What we are remembering this morning is the central, defining event of the Christian faith. Today all over the world, Christians are gathering together, in cathedrals and in rented storefronts, in remote villages and in crowded cities, in thousands of different languages, all celebrating and bearing witness to the world that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is risen! That simple statement of faith is the key distinction between Christianity and every other religion or philosophy known to man.
It sets us apart. It defines us. Buddha didn't rise from the dead. Confucius is still in the grave. Aristotle and Socrates and Plato all sleep the sleep of death. The Roman Caesars and Egyptian pharaohs are still in their tombs. Every other man or woman in history who claimed to have discovered the meaning of life, who claimed to know the way to God and eternal life -- every one of them died, and is still dead. But Jesus Christ lives.
This fact not only makes Christianity unique. It also makes it good news. But to call the gospel of Jesus Christ "good news" is a great understatement. It's not just "good" news. It's great news. It's fantastic news. It's unbelievable news. It’s wonderful, amazing, incredible news! In a few moments, I'm going to talk about why the resurrection is such great news, why it's more to us than just an interesting historical event. But first, I'm going to talk about a different day. Not today, Resurrection Sunday, but the day before, Holy Saturday. The day between the death of Christ on Good Friday and the discovery of the empty tomb on Easter Sunday. Because the good news of Christ's resurrection life can only be fully appreciated when we consider the bad news of his death.
Consider how the disciples must have felt as the sun came up on that cold, gray Saturday morning. On the day before, they had witnessed the brutal execution of their leader, Jesus. They watched him suffer as his life slowly drained away. And keep in mind that His wasn't a calm, peaceful passing. Nor was it a noble, heroic death. It was the agonizing, shameful, humiliating death of a condemned criminal, nailed to a wooden cross between two murderers. The disciples listened helplessly as Jesus took his final, tortured breaths; they winced as the Roman soldier thrust his sword into Jesus' side to make sure he was dead; they witnessed his bloody, lifeless corpse being pulled down and dragged away to be placed in the tomb.
How must they have felt on that Saturday? Grief-stricken. Heartbroken. Shocked. Traumatized. As any of us would be to see someone we love treated this way. But most of all, terribly confused and frightened. Only a few days before, on Palm Sunday, they walked proudly at Jesus' side as he rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, surrounded by adoring crowds. Crowds shouting, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
They were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, the one who would deliver his people.
He was going to re-establish Israel as an independent nation, he was going to give them, his disciples, positions of honor and authority in his new kingdom. But then everything came crashing down around them. Jesus was arrested, and brought before Pilate, and the crowds suddenly changed their tune. "Crucify Him!" they shouted, "Crucify Him! We have no king but Caesar!". And now this. A dead teacher. A lifeless savior. Not a triumphant king, sitting on a throne, but a decaying corpse, laying in a tomb.
"How could it end this way?", they must have thought. Everything Jesus taught had seemed so right, so true. Was it all a lie? If so, then how could they have been so mistaken, so deceived? How could they have ever thought that this uneducated carpenter was right, and all of the religious authorities were wrong? What fools they had been! But then again -- didn't Jesus perform miracles? -- heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, cast out demons? Could a man who did those things really be a liar and a fraud?
Or could they have been following a madman, a lunatic who thought he was God's Son, but who was really just an ordinary, deluded man. Was that it? Or was he just tragically misguided? A sincere man who got carried away, who started to believe the things that people were saying about him, and who didn't realize where it was all leading until it was too late? Their heads were spinning. Who was Jesus, anyway? They thought they knew him, but now their whole world had been turned upside down, and they weren't sure of anything. They couldn't reconcile what had just happened with what they thought they knew about Jesus. Surely, the Son of God couldn't die, could he? The Creator couldn't be destroyed by his own creation, could he?
Try to imagine how confused and distraught they must have felt. Now, let me ask you a question: haven’t you felt this way? Haven't there been times when you thought you understood what was involved in following Christ – you thought you knew what was supposed to happen – you had hopes, plans, expectations. And then something came out of left field and knocked you right off your feet. You never saw it coming. And not only that, you never imagined that it could come.
