Resurrection 101 - And You Shall Be My Witnesses

What differentiates a witness from everyone else is that he or she can give a first-hand account of what they have seen and heard regarding a specific event.  In the court of law, a witness is expected to present an honest testimony, which is under-girded by the oath – to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth -  with God's help - for He is the God of truth and He knows we need His help!

The witness tells truth, not lies or fabrications of his own imagination.

The witness doesn't leave the important, relevant details out to make his testimony more palatable or less messy.

The witness doesn't add his own personal opinion or slant to his testimony to impress.  He doesn't change his testimony to acquire some kind of gain - monetary or other, or avoid pain and consequences. It is inappropriate for the witness to act and speak in such a way to distract the court or draw attention to himself.

A lot of time and effort is put into ascertaining the credibility of the witness. His or her credibility can be called into question if his testimony contradicts the testimony of other credible witnesses. Also, if the witness lied and cheated in an area unrelated to the case at hand, if his words are not consistently supported by the reality of his life, his entire testimony can be thrown out as invalid on the basis of his personal un-trustworthiness or bias.

It would be unthinkable in the court of law to have a witness take a stand and then proceed to give the testimony based on what somebody else has seen or heard.  Rumors and gossip don’t represent an acceptable testimony.

One may claim that qualifications for a witness are too harsh, too rigid and stern. That only a narrow-minded judge scrutinizes his witnesses in such a way. We may see it this way until the day comes when our own life depends on the truthfulness of the witness at the stand.

If earthly judges scrutinize their witnesses to determine the matters of the law and this earthly government, it seems to me all the more  important to test the matters pertaining to the Kingdom of God and eternal life.