The Resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:13-22

The Easter Story – The Resurrection

Doug Partin – The Christian Church – 04-12-2020

Tim Harlow was right when he said there was only one other Easter like the one we are celebrating today, the first one. After Jesus’ death on the cross, Jesus’ followers were frightened, withdrawn, and unsure of what would happen next. They self-quarantined, locked the doors, and were fearful to venture outside. Jesus had died on Friday, the Sabbath was over, and the first day of the week had just begun. Three days, and everyone knew what Jesus had predicted would happen on that third day.

The Chief priests and Elders, the ones who delighted in Jesus’ death, knew what Jesus had said about the third day, and they took it seriously. Not that they believed that Jesus would really rise from the dead, but they feared that the disciples would steal His body and claim that He did. So, they petitioned that guards be posted at the tomb to make sure that no one tampered with the evidence that would disprove any claims that Jesus did as He claimed.

The disciples’ hope that He would, were overshadowed by their doubts. They were thinking like Martha, who, when Jesus told her that her brother, Lazarus, would rise again, said, “I know that he will raise again in the resurrection on the last day.” (John 11:24)

Every Pharisees in Judea believed in the resurrection on the last day. If you recall, when the apostle Paul was brought before the Sanhedrin for preaching the gospel, he argued, “I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees, and I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead.” The Pharisees began arguing with the Sadducees, who felt that there was no resurrection. It became such a heated debate that the Roman commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered troops to secure him, which they did by force and escorted him into the barracks (Acts 23:1-11).

Jesus challenged Martha to believe in more than what everyone else believed. He told her, “I am the life; he who believe in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” What a question to ask a woman whose brother lay in a tomb. But she was a believer, and she confessed, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

Martha left Jesus to find her sister, Mary, and she came to Jesus expressing the same lament. If only Jesus had been there earlier, her brother would not have died. Jesus asked where Lazarus had been laid. When they told Him to come and see, Jesus wept. When He arrived, Jesus insisted that the stone be removed over their protests. And He calmed their fears by saying, “Did I not say that if you believed that you would see the glory of God?” Then He commanded Lazarus to come out, and, amazingly, he did.

It was a different Mary, Mary of Magdalene, who came with the news that Jesus’ tomb was empty. From the moment that the stone was rolled away by the angel of the Lord, revealing that Jesus was victorious over death, that He was the resurrection and the life, the news has been received with a variety of responses.

The disciples felt like the women were speaking nonsense when they first reported that the tomb was empty. They spoke of an angel, who asked them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” And who had told them to take the news that He was risen to His disciples.” But the disciples weren’t so sure about what they heard. Peter and John, followed by at least Mary, and probably some others, ran to the tomb to see for themselves.

And they found it just as the women had said, empty. The burial wrappings were folded and placed where Jesus’ body had lain. But there was No Jesus, No angels, No guards. So, they returned to their hideout. Yes, they were amazed, but they didn’t know what to make of it. Had someone come and taken His body? Had He risen? They just didn’t know what to believe.

Mary stayed behind, remaining at the tomb, so upset that she wept. Her sorrow was interrupted by a question, “Why are you weeping?” She’s no dummy. She had seen how the disciples had reacted. She must have been overcome by grief, on the verge of having a mental breakdown, someone must have taken Jesus’ body, and she had no idea where it was taken.

She turned away from the men inside the tomb and saw another person, and he asked why she was weeping. Perhaps he was the caretaker. He might know where the body was taken, so she asked if he had done something with the body, if so, she would go and retrieve it. It was then that Jesus called her by name, “Mary.” It was then that she recognized Him. The other women would arrive, and they too would see Him. They returned with Mary to the disciples, repeating the news that He was Risen. But the disciples did not respond by saying “He has risen, Indeed.”

With each appearance, Jesus brought light into the darkness, joy to those grieving, and freedom from slavery to sin to the world. But there is still the matter of belief, of responding to the news. Was He really alive? Or was this some trick of the mind, some deep longing of those grieving, or some hoax?

The disciples sheltered in place, but as the day drew on, some left. Two of them were on the road to Emmaus when a stranger joined them. They talked about the events of that day, how Jesus’ tomb was empty, and how some women were saying that they had seen Him risen from the dead. But, the guards were saying that the disciples had come in the middle of the night and stolen the body, but since they were with the disciples, they knew that their story wasn’t true. But they didn’t know what to make of it.

The man reproached these two disciples for not believing what the prophets had foretold. He spoke to them about all that the Scriptures revealed regarding the Messiah and His resurrection. Their hearts burned within them as He revealed to them one truth after another. It all formed a finger print, and that unique impression looked just like Jesus. So, if all the evidence pointed to one thing, no matter how unlikely it seemed, should not reason demand that they accept it? But how could they accept that Jesus had risen before the arrival of the last day?

It was not until they arrived, and were served something to eat, that Jesus revealed Himself to these two. It happened when Jesus began to pray, giving thanks, and as He did, their eyes were opened to the truth that was reclining right before them. And then, He was gone.

They immediately headed back to Jerusalem with the news. And when they arrived, and told their story, it was accepted with the same criticism that placed doubt on the women’s story. The disciples accepted that it was their experience, but not as a convincing proof that Jesus had, in fact, in body, risen from the dead. Maybe it was some sort of a spirit that was appearing here and there.

As they sat, reclining and discussing the matter, behind locked doors, Jesus appeared to them. And they were, at first, frightened. Then they were amazed. Jesus confronted them for doubting, for their hardness of heart, and their fear. Then He invited them to look at His hands and feet. He invited them to touch His flesh and bone. And He asked for some fish, and ate it. He was no spirit. He was Jesus risen from the grave.

