“Resurrection Matters” (Matthew 28:1-10) - Easter Sunday Message -

Resurrection Survey

According to Lifeway Research in 2019, two-thirds of American adults (66%) say they believe the biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate. Even among those who don’t attend the church, almost half (48%) agree Jesus’ bodily resurrection actually happened.[1] But the sad news is that although many believe Jesus actually rose from the dead, this belief would have so little impact on their life. They would say, and perhaps some of you in this room may wonder, “I know Christ rose from the dead. So what? It happened 2,000 years ago. Does it really matter to me? Is it relevant to my life today?” The answer is “YES.”

The Transformed Life

So why does Jesus’ resurrection matter? We can start with his disciples’ life – particularly their changed life. There would be many evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, but the greatest and the most convincing evidence of all is the transformation of his disciples. The four gospels tell us about how each disciple saw the risen Christ at different times and how they were changed. Peter was one of many. He denied Christ three times. He even cursed and swore on oath, saying, “I do not know the man!” When Jesus is dead, he joins the others in the upper room, hiding for fear of the Jews. But when we turn over few more pages in the Bible, in the Book of Acts, we find Peter is a new man. We watch him preaching so boldly, so powerfully in front of three thousand people. We see him defying the Sanhedrin he was so afraid of just a few weeks earlier, and suffering so willingly for Jesus’ name. So we cannot but ask, “What happened to him? What has made the difference?” The answer is the resurrection of Christ. It was the resurrection that transformed Peter’s fear into courage, his despair into hope, his sadness into joy.

Jesus’ resurrection matters to you and me, because not only the disciples at Jesus’ time, but also still today, people are transformed by his resurrection power. For me personally, one of the most moving experiences during the Holy Land pilgrimage this year happened at the Garden Tomb of Jerusalem. Visiting the tomb where Jesus lay itself was moving. But the most moving part was to listen to the story of a guide at the Garden Tomb. He told us the Bible story of Jesus’ resurrection and explained all the historical background of the tomb. At the end, he said something like this: “Friends, I am physically blind (visually impaired), but spiritually I see everything so clearly now.” Then, he shared his personal story with us. Because of his visual impairment, he was so angry, so wandering, so searching for the meaning of life. But then, by God’s grace he believed in the good news of Jesus. Especially the resurrection of Jesus became real to him. He began to sense the presence of the risen Christ even in his life. He became a new person – the person with a new sense of direction, purpose, meaning of life. I just could tell joy permeated his mind, face, and soul. This is his story. This is our story: “I was once lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.” Jesus’ resurrection matters, because we are transformed by it.

The Resurrection of the Dead

Secondly, Jesus’ resurrection matters because it assures our future resurrection. Because Jesus died and rose again, we will be raised like Him. 1 Corinthians 15:20 says, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The Israelites firmly believed that when the Messiah comes, the dead will rise. If you go to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, you will see the side of the Mount of Olives is covered in tombs – about 150,000 people buried. Jews are buried with their feet toward the Temple Mount, so that when the Messiah returns the dead will stand, facing the Holy City, awaiting the Day of the Lord.

I invite you to imagine the Day of the Lord. What does it look like? In fact, Artist Stanley Spencer had this experience of revelation. He lived in the small English village of Cookham and attended a small Methodist church. There was a small cemetery in his churchyard. He passed through it numerous times, perhaps several times a week. One day as he was passing through this churchyard, Spencer had a sudden spiritual awakening experience. He perceived the great resurrection of the dead in his humble churchyard. He wrote his experience this way:

“Quite suddenly I became aware that everything was full of special meaning, and this made everything holy. The instinct of Moses to take his shoes off when he saw the burning bush was very similar to my feelings. I saw many burning bushes in Cookham. I observed the sacred quality in the most unexpected quarters.”

