact that he may have gone to the temple to see if the veil had really been ripped and what the priests had to say about it.

He was a smart guy. I am sure he checked the facts. I do not believe that this rabbi, teacher, would hold to new tenets of faith if the evidence and facts disproved it. In fact, I know he didn’t. “But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 9:22, ESV). Paul didn’t just state his belief. He proved, with facts and historic references, using Scripture, that Jesus was the Christ.

How do I know this? I know because that is the same way he proved Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and Lord, in his letters to the various churches. He spoke of things that were known, things that had been truly experienced using the five senses. They were facts based in history, real people experienced them. Not some fantasy based on a dream or an ideology based solely on someone’s thoughts. The life of Jesus was truly lived among real people, in real space-time history.

This is the Jesus that Paul preached about. Jesus lived in real space-time history. There are real facts about His works and His actions. He talked to living, existing people and they knew actual words that he had spoken. This is the Jesus that dramatically changed lives. He is the One, who Paul deemed worthy of all glory and honor. This is the Jesus that the Apostle Paul believed in and the One, who he tenaciously held on to throughout his life and death.

Since Paul was able to check out the facts, get firsthand reports, and experience the events, I believe I can trust his account of these things that happened so long ago. I believe he is a reliable witness because the facts changed his life. I also trust what he says because he was able to prove that Jesus was the Christ with the information that he had. All in all, I am more convinced than ever that Jesus is Lord. I trust in the gospel message that the Apostle proclaimed.

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:3–5, ESV)
The Apostle checked the facts, I encourage you to do the same.