Getting Back Up

Series Review

Peter - from a blue collar fisherman, who leaves his middle class job to follow Jesus, a teacher who is ushering in the kingdom of God. What a ride! Witnessing miracles! Amazing sermons. Peter gets is right, gets it wrong, and falls flat on his face (denial). And three days later he hears a sermon that totally blows his mind.

Sermon Introduction

One of the first things we pastors learn early in our ministry is that not everyone in the congregation leaves the sanctuary excited about your sermon. Sometimes people have short attention spans, they’re tired, not really interested in the topic or even learning at all, but pastor’s have to own their part too - sometimes we preach really bad sermons. Sometimes I wonder why I was invited to the ordination examination retreat in the Spring of 2007. One of my pre-retreat assignments was to submit a video recorded sermon. That Sunday a parishioner, as he was leaving, said to me, “Your sermon…it left me wanting more...” I felt bad that Sunday, but whenever I feel like my sermon is not well received, I can take comfort in the Easter story. The very first Christian sermon did not register high marks. We’ve already heard Luke’s story of the first Christian sermon, now hear John’s:

John 20:1–10 NIV

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

The first Christian sermon was not exactly a riveting success. No altar call. No “good sermon pastor.” The sermon was ignored. It was rejected. It was ineffective. It’s the kind of sermon we preachers say, “That didn’t go over too well.” Sermons have changed over the years, but one thing remains the same: it is hard to preach resurrection in a world of skepticism.

I once read about a 14-year old girl who had an unusual medical condition: she was sweating blood from her scalp and her palms. Hematidrosis is a rare disease -- but it’s one we in the church are familiar with, especially this time of year. Before Jesus was arrested, during his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, we read that Jesus perspired drops of blood. Science has explained what causes it: acute fear and excessive exertion.

I once read about a 14-year old girl who had an unusual medical condition: she was sweating blood from her scalp and her palms. Hematidrosis is a rare disease -- but it’s one we in the church are familiar with, especially this time of year. Before Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified, during his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, we read that Jesus perspired drops of blood. Science has explained its most common causes: those being acute fear and excessive exertion.

The first story was about a 14-year old girl who had an unusual medical condition: she was sweating blood from her scalp and her palms. Hematidrosis is a rare disease -- only 3 cases were reported in the 20th century -- but it’s one we in the church are familiar with, especially this time of year. Before Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified, during his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, we read that Jesus perspired drops of blood. As rare as this disease is, science has explained its most common causes: those being acute fear and excessive exertion.

I also read about a woman who claimed to experience stigmata - wounds or purple blotches that on the skin and match the wounds suffered by Jesus during his trial and crucifixion, on the hands, ankles, head and side. They are said to appear on Christian mystics or other devout Christians, and are often seen as a sign from God. Skeptics would offer natural explanations, like self-wounding or unusual medical conditions.

These are not new phenomenon: sweating blood or marks of Christ’s wounds have been claimed and believed for centuries -- and the scientific age has finally provided us with rational explanations.

These are not new phenomenon: occurrences of sweating blood or showing marks of Christ’s wounds have been claimed for centuries -- and they’ve been believed for centuries, and the scientific age has finally provided us with rational explanations.

Christians can agree with the skeptics that there are scientific explanations or even fraudulent claims that explain stories like these. But when it comes to the resurrection of Christ, we cannot. As the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians, if Christ is not raised from the dead, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith.

As we see in the Easter story, Christ’s resurrection elicits a response - I see 3 different responses in the story:

3 Responses to the Resurrection:

1. Denial

Luke 24:11 NIV

But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

2. Bewilderment

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3. Reassess Life

This morning, the women at the tomb, the first Christian preachers, have preached the first Christian sermon: He is risen! The first Christian congregation has responded in different ways. We’ve been presented this same message - how are we responding?

1. Denial

Luke 24:11 NIV

But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

In Luke’s Gospel the sermon of the women came across to Peter and the disciples like "an idle tale," "empty talk," or "a silly story." It depends on your English translation of the Bible. Why did the disciples so easily dismiss the first news of Easter?

Some say because the messengers were women. According to one oral tradition, "From women let not evidence be accepted because of the levity and temerity of their sex." That may be part of the reason, but not all of it. After all, Jesus had predicted that he would be killed but that on the third day he would rise. When the women came with the news that these words had been fulfilled, the disciples should have been prepared, eager, receptive, believing. Instead they yawned, checked their watches and wondered when the sermon would end.

in Luke’s Gospel the message of the women seemed to them like "an idle tale," "empty talk," or "a silly story."

why did the apostles so easily dismiss the first news of Easter?

There was a poll taken by the religious website beliefnet.com. People were asked “Do you believe that Jesus Christ was physically raised from the dead? 65% said, “yes.” Beliefnet.com asked a related question, “Do you believe in miracles?” and the overwhelming answer was “yes.”

That may be part of the reason, but not all of it. After all, the women were confirming a message that Jesus himself had already told the disciples. A few times Jesus predicted that he would be killed but that on the third day he would rise. When the women came with the news that these words had been fulfilled, the disciples should have been prepared, eager, receptive, believing. Instead they yawned, checked their watches and wondered when the sermon would end.

A poll by the website beliefnet.com asked “Do you believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead? The majority (65%) said, “Yes, bodily.” A significant minority (22%) said, “Yes, spiritually.” A small minority (13%) said, “No.”

