Because Of The Resurrection
Rev. Richard Smith – April 8, 2024
| Mark 16:4-7 When Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome got to the tomb, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ” |
The resurrection is the centerpiece of our Christian faith. If there was no resurrection, then most of our treasured beliefs would be untenable. In essence, the truth of the resurrection matters to our faith.
Let me share some insights.
The Resurrection Validates Jesus of Nazareth
For those present at the crucifixion (in particular the political and religious leaders), the case was closed. End of story. End of conversation. Jesus was no more. A misguided Jewish prophet rightly put to death.
But then God raised Jesus from the dead.
It was God’s way of saying to the world and for all of human history, “This is my Son.” It was the resounding message that Jesus was not just some itinerant preacher and teacher; not just another of history’s notable religious leaders; not just a good man put to death. He was and is the Son of God.
Because he’s the Son of God what he said we are to believe and how he lived we are to live. We seek to be faithful because his way and teachings are those of our Lord, God’s Son.
The Resurrection Affirms God’s Love And Grace
Matthew and Luke both record that after Jesus was arrested, “Peter went out and wept bitterly” as the significance of his betrayal sunk into his heart and spirit.
Then there comes a poignant moment in the resurrection account in Mark’s Gospel. The angel tells Mary, “Go and tell his disciples AND PETER” that Jesus is going before them and will meet them in Galilee. Did you get that? Be sure and tell Peter. It is Jesus’ way of making sure that Peter gets the message that he is loved; that he is forgiven; that he is needed. Jesus’ message to Peter and to us is that no matter what we’ve done there is a loving and gracious God eager to give us the forgiveness we need in our lives.
The Resurrection proclaims that our God is a God of second chances; our God is a God of new beginnings; our God is ever eager to offer us (and all his children) grace and forgiveness.
The Resurrection Confirms There Is Life After Death
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see…
In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
This inspiring hymn gained notoriety when her husband, Dr. Ronald Sleeth, dying suddenly of terminal cancer, asked her to have it sung at his funeral. He died in 1985, just 21 days after the diagnosis.
As fate would have it, in 1992 Natalie herself lay dying of cancer. She wrote for her grandchildren a conversation she had with God.
- “I said softly to God, ‘Is my time to come and live with you getting closer?’”
- “And God said, ‘Yes, but don’t be afraid because I will always be with you and I will always take care of you.’”
- “I said to God, ‘But, I will miss my family and my friends, and they will miss me!’”
- “And God said, “Yes, but I will comfort them and turn their tears into joy, and they will remember you with happiness and be glad of your life among them.”
So, Natalie began her journey to heaven; day by day she drew nearer and nearer to God. In the distance, she said, she could see the light and hear the beautiful music and feel happiness that she had never known before. And as she moved toward the gates of heaven and into the house of God, she said her last words: “It’s good! It’s good! It’s good!”
As Jesus was raised from the dead, so we have the wondrous blessing of God’s promise of life beyond death, of eternal life.
The Resurrection Proclaims That God Is In Charge Of History
But then God raised Jesus from the dead. In that act, God was making clear that he was still in charge of history; that this is still his world and that He is deeply involved in it.
Yes, evil will have its day. Yes, evil and injustice and unrighteousness will have their moments in the sun. There will certainly be days and months when we wonder who is winning the battle of history.
But, the resurrection of Jesus says loud and clear that God has the last word. Just when it seemed power-hungry Pontius Pilate had won, God raised Jesus. Just when it seemed the narrow-minded religious voices had won, God raised Jesus. Just when it seemed that reason and compassion and goodness had been trampled underfoot, God raised Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is without a doubt the most clarion statement ever made of who in the end rules history; who in the end wins.
I know this world is a mess. I know our world is full of violence and hatred and hostility and injustice, but I refuse to be cynical. I refuse to be cynical because, again, God is at work; God is involved; God can and will bend history toward his will.
