The Resurrection of Our Lord: A Verifiable, Historic Fact of Your Life
Grace
and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Christ is risen! He is
risen indeed! Alleluia!
St. Paul certainly
thinks the bodily resurrection of Jesus is important. He includes it as one of
four clauses that summarize the Gospel: “For I delivered to you as of first
importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance
with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the
twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most
of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
Paul is not
exaggerating when he says this is “of first importance.” Christianity hangs on
the truthfulness of Christ’s death and resurrection. If there is any historical
foundation for our Christian faith, it must include the fact that Jesus rose
from the dead. If that is true, then all else we believe as Christians on the
basis of the Scriptures is true, and all that we reject as Christians on the
basis of the Scriptures is false. The difference between truth and error, faith
and unbelief, world and church, heaven and hell, hope and despair, depends on
this central event in history—Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Easter
morning.
One of the questions
our catechumens must answer in their examination prior to their confirmation is
this: “Why is the resurrection of Christ so comforting to us?” The answer? “It
proves: 1) that He is the Son of God; 2) that His doctrine is true; 3) that God
accepted the sacrifice of His Son; and 4) that we, too, will rise.”
If Christ has not risen
from the dead, it means He is not the incarnate Son of God. We cannot trust
what He said or taught. He was not the atoning sacrifice and we are still in
our sins. And it means that we have no hope of our own resurrection.
But the resurrection of
Christ from the dead is true, and so St. Paul repeats the evidence he had
already presented when he first brought the Gospel to the Corinthians. Christ
truly died “in accordance with the Scriptures.” From the Old Testament, Paul
showed that Christ’s death was for our salvation. We think of Isaiah’s
prophecy: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our
iniquities… they made His grave with the wicked and the rich man in His death,
although He had done no violence” (53:5-9).
By adding “that He was
buried” Paul underscores the fact that Christ truly died. According to all four
Gospels, Christ’s burial underlines the reality of His physical death on the
cross. Both the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed testify that He “was
buried.” His corpse had to be disposed of in the usual manner.
But Jesus did not stay
a corpse. “He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” Earlier,
Jesus had told His disciples that He “must” be killed and rise again on the
third day, implying that it was the Father’s holy will for His plan of
salvation laid out in the Old Testament.
In speaking of Christ’s
resurrection, Paul very likely used the same Scripture he used at Pisidian
Antioch: “You will not let Your Holy One see decay” (Psalm 16:10). He might
have quoted Isaiah: “After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of
life” (53:11). As the Lord Himself did, Paul could have cited Jonah’s three
days in the great fish as a prophecy of Christ’s three days in the tomb.
Paul goes on to supply
the supporting evidence: “He appeared” to many witnesses. Old Testament law
stipulated that legal evidence should be corroborated by the testimony of two
or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15). The resurrection of Christ is so
vital a fact for the Christian faith that God supplied an abundance of
witnesses—more than five hundred of them! Anyone in Paul’s day could check out
the story himself, for most of those witnesses were still alive.
The New Testament is
nothing more or less than the inspired testimony of eyewitnesses that Jesus is
God’s Son, our risen Savior and Lord, which the Holy Spirit enables us to “see”
and believe. The Christian faith is not just a transmission of ideas and
teachings. It is historical, built upon events that happened according to God’s
saving will at the appropriate time and place. It involves a relationship with
the historic figure who was at the center of those events—Jesus Christ. That
makes Christianity qualitatively different from all other claims to religious
truth.
For example, Eastern
religions ask the inquirer to enter into the experience of the religion, for by
doing so, one will find the position to be self-validating. Islam is also experiential;
if you just submit and become a Muslim, the religion will all make sense to you.
LDS missionaries will tell you to read the Book of Mormon, and if you get
“burning in your bosom” then you will know it is true. But any approach using
subjective experiences for verification is incapable of being validated, for
who am I to say whether or not you really had an experience. Thus all
non-Christian religious positions suffer from the same flaw: they are
untestable.
Christianity, however,
stands in stark contrast for as the apostle Paul states, “if Christ has not
been raised our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” The Christian faith
is falsifiable in principle, for if the body of Christ was discovered and it
could be verified to be that body, Christianity totally collapses. If Christ
has not risen from the dead, you have no hope. Jesus was a liar or a lunatic,
but not the Lord. He was not the sinless Son of God sent for your salvation.
This is the Good News
of Easter: Christ has died. He was buried. Christ is risen.
He appeared to many witnesses. It is objective truth, and nothing you do
can ever change that. This is very, very Good News.
You live in a world
where the resurrection is devalued. Leading voices will tell you religion is
true if it works for you. If you believe Jesus is risen from the dead, then He
is risen from the dead; if you don’t believe it, then He’s not. This is as
nonsensical as it is popular, and few are foolish enough to apply it to
anything else besides religion. I know of no one who says that the law of
gravity is true only if you believe it. I know of no one who would say Barack
Obama is the president of the United States only if you want him to be. The law
of gravity and fact that Barack Obama is the U.S. president are objective
truths. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is just as much an objective truth;
yet you will often be told today that He is risen—but only if you believe that
He is. What power man claims for himself! He can keep the Lord from rising
simply by saying it never happened.
