The Meaning of the Resurrection

The Meaning of the Resurrection

Introduction

In , Jesus and his early followers came into the region of Caesarea Philippi. While there Jesus asked them this question: Who do people say that I am? They replied with the different rumors they had heard. Some say you are John the Baptist come back to life, others say you are the prophet Elijah or Jeremiah that has returned. Jesus countered their answers with a direct question aimed right at their hearts: But who do you say I am?

That is the question that must be answered. How you answer that question determines everything about you. How you answer that question determines your eternal destination. Who is this Jesus? Who is this man who has had more influence on the world than any other historical figure? What do we do with this Jesus who seemingly came out of nowhere and left an indelible mark on the planet?

In the 1920’s the USSR formed the “League of the Militant Godless” for the purpose of stamping out faith. A 1929 magazine cover [pic] showed two workers dumping Jesus out of a wheelbarrow. But the League’s leader, Yemelian Yaroslavky, grew frustrated at his failed efforts to rid the nation of faith. He said, “Christianity is like a nail. The harder you strike it, the deeper it goes.”[1] No matter where you turn, the impact of Jesus is stamped everywhere. He has been portrayed in movies by a stunning group of A-list actors from 1898 to now. Countless songs have been written and sung about him, from the first known Christian hymn recorded by the Apostle Paul in , to Justin Bieber’s Christmas album. Though no one knows what Jesus looked like, with no commissioned paintings or sculptures, without even any physical description, his image, and that of his disciples, is the most popular in art history.

John Ortberg writes, “It is in Jesus’ name that desperate people pray, grateful people worship, and angry people swear. From christenings to weddings to sickrooms to funerals, it is in Jesus’ name that people are hatched, matched, patched, and dispatched. From the Dark Ages to postmodernity, he is the man who won’t go away.”[2]

His impact on the world is simply incalculable. Yale historian Jaroslav Pelikan wrote, “Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western Culture for almost twenty centuries. If it were possible, with some sort of super magnet, to pull up out of the history every scrap of metal bearing at least a trace of his name, how much would be left?”[3]

Children were thought of differently because of Jesus. Historian O.M. Bakke notes that in the ancient world children usually were not named until the 8th day. Up to that day, there was a chance that the infant would be killed or left to die of exposure, especially if it was deformed or of an unpreferred gender. This custom changed because of Christians who were followers of a man who said, “Let the little children come to me.”

Jesus never married. But his treatment of women led to the formation of a community of believers, called the Church, that was so welcoming and affirming to women that they joined it in record numbers. Jesus never wrote a book, yet his call to love God with all your mind led to such a reverence for learning that when the classical world was destroyed in the Dark Ages, it was the Church that preserved its knowledge. It was the Church that gave rise to libraries, to places like Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale. Virtually the entire Western system of education would arise because of Jesus’ teaching.

Though he never held an office or led an army, truths he introduced have impacted entire civilizations by being cited in documents like the Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution. Even in our traditions surrounding death, his influence is undeniable. The practice of burial in graveyards and cemeteries was taken from early Christians. The word for cemetery comes from a Greek word meaning “sleeping place.” It expresses the hope of resurrection, which only Jesus can provide.[4]

H.G. Wells, the famous author and historian, wrote, “A historian like myself, who doesn’t even call himself a Christian, finds the picture centering irresistibly around the life and character of this most significant man…. The historian’s test of an individual’s greatness is ‘What did he leave to grow?’ Did he start men to thinking along fresh lines with a vigor that persisted after him? By this test Jesus stands first.”[5]

Who is Jesus? The answer to that question is the most important answer in the history of the world. The answer to that question is the very topic of the text we are going to look at today in . The Church in the city of Colosse had a great start. It was planted by Epaphras, a ministry partner of the Apostle Paul. The Gospel, the Good News of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, had taken root and was flourishing. But over time, a false teaching began to creep in. The Church became infected with a false doctrine known historically as Gnosticism. One of the chief beliefs of Gnosticism is that all physical matter is evil, everything spiritual is good. This meant a few things: 1) your body is evil and irredeemable, so you can sin as much as you’d like because that’s what evil bodies do; 2) God is not the Creator, because no god worth anything would ever create something evil like physical matter; 3) Jesus is just another guy, not divine, because God would never come to Earth in a corrupt human body.

