Jesus was always causing a controversy...

...and still does to this day.

Despite not following the news very carefully- actually most of my info comes from other people’s blogs- I’ve become aware of what many are saying is The Most Important Discovery Ever Ever Ever.

Without going into details: a tomb has been found containing what are believed to be the bones of the Jesus, and others who are suspected to be his wife and children.

Some Christians are very upset about this. I’m a Christian. I am not upset. I don’t think this discovery has to have a big impact on my faith.

I run the risk of making enemies by saying this, but I feel like I have to say it. I think everybody should just calm the heck down. As far as I know, it hasn’t been proven. There have been famous hoaxes already. And in case you didn’t know, the Da Vinci Code is fiction. The names Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Judas, were all very common names for that time and location. Much like in 1970 in Ontario the common names were Jennifer, Lisa, Jeff, and Mike.

If it is real, I still don’t see why it changes everything.

Christianity is built on a few landmark events: the birth of Christ, his teachings, his death, his resurrection and his ascension to heaven.

People are saying that it negates the concept of the ascension of Jesus into heaven. Must we take it so literally? We really do have to keep in mind that most of this stuff was written down years after the actual events. This was not a culture that was heavily into record keeping.

I myself hope to ascend to heaven someday, although I have no idea what “Heaven” will be and also I hope to find out a good long damn time from now, since I plan to be dead when I do this ascension thing. My kids and I were talking about this on the weekend. My son figures it’s not a big deal because why would God want Jesus’s body in heaven? It’s not what matters anymore after we’re dead. (But my Boy also thinks that Criss Angel went back in time and made Jesus disappear so that he could make them think he went up to heaven. Maybe Jesus was a very slick illusionist.)

Oftentimes science and faith try to collide. Being a Christian can really mess with your head. How can an entire physical body get sucked up into the sky? How can a guy come back to life after three days? This is why it’s called FAITH. Faith requires a huge suspension of disbelief. Some people would say it takes a good amount of stupidity too.

I think true faith takes a lot of thinking and questioning. To believe blindly is easy.

Here’s the thing for me though, the reason why this changes nothing:

I DON’T CARE.

I don’t care if Jesus really was only purely human, like you and me.

I don’t care if he was only dead for like, 20 minutes. That’s not so hard to believe. I don’t care if, after his resuscitation, he gathered up all his friends, gave them instructions on spreading the word of his ministry, and then promptly split while they weren’t looking...then met up with his wife further down the road where they took off and had a nice little retirement somewhere out of the public eye.

I don’t care if he was just a guy. He was a guy who asked the hard questions and challenged the popular thinking of the day. He was a revolutionary. My dad the preacher’s son has referred to him as a S**t Disturber.

What I do care about is that approximately 2000 years ago a guy was born who would change the way the modern world dates our existence. He had that big an impact on the world. He was a teacher. He was a healer. He didn’t change the world by killing anybody, or by being stronger and more cruel. He changed the world by showing us that we can be stronger in silence and kindness. We don’t win by having more than our peers; we can measure our success in our hearts instead of our wallets. We have responsibilities to our god, our earth. We’re supposed to live a meaningful life and be good to each other. We’re here to make the best of it. If we’re given a coin, don’t bury it; use it to build more. If we’re bullied, don’t perpetuate the cycle of violence. If we see someone in need, help him.

I have just said that what we read in the Bible may not be the most accurate historical record. I haven’t even read the entire Bible. Honestly, a few years ago I read something so disturbing in the Old Testament that I haven’t been able to go back and finish it. But I’ve read the four Gospels many times. They are reasonably consistent in what they tell about the man himself.

I don’t care if Jesus was black,white, Hebrew, Asian. I don’t care if he was divine or human. I don’t care if, at the end of his life, he ended up in a tomb with the remains of his loved ones.

What I care about is how Jesus changed me.