To all such attempts to
deny the graciousness of God, we simply repeat this joyous confession: “Christ
died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures… He was buried… He was
raised on the third day… and He appeared to [many eyewitnesses].” Despite the
vain arguments of the world, Jesus is still risen from the dead. And risen
again, He continues to voice His Gospel to all nations, that all who abandon
such hopeless reasoning might repent of their sin and believe.
Within liberal wings of
Christendom, you will still find scholars who teach that Jesus didn’t rise from
the dead, but that the disciples added the story to give the Gospels a better
ending. They will speak in the most sincere and persuasive voices. They will
point to their degrees and diplomas, and claim to be much more honest and
enlightened than the evangelists who gave eyewitness accounts. Sadly, they will
lead many people astray, because they tempt their readers to believe they are
smarter than God; such will outsmart themselves right out of eternal life.
To such pontificating,
we respond: “Christ is risen.” Rather than the speculation of man, we have the
Word of the almighty God. We have the eyewitness testimony of those who
followed Jesus, saw Him die on the cross, put in the tomb, and then saw Him
resurrected from the dead. There is more reliable evidence to support the
Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ than there is of any other
historic event from antiquity. It is objective truth that Christ is risen from
the dead, and all the denials cannot keep Him in the grave.
Of course, it’s
relatively easy to defend yourself when accusations come from the outside. You
expect nothing better from the world. However, it’s far more difficult to combat
the arguments from within, when your old sinful nature starts whispering in
your ear. Guilt has a way of doing this. Seeing the radiant holiness of the
angel, the women in our Gospel were alarmed. Even after hearing the angel’s
message, they still ran away from the tomb, trembling and afraid. But remember:
Their fear didn’t change the truth that Jesus was risen from the dead. Risen,
He came to them—forgave their sins, erased their doubts, and calmed their
fears.
So it is with you. At
times, because of your sin, the Law of God will leave you alarmed because it
speaks the truth of sin and its consequences. Confronted with God’s holy
demands, you will see your guilt in stark contrast and you will be tempted to
run away. But you can’t run away from sin and guilt, and apart from God there
is no forgiveness or peace to be found.
Are you burdened by
guilt today? Then hear this Good News: Jesus was crucified, and now He is risen.
Jesus bore your sin and guilt to the cross and destroyed their power there. They
couldn’t keep Him in the grave; they won’t keep you in the grave, either. Do
not run away from the risen, holy Son of God; for in seeking to conceal your
guilt, it will only grow within you. Instead, hear this joyful news: Christ is
risen! The price has been paid for your sin. Confess the sin, for Christ left
it buried in the tomb. You are forgiven and holy before the Lord.
Guilt is not the only
tool of the Old Adam. There is also doubt and fear, a numbing exhaustion
brought about by struggle, tragedy, or illness. There will be times when you
are so beaten and battered that the Lord feels a million miles away, and it
seems He has forgotten you. At such times, remember this objective truth: Christ
is risen. The disciples were despairing that first Easter, but their despair
did not keep Jesus in the grave. Before they even saw Him, they had His Word of
objective truth. Jesus was alive, and He would come to them.
The death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ is a verifiable historic fact. But more importantly
it’s a fact of your life. Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the
third day for the forgiveness of your sins. This is His Word and objective
truth, and it is far more sure than your emotions, no matter how strong they
may be. He is risen, and you are not forsaken. He comes to you in His Word and
in His Supper, bringing you the forgiveness of sins, strengthening and preserving
you unto life everlasting. Your struggles will end; you also will rise again to
live forever.
We must also speak of
grief on this Easter Sunday, for it seeks to rob you of all hope. The Old Adam
uses mourning to accuse God of cruelty, using unanswered questions of “why?” to
charge Him with unfaithfulness. The questions of “why?” cannot be specifically
answered simply because we do not know the answers. But this we do know: Christ
is risen from the grave, and our grief does not keep Him in the tomb. Risen
from the dead, He announces to you this joyful truth and hope: He has conquered
the grave. Death has lost its sting, because Christ is the death of death. He
is firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Because He has died and risen
again, He will raise His people whom you mourn to eternal life.
He is risen. He is
risen indeed. Like the women at the tomb, you have not seen Him, but you have
His Word: He who remained on the cross for you did not remain in the grave. This
is God’s truth, and it cannot be changed. Many reject Him; He is still risen. Many
deny His resurrection, but His tomb is still empty.
This is a world of
grief and fear and doubt, all tools of sin, death, and the devil. But they
cannot keep Jesus in the grave, because He has defeated sin, death, and the
devil. Nothing can change the fact that He is risen. Nothing can reverse His
redemption of you. Nothing can repeal this joyous truth: Christ is risen! He is
risen, indeed! Alleluia!
And because He died and
is risen, you are forgiven for all of your sins.
In the name of the
Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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