This past week I visited Hodgdon and Houlton cemeteries. There I imagined the day of resurrection at Houlton and Hodgdon. I invite you to imagine that day. We will see Jesus in the center, but also, we will see our loved ones – our families and friends, and ourselves. When we believe in the resurrection of Jesus, our local churchyard – the place where you stand today – becomes a holy ground, a new Garden of Eden.

Here and Now

The resurrection of Jesus matters, because it shapes, it deeply impacts our life in the here and now. Fredrick Buechner rightly said, “Resurrection means the worst thing is never the last thing.” Today we hear the concerning news about the war in Ukraine saying, “Be worried. Be very worried. Ukraine war will bring global catastrophe.” Yes, the war in Ukraine is a real threat. I believe we as Christians should be at the forefront of defending justice and promoting reconciliation. But I will not ultimately live my life in fear of it. Why? Because the resurrection of Jesus proclaims the truth that Jesus will have the final word, and that war and terrorism will not ultimately have the final word. The continuing threat of COVID-19 is very real. I believe we should stay vigilant and find ways to overcome this vicious virus. But I will not live in fear of it, because I do believe that COVID-19, cancer, and any fatal diseases will not have the final word. This is our Christian hope firmly grounded on the resurrection of Jesus:

“________ will not have the final word; 

Jesus will have the final word.”

 

Because of the Resurrection, we can face the problems of our time with hope and courage.

 

The Best Is Yet to Come

In a word, Christ’s resurrection and ours teach us that the best is yet to come. Once I read about a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and was given three months to live. So she contacted her pastor and planed her funeral together – which songs she wanted to have sung, what Scriptures should be read, etc. But before the pastor left, shed said, “One more thing. This is important. I want to be buried a fork in my right hand.” The pastor didn’t know what to say. So she explained. “In all my years going to church functions, whenever food was involved, my favorite part was when whoever was cleaning dishes of the main course would lean over and say, You can keep your fork… It was my favorite part because I knew that it meant something great was coming… So I just want people to see me there in my casket with a fork in my hand, and I want them to wonder, What’s with the fork? Then I want you to tell them, Something better is coming. Keep your fork.” And soon after, she died. At the funeral, the pastor explained that this woman wanted them to know that for her, for anyone who dies in Christ – this is not a day of defeat. It is a day of celebration. The real party is just starting. Something better is coming.[2]

Sisters and brothers in Christ, every time we are tempted to get discouraged, despair, or lose hope, let us run to the empty tomb and believe in the death and resurrection of Christ – not just the “vague assent” – but let us count on it. Let us look up and keep our fork, because the best is yet to come. Amen.

*The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem

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[1] Aaron Earls, “What Do Americans Actually Believe about the Resurrection?” https://research.lifeway.com/2021/03/26/what-do-americans-actually-believe-about-the-resurrection/

[2] John Ortberg, If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat (p. 170). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. 

“Jerusalem: City of Peace” (Luke 19:37-44) - Life of Jesus -

Stuck in the Mud

It was last Sunday afternoon after funeral service that my car got stuck in the mud in the Hodgdon church parking lot. At first, I didn’t think it seriously. I thought I could take care of it for myself. But the harder I tried to get out, the more my car got deeply stuck in the mud. After making several unsuccessful “self-help” attempts, I had to admit that I just can’t do it. I had to ask for help. So one of the church members brought his truck and rescued me out of the mud.

Hosanna! Save Us Now!

In today’s scripture Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem. All of sudden, Jesus sent off two of the disciples to borrow a colt. So far, he always walked. He had just walked the ninety miles all the way from Galilee to Jerusalem. But now, half a mile from the Temple, he asked for a donkey. Why? Jesus was doing this to fulfill the prophet Zechariah’s promise: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey” (9:9). Here Jesus was clearly revealing himself and proclaiming himself as the long-awaited Messiah promised by the prophets.