"What's going on!" your mind and heart cried out. "This isn't supposed to happen! This isn't supposed to be part of the Christian life! Something is terribly wrong. I thought I knew who Jesus was, but the Jesus I was following would never allow this." Have you ever felt that way? If so, you're in good company. Because those are exactly the kind of thoughts that were going through the minds of the disciples on that Saturday morning. It seemed that God had abandoned them. It seemed that everything they believed had been a lie. And they didn't know what to do, or where to turn.
Consider also what this meant to the disciples from a spiritual point of view. By all appearances, it meant that the Pharisees had been right all along. It meant that when the Pharisees attacked Jesus, and warned people not to listen to him, and when they cast out of the synagogue anyone who admitted to being one of his followers, they were actually doing God's work! It meant that the disciples, in following Jesus, had been rebelling against God!
And that was the worst possible news. Because it meant that the God of the Pharisees was the true God. And the God of the Pharisees wasn't a God of love. The God of the Pharisees was a severe, unforgiving taskmaster who accepted nothing less than perfect obedience to every single one of his laws. And although the Pharisees self-righteously claimed to keep those laws, the disciples knew it was impossible. They understood that no one could ever satisfy such a God.
And so with Jesus dead, they saw no hope of salvation. If Jesus was wrong, as it appeared on that Saturday that he was, then the God that Jesus was teaching about, the God of love and forgiveness, the God who welcomed all who came to Him in faith and repentance, that God was just a fiction. And the real God was the God of the Pharisees, a God of wrath and judgment, a God who demands, and condemns and punishes. Can you imagine how the disciples must have felt, as they thought about the implications of Christ's death? They must have been overwhelmed with despair and hopelessness, as in their minds they heard the doors of heaven clang shut forever.
But then something happened that changed everything, for them and for us. And rather than try to summarize it, I'm going to read Luke's account, because these Scriptures are more powerful than anything I could say about them. In Luke’s gospel, chapter twenty-four, verses 1-8, we read this:
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
And later, after Jesus appeared to two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we read this, in verses 33-44:
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Hallelujah! Jesus was not, after all, a madman, or a con man, or a fool. He was, and is, the risen Lord, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. And the God he revealed to us, the God of love, and grace, and mercy, the God who welcomes all who come to him through faith in Christ -- that God is real. The gates of heaven are not closed to us; they are open wide. And Jesus is standing at the threshold, inviting us in. What a relief! What a joy! What a hope! What a Savior!
And so, when you or I encounter something in our Christian journey that doesn't seem to make sense, that contradicts what we were expecting, something that throws us for a loop and leaves us questioning our beliefs, we need to remember that things are not always what they seem. Let me repeat that: things are not always what they seem. And so we need to walk by faith, and not sight. We need to remember that just as death was not the end of the story for Christ or for his disciples, so also our trials and our suffering are not the whole story for us. There is a meaning and a purpose in everything God allows into our life. We may not be able to see it, just as the disciples couldn't understand what was happening when they witnessed the death of their Lord. In fact, we may never understand completely in this life. But in God’s time, it will be revealed to us. And we will realize, just as they did, that God knew exactly what he was doing, all the time. And we will rejoice. Amen?
Now in the time we have remaining, I'd like us to think more deeply about why the resurrection is such great news for the Christian. First of all, it means that Death is not the end. The grave is not our final destination. By dying and then rising again, Jesus Christ has vanquished death once and for all, both for himself and for all who trust in him, so that death no longer has the final word. For those who follow Christ, the door of the tomb is a doorway to eternal life. Let’s look at some Scriptures:
"So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." -- 2 Timothy 1:8-10
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him." -- Romans 6:8-9
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." -- 1 Cor. 15:55-57
Because of what Christ did, we are immortal. Let me say that again: We. Are. Immortal. Do you understand that? Do you believe that? Through faith in Christ, we possess what mankind has been searching for since the dawn of time -- the fountain of youth, the secret of everlasting life. We have found it! We will never die. We cannot be killed. We are going to live forever. Our lives have a beginning, but will never have an ending. We are immortal. As the hymn, Amazing Grace, puts it, “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.”
