The Apostle's Creed - Max

Once upon a time...
Jesus died
and then he rose.
He ascended into heaven
and we will too.
That's what the Bible says.
But why do we say
the third day he rose again from the dead?
like he had been going up and down
any number of times.

Was he practicing?
Was it fun for him
and so he rose over and over?
Did he not get it right the first time?
Was heaven too full
or no one on duty to let him him?

Or maybe it was just fun to be part of the universe
like floating
up and float
then down again,
then up and float
and down
until the time had fully come.

One of my elders asked me once
why Jesus rose again from the dead.
How many times did he rise?
he said.
More than one
or it wouldn't say "again."
Was it forty?
and exactly what were the circumstances?

Who knows really?
We're Western - want to figure it all out like engineers
or people working a giant puzzle.
But most of faith is mystery
and the more we learn
the more we don't know.
Some questions have no answers
this side of the veil.
Jesus rising again may be one of them.

(Note: Forrest knew the answer - Jesus rose again is like saying Jesus was alive again - no difference. So that clears it all up. My fancy theological degrees didn't help one bit, but it was certainly fun to think about!)