Jesus' Resurrection: The Supreme Fact

What does Easter Sunday mean to you? Does it mean a lot or a little? Does the fact that Jesus rose from the dead change very much for you?

THE RESURRECTION IS THE SUPREME FACT OF HISTORY

When I was at school, I read a little booklet called ‘The Evidence for the Resurrection’. It’s by someone called Sir Norman Anderson, who was a lawyer. This is how Anderson starts:

‘Easter is not primarily a comfort, but a challenge. Its message is either THE SUPREME FACT IN HISTORY or else a gigantic hoax…’

A bit further on Anderson continues:

‘Either the resurrection is infinitely more than a beautiful story, or else it is infinitely less. IF IT IS TRUE, THEN IT IS THE SUPREME FACT OF HISTORY; and to fail to adjust one’s life to its implications means irreparable loss.’

For Sir Norman Anderson, Jesus’ resurrection was ‘the supreme fact of history’. It’s a fact that changes everything.

Is that what Easter Sunday means to you?

I think the early disciples would have agreed with Anderson.

About seven weeks after Jesus was crucified, Jesus’ disciples were getting to grips with what has happened. Jesus had been crucified – but he had risen! And he had given his disciples a task. Peter, the leader of the disciples, stood up and addressed the group of disciples. Judas Iscariot was dead. They should find someone to replace him. So Peter says:

‘So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—ONE OF THESE MEN MUST BECOME WITH US A WITNESS TO HIS RESURRECTION’ [Acts 1:21-22].

Peter doesn’t say that one of these men must become with us a witness to Jesus’ miracles, or to his teaching, or even to his crucifixion. Those are all really important. Peter says, ‘one of these men must become with us a witness TO HIS RESURRECTION’. So it seems that Peter had the same view as Sir Norman Anderson. He considered that Jesus’ resurrection was THE SUPREME FACT that they had to witness to.

THE RESURRECTION MEANS THAT EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED

I believe that Christ’s resurrection changes everything for us.

It certainly changed everything for Jesus’ disciples.

Think how Jesus’ disciples were at the time he was crucified. They were wretched, in the pits. They had seen their beloved lord put to death in the cruellest way. But not only that, THEY had utterly failed. One of their number had betrayed Jesus. One had denied him. The remaining ten had abandoned him. THEY WERE NOT STRONG.

Now think how they were a month or two later. They were preaching boldly. They were standing up to the Jewish ruling council. NOW THEY WERE VERY STRONG.

What had changed? Just one thing. Jesus had risen! That knowledge totally changed Jesus’ disciples.

It should totally change us too, if we can get our heads around what it means.

As I was preparing for this talk, I tried thinking of the different ways in which Jesus’ resurrection changes things. I thought of about 10! Of course, we don’t have time for me to talk about 10 things. But I thought I could talk about three.

1. JESUS’ RESURRECTION MEANS OUR RESURRECTION

Jesus said many times that he came so that people may have eternal life. He also said, as he prayed on the night before he was crucified:

‘And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent’ [John 17:3].

Eternal life is tied to us knowing God. When Jesus was crucified, the curtain in the temple was torn in two. Now, the way into the Holy of Holies, into God’s presence, was open. Now, humankind could be in relationship with God.

In seven weeks’ time we’ll come to Pentecost, the time when we remember that God poured out his spirit on the disciples. At that time, Peter preached to a crowd. He told them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.’

The Holy Spirit is evidence of our relationship with God.

In Ephesians, Paul wrote:

‘you … were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance’ [Ephesians 1:13-14].

Because we have the Holy Spirit, we can be sure we have an inheritance. It’s like an engagement ring.

In Romans, Paul wrote:

‘If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies…’ [Romans 8:11].

God raised Jesus. He’ll do the same for us, because he sees his spirit in us. JESUS’ resurrection gives us confidence that WE will have a resurrection.