The Resurrection

Today, Christendom celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. As with any celebration, it's important to examine why we are celebrating. Because otherwise it's just stupid partying.

The story of the Resurrection of Jesus has it's roots in the Gospels. Therein, we read that Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. He then rose from the grave. 

Well, that's abnormal. As a rule, people don't rise from the dead, outside of fantasy stories (Now, some people may claim that the Gospels are merely fantasy stories, but they are not presented as such. They are presented as historical accounts of the ministry of Jesus. So we are presented with the choice of believing them as historical accounts, or as dismissing them as lies. To view them as merely fiction, but having a lesson to be learned is as foolish as viewing propaganda as merely fiction with a lesson to be learned. The Gospels want us to believe what they hold, and the choice is ours to believe or to dismiss. If we dismiss them as lies, our lives don't need to change and we can go about as we were. But if we believe them, we must take action). If we believe the Gospel account to be true, we will probably be asking a question along the lines of "how can one rise from the dead?" As we said earlier, that's not normal. But, if the Gospel accounts are true, it must have happened; so how and why did it happen?

The Gospels present Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah of the Jews, God Incarnate. He came to redeem Israel, and ultimately the whole world, from their sins. How did He do this? By first living a completely sinless life, then exchanging His sinless life for the lives of sinful men, His eternal life for the temporal lives of men. This was God's plan through history, from before time began, to redeem His creatures. It would require a perfect sacrifice to cover the sin of man, and that sin must be covered to allow man to walk with God once again. Only by slaughtering His son before the world could God restore mankind to His presence while maintaining His Holiness.

So God allowed His Son to be killed by men in one of the most humiliating, painful ways ever devised. Crucifixion was used by man to display those who broke the law as an object lesson to all around. And this is how Christ was displayed before the world, before giving up His spirit to death. And thus, our sins were paid for.

Within that context, what is the significance of the Resurrection? If Jesus died for my sins, why would He rise again? That wouldn't nullify His sacrifice for me, would it?

On the contrary, it validates it. If Christ is raised from the dead, it is proof that His life was sinless and that the grave could not hold Him. He suffered death, and separation from the Father, but the Father then glorified Him for His perfect obedience which He imparted to our accounts. The Resurrection serves as the ultimate proof of God's equity in His salvation of man. It shows us that His sacrifice for us was perfect, and covered out sins fully, as opposed to the lesser sacrifices in His law.

The Resurrection also serves to remind us of our future. The life that Jesus was raised to was the eternal life, the life mankind was always meant to live, but fell from. This is the life walking forever with our Creator in the city of His making for our benefit and His pleasure. We will be like Him one day, with no pain or suffering, only joy. I only must accept His sacrifice as my only righteousness and the inheritance of Christ is mine. You must accept Christ's sacrifice as your only righteousness. That's His only requirement. That you not assert that He is a liar with your life, but accept His truth.

And that's why we should be celebrating the Resurrection, not because of cool paintings and springtime and flowers, but because it proclaims God's truth that He paid for our debt with His blood, and it was perfect.

Thank You, Lord God, who made us, let us choose, and then brought us back to You.

Thank You for your love and Your justice. 

Thank You for cultivating history to lead us to a Savior, and telling us of Your plan.

Help us to be bold for You. 

Help us to exude joy, because You have solved our problems eternally.

Help us as we believe, but still have unbelief.

This we pray in our Savior's name.

Amen.