TS - So this is a Church that is asking the same questions we ask today: who is Jesus? Why does he matter? Is he really worth my time? definitively answers that question and settles it for all time.

– 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

TS – If there is any text in the New Testament that gives us the identity of Jesus, it is this one. He is referred to, directly or indirectly, 15 times in 6 verses. 5 Glorious Truths regarding Jesus’ identity…Jesus is:

1. ETERNAL GOD

This text begins with one of the most incredible, awe-inspiring sentences in the entire Bible. V. 15 - 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. Though God is beyond our ability to see, he graciously gives to us a means by which we can know him. The projected image of God is Jesus Christ. The word he uses here for “image” is a great one. It’s the Greek word eikon. It was used in ancient Greek culture to refer to a couple different ideas. First, it was used to refer to a portrait. Our equivalent today would be a photograph. So the picture of God is Jesus. If you want to know what God looks like, look at Jesus. Jesus himself said this in – “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!”

In fact, it was statements like this that got Jesus put onto the cross. It was the crime of blasphemy that led to his crucifixion. In , during one of Jesus’ teaching times, the people pick up rocks to stone him to death. Why? - 33 They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.” So when we say that Jesus is God, we are not projecting onto Jesus what we want him to be. We are simply believing what Jesus said about himself.

The other usage of eikon was for any legal document. As part of the confirmation of the binding nature of the document, a description of those involved was included. What they looked like, their mannerisms, any distinguishing features…that way there was no doubt about who the document was referring to. That description was called the eikon. So Jesus is the description, the full explanation of God. This was how Paul put it in 1:19 - 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ…He highlights it again in 2:9 – “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.” Jesus is God in the flesh.

And as God, Jesus is eternal. V. 15b – “He existed before anything was created…” V. 17a – “He existed before anything else.” John, the Gospel writer, began his account of the life of Jesus with the same truth.

- In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God.

This passage is replete with references to the God-ness of Jesus. One scholar notes that this text speaks of the “all-ness” of Jesus. Notice the phrasing:

v. 15b – supreme over all creation

v. 16a – creating everything

v. 16b – everything in creation is through him and for him

v. 17b – he holds all creation together

v. 18b – he is supreme over all things and is first in everything

v. 19a – he is God in all his fullness

v. 20 – he has reconciled/made peace with everything

Every one of those “all” and “everything” are superlatives, statements to the extreme. Meaning, there is nothing that could be higher and more supreme than he is. There is no part of God that he is not. There is nothing that he is not ruler over. That truth leads right to the second truth. Jesus is:

2. POWERFUL CREATOR

v. 15b – He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation…That phrase “supreme over all creation” literally translates as “firstborn over all creation.” The same idea will come up again later in v. 18. To say that Jesus is firstborn over creation does NOT mean that he was the first being to be created. “Firstborn” is a title from the OT. It speaks of honor and preeminence. In , Israel is called God’s firstborn son, meaning it holds the place of honor and is heir of all God will give. promises that Jesus, the Messiah, will become God’s firstborn Son. Meaning Jesus is the treasured, honor Son, and is heir of all things. Jesus holds honor over, preeminence over, all of creation. Why? Because he is the Creator, not part of the creation. Only the Creator can sit over and above creation.

Jesus is the Agent of Creation.

V. 16 - 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him…

tells us that “In the beginning” God created everything simply by speaking it into being. Meaning, he used words. And what word did use to describe and define Jesus?

- In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

Not only is he the agent of creation. Jesus it he Goal of Creation:

v. 16b - Everything was created through him and for him.

All things exist for him. Everything leads to him.

Lastly, Jesus is the Sustainer of Creation:

v. 17b - …and he holds all creation together.

One of the questions scientists continue to be baffled by is this: what keeps us all put together? What keeps your cells connected to each other instead of your body collapsing? Why does the universe, as it keeps expanding, not collapse onto itself? The answer is Jesus. He holds you and the universe, all creation together in his hands. He is the Powerful Creator.

3. CHURCH LEADER

Though we refer to Elders, ministry team leaders, staff, and some volunteers as “church leaders,” Jesus is the THE Church Leader. V. 18a – “Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body.” The word he uses here for “head” has two primary meanings to it in the Bible. 1) it means source, like the head of a river. So Jesus is the source of the Church, its Founder, the one responsible for creating it. 2) it means authority. Just as your body takes all of its commands from your head, Christ’s body, the Church, takes its commands from Jesus.

