Rise from the dead
Notes
Transcript
Rise from the dead
Rise from the dead
Introduction
Today is Easter and we celebrate something spectacular that happened. We have certain times of the year where we have special days set aside to celebrate certain events in history that have a huge impact on us directly. One of those is Easter and one of those is Christmas. We celebrate the entrance of Jesus into the world and we celebrate Christ rising from the dead on Easter. These are almost bookends as to the ministry of Jesus on earth but that is probably oversimplifying it. While there are many aspects of Easter that we celebrate, today I want to focus on resurrection, Jesus specifically rising from the dead.
Foretold
As we read in our text for today, Jesus foretold this but the disciples did not understand. How often have we been told something in advance but not understood until that something occurs. Think about people giving directions with landmarks. If you have not seen the landmark, it might not make sense but when you arrive at that juncture, it makes perfect sense. Jesus specifically told his disciples that he would be arrested, beaten, and crucified, yet on the third day he would rise from the dead.
Many other scriptures in the Old Testament also mention this like Psalm 16:10
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
This was not something unplanned. Just as it was planned that Jesus would be betrayed, beaten and crucified, it was also planned that Jesus would rise from the dead. God’s will and plan are set in motion before the disciples know it and truthfully before anyone knows it. The same goes for our own lives. God has a plan and has set it in motion well before we were ever aware of God. God’s grace is at work in our lives before we have even taken our first breath.
Misunderstood
Yet, it is easy for us to misunderstand the resurrection too. These disciples did not understand at first what this empty grave meant. People did not understand first why Jesus died let alone if he had died why would he rise from the dead. Why would Jesus rise from the dead? What purpose does this fulfill?
In another account, Matthew’s gospel, the Jewish leaders bribe the guards to say the disciples had taken his body to fake a resurrection. In other circles, people don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead. This resurrection is something that is central to our beliefs but can be misunderstood.
Jesus did in fact die. Some people in the past argued that Jesus was God so God could not die so he must have simply been simply asleep or taken out of that physical body or something other than this key belief that Jesus died on the cross. Without the death, there can be no resurrection. Jesus was both fully human and fully divine at the same time, otherwise like some skeptics point out, Jesus would not have truly died if he was only divine. God cannot die as divine but God stepping down out of heaven to become fully human could die.
Jesus being fully divine meant death could not be final. God’s will was fulfilled so then Jesus rose from the dead. With Jesus actually dying and being buried in the tomb, there now was the possibility of resurrection. Without resurrection, we are without hope.
Hope - we will rise from the dead
Our physical bodies may die, but our soul lives on does it not? In the same way, our physical bodies die so that we too may experience resurrection. While the thought may scare us at times, it is a reality that we face. However, with the resurrection of Jesus, we have hope for our own eternal state.
Jesus’ death on the cross paid for the guilt of all of humanity’s sin. In the same way, our own sinful ways need to die on the cross. This is what we do by God’s grace when we are made aware of our sinful state, we repent and place our hope in the work of Jesus Christ, dying on the cross for our sins too. This reconciles us with God, we now can have a restored relationship as intended in the beginning directly with God.
Yet we lack on thing if we stop here. What about eternity? These bodies we have will perish. We cannot live forever in these bodies. Jesus would not live forever in that mortal flesh he took on. Rising from the dead is the proof of the promise extended into eternity. The fact that Christ rose from the dead into that mortal flesh once more (remember the holes in his hands and the piercing in his side), this proves God’s promise to all of humanity that we too can be raised from the dead.
In Jewish culture, this is a subject of debate. In some circles, they do not believe in heaven or hell. In other circles, all simply go to a place of the dead. I do not find much hope in those types of beliefs. If this mortal body and this mortal life is all there is then there is not much hope to be had that is lasting. God may free us for joyful obedience but if we only live so many years here then it is but a brief moment in time that we are here and then gone.
Jesus rose from the dead to show us that these mortal bodies are not the end. Jesus rose in an imperishable body, one that could not be destroyed but was eternal in some ways. Now I don’t know how that works exactly but I am certain Christ proved that when we are raised, we too will have immortal bodies.
We celebrate Easter because of this fact, this central belief. With the resurrection, we have hope in eternity. With the resurrection, we have proof that our hope is based in Jesus’ death and resurrection being sufficient for restoring us and raising us to life eternal with him.
We have all experienced loss of loved ones. In our passage, Mary is weeping not just at the loss of her teacher but because the place of mourning, that mortal body, where she could have tended him was gone. The joy she experienced when she saw Jesus with her must have been incredible. She went from devastating loss to overwhelming joy. I believe the same is true for us in heaven. I believe we all go and will be reunited with loved ones at the great feast at Christ’ table where all are welcome.
Communion
If there is one more item of hope to have, it is also found in Jesus’ extension of this great feast table where we believe the celebration of communion joins us with that table. In communion we believe we not only join in communion with all physically present but we join with all those who have gone before us as well. As we celebrate communion today may be remember the hope we find in Jesus rising from the dead and proof of our own fate rising and joining Jesus in heaven with all the saints and loved ones.