And this knowledge, that death is not the end, gives us courage. We can stand firm in our faith; we can do the right thing no matter what the cost; we can suffer any loss or hardship without regret. Why? Because the worst possible thing that can happen to us, death, has been rendered powerless. It no longer has the ability to do us any permanent harm. Listen to the words of Christ:
"'I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.'" -- Luke 12:4
The resurrection gives us courage, because we know that no one can take from us the thing that we treasure most -- our life. Disease, old age, a tragic accident, may kill the body. But because of the resurrection, we know that our life doesn't end at death. And so we don't have to be afraid.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ also shows us that things are often very different from how they appear. Not everything that looks like a loss, or a failure, or a defeat really is one. Remember that during the time Jesus was in the grave, it seemed that the forces of evil had won. They had destroyed the Son of God! Death was victorious! And yet, as Jesus told his disciples on the road to Emmaus,
"'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." -- Luke 24:25-27
The death of Christ, the most terrible crime in human history, was a part of God's plan. It was foretold in the Old Testament. In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, he says this:
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” – Acts 2:22-24
Yes. The crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ was a part of “God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge”. It wasn’t a tragic accident. It wasn’t a failure. It wasn’t a sign of God’s inability to protect his Son from murderous and evil men. It was a part of his plan.
Did the disciples understand all this on that Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter? No. Not at all. How did they react when the women told them about seeing the angels at the tomb, angels who gave them the good news that Jesus had risen from the dead? Luke 24:11 reads, "But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense". That a person who had died could live again seemed like nonsense. It wasn't until Christ appeared to them himself, that they finally understood.
I mention this because often we don't understand what God is doing, either. Even though the Scriptures tell us to expect trials and difficulties, when they come we often don't recognize them as coming from the hand of God. We don't see them as a part of God's plan. Likewise, the prophecies of Jesus' death and resurrection were in the Old Testament for the disciples to read. Jesus even told them what was going to happen. But they were still surprised when Jesus was crucified, and then surprised again when he rose from the dead. And we too are often surprised when God does exactly what he says He will do.
Does the Bible warn us that we will experience suffering in this world? Yes, of course. But when it comes, we react as if something has gone terribly wrong. We can't reconcile our picture of God with what is happening in our lives. And so it seems that God has abandoned us, as if He is no longer in control. But that isn't true. Even when things seem darkest, when it seems that God is far away, when it seems that evil is winning, God is still sovereign, and God is still at work. He is at work in your life. He is at work in this church.
And God is at work in the world. He is working right now, just as he has been since the beginning of time, to accomplish his good, and loving, and wise purposes, even when it seems that he is nowhere to be found. He hasn't been defeated. He hasn't abandoned us. He is there right beside you, just as he's always been.
This Jesus Christ, the Son of God who rose from the dead, is worthy of all our devotion, all of our obedience, all of our love. Because if it is really true, as it is, that Jesus rose from the dead, that he broke the power of sin and Satan, that he opened the gates of heaven so that all who trust in him can have eternal life, then he is worth giving our lives to. He is worth loving with all of our heart, and soul, and mind and strength. And if we will do that, then the results of his work in our lives will be eternally glorious.
One last point, and then we’ll close. What the resurrection of Jesus Christ demonstrates is that God has the power to redeem even the most seemingly hopeless situation. What could be more final, more hopeless, than a corpse in a tomb? And yet Christ lives. What that shows us is that no one is irredeemable; no person is beyond God’s power to save. No sin is beyond God’s power to forgive. No relationship is broken beyond repair. Is there someone whom you have been tempted to give up on? Is there a relationship, a situation, a mistake that it seems nothing can redeem? Perhaps this morning, you feel that you’re in a dark place, alone, with no way out. Someplace like a tomb. Don’t give up. Keep trusting, keep asking, keep praying, keep hoping. Because Jesus knows the way out of the tomb. And he can lead you out as well, if you will follow him. Will you do that today? Will you put your trust and hope in his resurrection power and see what God can do? Let’s pray.
