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In
1936 a famous jockey took a spill at the Bay Meadows racetrack and was hurled
head-first into the rail. The doctor that rushed to his side could find
no pulse and Ralph Neves was hauled to the nearest hospital by ambulance. A
short while later after several attempts to revive the poor fellow, the doctors
pulled the white sheet over Ralph's head and pronounced him dead.
The news was
conveyed back to the track where other jockeys started taking a collection
for his widow who had been called
in so the track president could give her the bad news. Then, screams
were heard and Ralph's wife fainted as the
"dead" jockey walked through the door! He said, "I knew I didn't
feel dead, even if I was sore all over." Seems
that Ralph spoke up from under the sheet and gave the hospital workers
quite a scare too. He took a taxi back to the track and rode
another horse in the seventh race that same day!
Whereas Ralph's story is surely
surprising and starling, he eventually
died "again." The event of Jesus' resurrection
was downright earthshaking.
Christianity wouldn't
have started had Jesus stayed dead.
Our very calendars
would be different if the Resurrection of Jesus
Christ had not happened. More
importantly, 1 Corinthians 15:17 says,
"If Christ has not been
raised,your
faith is worthless; you are still
in your
sins."
Even though Jesus had told His
disciples in advance, the greatest surprise
in all of
history was the resurrection
of Jesus
Christ! It is THE
EVENT that calls us to
respond to the claims of Jesus Christ and
His place in our lives! What's
your
response?
All Scripture references are from the New American Standard
Version unless otherwise noted.
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Surprise!