There is something in our Gospel lesson that reminds me of this online poll: skepticism about resurrection. Notice I didn’t say skepticism about the supernatural. The denial we see in the Easter story is similar to the denial in the online poll: people who had no trouble believing in miracles couldn not accept that Christ had physically risen from the dead.

The denial we see in the Easter story is similar to the denial in the online poll: people who had no trouble believing in miracles couldn not accept that Christ had physically risen from the dead.

If you are trying to reach a resurrection-denier, no amount of arguing will win that person over. One sermon will not change someone’s mind. Take heart: the people who heard the 1st Christian sermon were resurrection deniers. At the end of Matthew we read about the disciples meeting with Jesus and still some of them doubted.

and the therefore more likely to answer the question “Do you believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead?” with a “Yes, bodily.” Belief

There is something in our Gospel lesson that reminds me of this online poll: skepticism about resurrection. Notice I didn’t say skepticism about the supernatural. Walk into a bookstore and you are surrounded by themes on spirituality. According to the NEWSWEEK/Beliefnet Poll, eight in 10 Americans believe in miracles.

Resurrection is hard to believe. True faith comes to us not by scientific data, but only by God’s revelation.

Could it be that such disbelief in Christ’s bodily resurrection is because modern science has shown that miracles don't happen, that dead people don't rise? To believe in something so unscientific is offensive to one's intellect.

Bewilderment

Luke 24:12 NIV

Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

John 20:9 NIV

(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

A few months after my grandfather died, I took my grandmother to her Lutheran church to visit his grave. We stood in front of the tombstone - it was one of those “made for two” stones - had his name and hers on there. I said, “grandma, isn’t it creepy looking at a tombstone with your name on it?” (I had to work on my comforting skills.) She said, “It would be even scarier if those dates were filled in.”

I also asked her, “Don’t you wish you could see him one more time?” She said, “Yes, but not at this very moment. I think that would terrify me.” She missed her husband of 60 years, but didn’t long for seeing him walk out of the grave - it’s unnatural. It’s scary.

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Skeptics say that people in the 1st century were easily duped into believing in miracles such as the resurrection, which is ridiculous - there was no widespread belief that dead people could, at any given moment, walk out of a tomb. It’s unnatural. It’s scary.

At the sunrise service we talked about fear in the Easter story. Plenty of fear in life. Death. Global terrorism. Violence. The drug culture. Flu epidemics. We know what fear can do to us: it can paralyze us. Keep us from making rational decisions.

That’s where Peter is in the story. Bewildered. Some people stay that way when confronted with the claim that Christ is risen. The atheist can outright deny the resurrection - there is no scientific evidence that this is even possible. The agnostic can say, “I don't know what to make of this but then neither are you going to try. Who cares anyway?

you can be agnostic and cynical by saying that you don't know what to make of this but then neither are you going to try. Who cares anyway?

Denial and bewilderment have this in common: they don’t require anything. no sacrifice, no commitment, no real change.

these two mistakes both positions have this in common: they don’t really require anything. no sacrifice, no commitment, no real change.

Reassess Life

John 20:8 NIV

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.

Peter is not at a point where he believes, but the “other” disciple, which is probably John, saw the empty tomb and believed.

Notice in the Gospels that immediately after the resurrection the women are told to tell the good news to the ‘eleven’ or the ‘disciples.‘ But later he changes their title to "the apostles," to those who are sent.

Belief in the resurrection, belief in Jesus is not just believing in a set of facts - true faith means reassessing life.

In the Easter stories the women told the good news to the ‘disciples’ and Jesus appeared to the ‘disciples.’ But later he changes their title to "the apostles," that word apostles means “one sent with a message.”

Resurrection is a doctrine that is hard to believe. For that reason true faith comes to us not as a result of scientific data or empirical observation, but only by divine revelation.

If the Jesus story ended on Friday, then the disciples can experience a season of mourning, and then go back to life as it was. If the story ended on Friday, then they can be alumni of Jesus’ school of religion, they can be former students of an inspiring though finally tragic teacher.

But if the news of Sunday is true, they must reassess life. They become "apostles," those sent to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. There will be outpourings of the Spirit, persecutions, arrests and interrogations, just like Jesus did.

I want to close with a passage from the book of want to give you an example of how Peter has reassessed his life as a result of the resurrection:

Acts 4:19–20 NIV

But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Growing up in the Baptist church, we practiced believers baptism - even though we baptize infants and children in the United Methodist Church, we also baptize youth and adults who have placed their faith in Christ. What a beautiful image, going under the water and coming back up. The pastor would say these words:

Growing up in the Baptist church, we practiced believers baptism - even though we baptize infants and children in the United Methodist Church, we also baptize youth and adults who have placed their faith in Christ. What a beautiful image, going under the water and coming back up. The pastor would say these words:

Romans 6:4 NIV

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Jesus isn’t the only person who has been resurrected. Peter has been resurrected. Peter has reassessed his life, and made a change. Instead of denying Christ in the temple courtyard, he now proclaims the good news of the resurrection in the temple courtyard. Instead of running from the authorities, he stands in front of them and testifies.

I love this passage in Acts: “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Christ is risen. (He is risen indeed.) How can we convince the skeptic? How can we convince the bewildered?

Arguments are important, but facts alone cannot do it? Show them a resurrected people.

How can we convince people of the truth of Christ’s resurrection of Christ? Show them a resurrected people.