John, one of these doubting disciples, would begin a letter to a Church that was starting to have second thoughts about the nature of Jesus’ resurrection, by saying, “What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life … this we proclaim to you …”

Not all of the disciples were present that first Easter evening. Thomas was missing, and the other disciples spent all week trying to convince Him what they had seen, but he received it just as they had received the news from the women. It must have been a humbling experience for them. I hope that they apologized to the women. It wasn’t until the next week, that Jesus appeared to them again, and on that night, Thomas saw and believed.

They followed Jesus’ directions, meeting Him on top of a mountain, where He ascended into heaven before their very eyes. Then, these newly commissioned apostles, with the command to go into all the world, had to wait until the feast of Pentecost to arrive. And on that day, the resurrected and ascended Lord poured out from heaven the Holy Spirit. They were transformed into His winsome witnesses. Boldly going and proclaiming the good news to the ends of the earth.

But that was over 25 years ago. And for some in the now, established church in Corinth, the excitement was gone. They were worn down by the friction of living in a fallen world. In addition to persecution from those outside the church; there were squabbles for power, there were those who justified their doubts based on philosophical arguments, and there was a growing desire to embrace the hope of heaven while still satisfying one’s earthly appetites. Some in the church were even questioning whether Paul had made up the message he proclaimed. In particular, they wondered if the resurrection of Jesus as Paul proclaimed it might have been more of a spiritual event, than an actual, physical, resurrection.

Perhaps you are feeling the same way today. After all these years, you may wonder if the facts could have been changed? Added to, or spiritualized in some way? Could the real Jesus be less than what we have been led to believe? Resurrection of the dead is, after all, the stuff of fairytales and religious hopes, not science. Some have come to say that we might learn some insights about ourselves from the story of the resurrection, but we don’t have to actually believe that it really happened to learn that lesson, do we?

Paul addressed these sorts of concerns, for they are not new ones, in the 15th chapter of his first letter to the believers in Corinth. He asked the question, “What would life be like, if there was no resurrection?” This is the central issue of our faith, is it not? He concluded, “If there is no resurrection, then not even Jesus was raised from the dead.” Which means that there is no reason to proclaim the good news, because there isn’t any good news. It is just a bunch of nonsense. And if Jesus did not rise from the grave, then there is no forgiveness of our sins, no being set free from our slavery to it; and those who died while hoping to be raised by Jesus’ promise have perished. They are no more.

Paul also said that if Jesus didn’t rise, then they were fools, for they had missed their chance to enjoy the pleasures of this life. And this life would be all there is for us to experience. If anything, they should be pitied.

But the worst thing is, that, in sharing the “good news” they had actually been spreading lies about God. They had been saying that He so loved the world that He had sent His only begotten Son, and that whoever believed in Him would have eternal life. And that wasn’t true if Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead.

Paul then puts an end to this false line of thinking, because the truth is that Jesus had risen from the dead. He had encountered the risen Lord Himself. The result was that his life had changed from persecutor to a proclaimer. From a doubter to a believer. And he had met with the apostles and heard their eye witness accounts, and He had faithfully passed along the truth of their encounter with the risen Lord. They had seen Him and Handled Him.

And so had a lot of other people, 500 of them at one time, and some of them were still alive when Paul wrote this letter. He was challenging them to go and talk with some of these eye witnesses if they doubted his own experience.

We can’t go and talk to them, but we can talk to people who have experienced the same change. The Holy Spirit was then, and still is today, at work in the world. It is what helps us through trials and tribulations. It is what prompts us, gifts us, and bears its fruit in our lives. It is what strengthens us for every situation. It is what empowers us. And we can share our story to those wanting to know if Jesus has really risen.

The good news, as Paul had preached in Corinth, is what saved them, and it is what saves us today. And like them, we experience a changed life. We know what we were, and we know what we would be, if we had not been united with Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. It really has given us new lives, better lives.

Paul reminds us in this letter to the Corinthians that there is always a person who is first to do something. And Jesus was the first one to be resurrected with a body that was prepared for eternity, just as Adam was the first one to die.

And just as we follow Adam into death, we will also follow Jesus in rising from the dead. It is so, and that is why we celebrate Easter each and every year.

I had to smile when some of the news sites reported that this year, Easter was being cancelled. I can understand why they would say such a thing. To them Easter is just a cultural event, another holiday. For them Easter is about people buying and being seen in new clothes. It is about giving children baskets of candy, and holding Easter egg hunts, and going out to brunch. It’s about family gatherings, and church services. And little, if any of that sort of thing is going to happen this year. So, in their minds Easter has been cancelled, for the most part.

But for us who believe, there is no way to cancel our celebration Jesus’ resurrection. It simply can’t be done. Our buildings may be empty. Our beliefs may be questioned and attacked. But our changed lives proclaim that Jesus is risen. The love we share, the sacrifices we make, the forgiveness that we extend, the help we offer to the least of these, all proclaim that Jesus is risen from the dead; and one day, we will be among those who follow in His footsteps, rising from the grave to meet Him in the air.

He has risen!

I didn’t hear you, but I hope that you responded by proclaiming your faith, “He has risen, Indeed.”

We have selected a song for you to listen to while you consider how you will respond to the news that the tomb was found empty because Jesus has risen from the dead.

Prayer: May our resurrected Lord lead us heavenward. Amen.The Resurrection