It was a long shot, but we had to consider the possibility that the death of Javier Cruz had been staged as a publicity stunt. The body was taken directly from the crime scene to the county morgue for autopsy, standard procedure in murder investigations. County coroner’s report listed causes of death due to blood loss from internal injuries and asphyxiation by being hung. Bottom line, Javier Cruz was dead.
During the next few days, “Javier sightings” became increasingly numerous, overloading the switchboard at precinct headquarters. It was impossible to interview everyone to determine if these sightings were credible. By midweek, the hottest trending topic on Twitter was a mass vigil in front of the vault at the Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Reports indicated several hundred to several thousand people were present.
In response to concerns from cemetery personnel regarding possible property damage, police were dispatched to disperse the crowd. They arrived to find people wildly excited, crying, laughing, and screaming, “He was here! He was here! I can't believe it! He was here!” Everyone reported that Javier had suddenly appeared and spoke to them for several minutes. Many took pictures or recorded video on their cell phones. However when they attempted play back, there was no image of Javier, only a bright light.
Later, on the evening news, a reporter interviewed Javier's associate leaders. They looked completely different now, confident, bold and elated. They reported Javier had definitely come back from the dead and was alive again. They intended to devote the rest of their lives to spreading Javier’s message of reconciliation and unconditional love from God to all people who would accept it.
The CSI unit continued to collect evidence for several weeks. We had no reasonable explanations for what occurred at the vigil event. While it might have been possible to assume that a few people had hallucinated and “seen Javier,” it was highly unlikely that hundreds of people at one time could have had a mass hallucination.
Both followers and family related they had seen Javier several times, were convinced he was alive again, and had no further interest in our CSI investigation.
Since we could not even be sure there was still a dead body to recover, we were forced to retire the case as open and unresolved….
Over 2000 years later, the most famous CSI case in history is still unresolved and remains open: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Based on references from ancient sources, modern scholars agree that Jesus Christ was an actual historical person who was crucified by Pontius Pilate between 30 and 36 A.D. In 1986, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article, “A Study of the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” which stated that the description of Jesus’ death was medically consistent with death by hypovolemic shock (extreme blood loss) and asphyxiation.
The unusual evidence of Jesus’ resurrection continues to present itself for investigation by every person today. The apostle Paul best summed up this evidence in I Timothy 3:16. He stated that beyond all doubt, the work of God as Messiah, which had been hidden for ages, was revealed when Jesus Christ appeared in human form. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23) Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus demonstrated He was the Son of God by performing many miracles and teaching about the kingdom of God. (Acts 10:38) Angels were present throughout His life and at His resurrection. (Luke 2:9-13; Luke 24:1-8) The message of salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ is for everyone. (Romans 10:8-13)
Jesus was seen after His resurrection by His disciples, two followers going to a small town, Emmaus, near Jerusalem, a woman, and over 500 people at one time.
(I Corinthians 15:3-8; Luke 24:13-35; John 20:11-18)
Now the question is: What will you do with this evidence?
Come and join us for a special Easter celebration this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. Enjoy the special production called, “The Victor’s Crown” as we investigate again the unique and compelling evidence for the resurrection of Christ.
Pastor Che
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