040807 0730am Easter Vigil

Easter

The Resurrection of the Body

Luke 24:38–43

Rev. James G. Bollhagen, STM, ThD, pastor, Grace Lutheran Church, Summerville, South Carolina

The Bible quotes Jesus as saying to his disciples after His Resurrection: “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it before them. (Lk 24:38–43)

Year-after-year we hear the story of Christ’s Resurrection. And, year-after-year there comes an onslaught of purported truths disclaiming the possibility of the Resurrection. And year-after-year the specter of fraud arise to raise doubts in the hearts and minds of God’s children. So where are you this Easter? Are you troubled in your soul, or fearing that maybe, just maybe you have believed a lie all these years? The goal this morning is to assure you from God’s Word that there really is

The Resurrection of the Body

OK, So What Is to Become of That Body in the Resurrection?

I.

Some think that Jesus didn’t really die. However, John and the other followers of Jesus recognized that Jesus was dead. Jesus’ enemies recognized that he was dead. His Father in heaven recognized that he was dead, signaling the event with an earthquake. And to make sure he was dead, Jesus was run through with a soldier’s spear. His dead body was removed from the cross, wrapped quickly in burial cloths—because of the lateness of the day, carried to the tomb of a benefactor which was put under the visage of Roman guards and sealed. In short, Jesus was really dead.

The next day following the Sabbath, the women who had seen his death returned to the tomb to finish the burial process of preparing the body with spices and better wrappings. Imagine their confusion when the angel asks them why they are looking for the living among the dead? Their beloved teacher Jesus was certainly not among the dead any longer. Then, to find the rock that had sealed the tomb literally tossed off to the side—spooky! Even spookier is when they find the burial clothes empty and folded in their place as if someone had arose from their resting place and made their bed—clearly not the mark of robbers.

And now, as we get to our text, Jesus suddenly appears to His disciples in a locked room. No wonder those who were then present were startled and thought they had seen a ghost. But Jesus is no ghost. He’s alive! Alive to never die again! Over the next 40 days, Jesus would appear to several of His followers, and at one point He appeared to five hundred at one time (1 Cor 15:6). The point is clear. This was no mass hallucination. Jesus was no longer dead. He is risen, just as he said he would! Thank God! If not, the witness of the Scriptures would be a lie, and we would be guilty of believing a lie. And worst of all, we would all still be in our sins—dead to God—dead to hope. So how after nearly 2000 years can we be sure of what truth is?

A formal training of the scriptures means nothing if the heart is dead to God. Doctrine is nothing if our minds have not been turned in repentance and faith. And my preaching today is useless if Jesus were still dead! So where do we find the assurance that Jesus is alive? Our assurance comes from the indwelling Spirit of the Living God. God’s Spirit makes us actual and literal participants in Christ’s resurrection. What this means for you and me is that the Easter story is not just a story about Jesus, but it is also our story—the fulfillment of which we await until Jesus returns in glory. Until then, we rest in Him who has become our life.

Getting back to our text, the risen Christ suddenly appears in the room with the disciples. But, how did he get in there? The immediate conclusion of the disciples is that they are seeing the ghost of Jesus. In fact, there was a popular belief at that time that the spirit of a departed brother hovered around the tomb for the first three days after burial.

But, Jesus’ response to them says otherwise: “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” Then, to accentuate the point, Jesus, the same flesh-and-bones man that had been with them for three years takes a piece of broiled fish and eats it. Ghosts, you see, don’t eat. Neither can they be touched. Jesus is living flesh, living bones! He is not dead! He’s alive!

II.

So what! Well, to begin with, this means Jesus’ bones are not going to be found in some tomb. If Jesus did not take His physical human body into glory to sit at the right hand of God, then we have good reason to be suspect of the validity of our salvation. You see the required sacrifice according to God’s Law is a perfect human sacrifice. If Jesus’ body was not raised then we have no assurance that God has accepted the sacrifice for sin. But, if in fact Jesus is risen, and He is risen, then we have cause for great joy. We have been released from our sin! The Spirit of the Living God bears witness with our spirit that we are indeed children of God! To God be the Glory!

This is what it means to participate now in Jesus’ Resurrection. God even gave us the visible sign of baptism that He Himself has come to us to release us from sin and to assure us that the gates of heaven will be opened wide for us when we die. But even now while we still live here on Earth we get to participate in the Resurrected life of Jesus. That Life allows us to take each day of our life as it comes, knowing with certainty that death cannot destroy us. It allows us to release the guilt of those who commit sin against us. It allows us to begin to love as Christ has loved us. And unlike any other religion in the world, the bodily Resurrection of Jesus is effective for our salvation now, today!

III.

We have all heard the phrase “God loves you.” It has become more of a catch phrase than one having any real meaning. Consider though, that God’s love is not a feeling or emotion but a living thing that extends to both body and soul. In death, the soul returns to the one who gave it life. The body awaits the more glorious day of the Resurrection of all flesh. Jesus says that all will rise, but not all will be able to enter into His glory. That is reserved only for those who have been marked with the seal of God—the seal of His promised Holy Spirit.

In practical terms, when I visit someone in the hospital, I don’t merely say that the soul is going to be okay. It is the whole life—body and soul—of the ill and disease-ridden person that God touches with life. So even the pain-filled body will be restored free from pain and it will be glorified like Christ’s own body, in the Resurrection.

The apostle Paul testifies to our physical salvation, saying: “We wait eagerly for . . . the redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:23). Here, we confess it as a part of the truth God reveals in us, saying: “I believe in … the resurrection of the body” (Apostles’ Creed). The total picture of our salvation is not all that complicated or hard to understand. It’s not a difficult philosophy or really a philosophy at all. A six-year-old lost both of his grandmothers in the space of a couple of months. The boy’s father was having a hard time explaining to his son what had happened, so the father went to the family’s pastor for advice. The pastor said to the father, “Tell your son that both grandmas’ bodies got tired and worn out, so they went to Jesus to get brand new bodies.” Simply stated, but exactly right!

Is it any wonder then, that St. Paul could write: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, . . . [this] is your spiritual worship” (Rom 12:1). In other words, he is saying, all of you is saved, so let all of you get involved with the things of God. True worship of the heart is done with real arms, legs, hands, and feet. Oh, that’s just what Jesus presents to His disciples, isn’t it. Amen.