This is why we are spending the majority of this year slowly walking through 1 Corinthians. We are re-discovering what it means to be The Church, and how The Church is supposed to function. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of that, which we’ve already seen and will continue to see, is that our preferences and opinions about the Church really don’t matter at all. Jesus is the Head of the Church and we are to follow his lead, no matter what. And by mentioning this idea here in , we are reminded that The Church is not some loose association of individual Christians, acting independently, in pursuit of some form of personal spirituality. We are one body with one head, and Jesus is in charge.

4. LIFE GIVER

v. 18b - He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.

“He is the beginning…” Beginning is arche, meaning first or ruler. He is always first. He is always ruler. Why? Because he rose from the dead, a truth we celebrate every Sunday, not just on Easter. This truth isn’t relegated to one holiday. It is the centerpiece of our faith.

“He is…supreme over all who rise from the dead.” This “supreme” idea is that word “firstborn” again. Jesus is firstborn from among the dead. He holds the place of honor, the position of preeminence over all. Precisely because, by his resurrection from the dead, he gives life to the dead.

- 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.

Our sin killed our soul. We were spiritually dead, sentenced to an eternity of death. But Jesus, by his resurrection, has resurrected us. Jesus can only do these things, Jesus can only be these things, if he is alive. If Jesus is still laying in a tomb outside of Jerusalem, all of this goes away. But the entire text has been adamant that Jesus is alive:

v. 15a – Jesus is the image of God

v. 15b – Jesus is supreme over all creation

v. 18a – Jesus is head of the Church

v. 18b – Jesus is the beginning

v. 18c – Jesus is first in everything

He IS these things. Not was. Is, right now, at this moment, alive and is these things. Jesus has risen from the grave and sits supreme over all things.

5. GRACIOUS SACRIFICE

Paul ends this great hymn of praise about Jesus by telling us how it is that Jesus can bring life to those who are spiritually dead. By his sacrificial death, Jesus has removed the penalty of death that our sin deserved. So now, because of Jesus, though your sin separated you from God and sentenced you to death, Jesus has reconciled you to God and brought you life.

v. 20 - 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

“Reconcile” “Made peace” these are relationship terms. Sin broke the relationship with God, but Jesus restored it. Though we have stood in opposition to God, in rebellion against him, Jesus has brought us together.

And as great as all that is, as amazing as it is to see who Jesus really is…it’s about to get even better. Now, we get to see why this matters to us. Jesus is all these things. He has done all these things…made peace with everything…

v. 21-22 - 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

This includes you! That is the greatest news in the universe today. You get to be part of this deal. Though you have been separated from God, Jesus will reconcile you to him. Though you deserve eternal death, Jesus will give you life. Though you should never be in a relationship with God, Jesus will bring you into God’s very presence. Though you are guilty of your sin, Jesus will make you holy and blameless, able to stand before God without a single fault.

This is our hope. This is our only hope. And that is how this text will end.

V. 23 - 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.

Jesus is our only hope. We cannot, we must not, drift away from him. The word he uses for “assurance” here is the same word as “hope.” Jesus is your hope…don’t drift from him. He is Eternal God, Powerful Creator, Church Leader, Life Giver, and Gracious Sacrifice. All that he is and all that he has done includes you too. Christian, this is your hope. This is what you celebrate today. This is why Easter is such a special day for you, because Jesus’ resurrection secured all of this for you. Non-Christian, this your chance. This can all be true for you today, before you leave this building.

Believe/Repent/Confess/Baptize

Song – Living Hope

[1] Yemelian Yaroslavky: quoted in Brian Moynaham, The Faith (New York: Doubleday, 2002), viii.

[2] John Ortberg, Who Is This Man? (Grand Rapids, Zondervan), 13.

[3] Jaroslav Pelikan, Jesus through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1985), 1.

[4] Much of these first two pages are taken from John Ortberg, Who Is This Man? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), chapter 1.

[5] H.G. Wells, The Greatest Men in History, quoted in Mark Links, S.J., He Is the Still Point of the Turning World (Chicago: Argus, 1971), 111.