On the face of it, people seemed to recognize their Messiah. They gave a grand welcome to him as Jesus was making his way to the city of Jerusalem. They threw their coats on the street and praised God out loud, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” The entire city was filled with joy and excitement. But strangely enough, as Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you had recognized this day – the day of God’s coming to you (v. 44), if you had only known what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.” (v. 42)

What’s the Problem?

The whole crowd of disciples believed what they needed a little bit of help here, and a little bit of help there, then, they would be ok. They thought the problems of the world had to do with politics, governments, leaders, laws, and social systems. So they believed that when the Messiah comes with great power and miracles, he would overturn the Roman regime and reform their society. Then, they would be ok. That was their concept of the Messiah.

But in today’s scripture Jesus made it clear that he was not that kind of king. He was saying that the heart of the problem is not social reform (though it’s important). Rather, it’s sin problem. Since Adam and Eve’s rebellion, the image of God in humanity was damaged, and our relationship with God and with others was broken. To transform the world, the image of God in us must be restored, or to put it another way, a heart change is necessary. That can only be done by one person. So now Jesus was heading toward Jerusalem to deal with the sin problem.

In Jerusalem, for thousands of years, the people offered animal sacrifices to cleanse their sins, because that was a covenant between God and Israel, called the Law of Moses. Hebrews 9:22 says, “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” But animal blood was still not a permanent solution. Those animal sacrifices were just a shadow of the real solution. Then, what is God’s real, perfect solution to the sin problem? Jesus Christ our Savior!

Cleansing of the Temple

After entering Jerusalem, Jesus went up to the temple, and he began to cleanse the temple, driving out those who were selling, scattering the coins of the money changers, overturning their tables. This was also a very spiritually symbolic act – the cleansing the sanctuary of the heart, the cleansing of sin. Of course, the Jews were upset and asked, “Who gave you this authority to do all this?” Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19). But they didn’t understand it. But here Jesus was talking about his body as the Temple. In a few days Jesus would destroy sin permanently by shedding his blood. “By one sacrifice he [Jesus] has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb 10:14).

The sacrifice of Jesus is God’s permanent solution to the sin problem. But we have the choice to receive his solution. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because the people did not receive him. Though they welcomed him, paid homage to him, praised him, they missed the boat. All they did was use him to make themselves important.

Then, how can we receive God’s solution, God’s personal visit (v. 44)? The first step is to admit that we are lost, we are helpless. G. K. Chesterton rightly said, “The answer to the question “What is wrong [with the world]?” is, or should be, “I am wrong.”” In other words, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” That’s repentance – turning to Jesus with open arms. That’s how we receive God’s coming to us. That’s how God brings peace to us through Christ Jesus.

My Heart Christ’s Home

Receiving Jesus is a process. Receiving Jesus means to give him control and full access to all the rooms of our heart. That’s a second step. For many, it takes time. It’s a process. During the final week of his life in Jerusalem Jesus spent much time with religious leaders (as well as his disciples) and exposed their hypocrisy (cf. Matt 23) and incongruency. But sadly, they didn’t open up to their Messiah and give him access to their heart. Rather, they took offense at him and tried to kill him. That still happens today.

In his classical story, My Heart Christ’s Home, Robert Munger tells us how he invited Jesus Christ into his heart. He gave Jesus access to the rooms of his hearts – one room at a time – the library, dining room, living room, workroom, rec room, etc., but not the hall closet. In the closet there were some dead things – the things that he did not want anyone to know about, the things left over from the old life. Jesus wanted to open it. Robert was angry and said to himself, “This is too much. I am not going to give Him the key.” He struggled. But he didn’t want to be estranged from Jesus. So he said to Jesus, “I’ll give You the key, but You’ll have to open the closet and clean it out. I haven’t the strength to do it.” Jesus said, “I know. Just authorize me to take care of that closet and I will.” Then, Robert shares what happened next this way:

So with trembling fingers I passed the key to Him. He took it from my hand, walked over to the door, opened it, entered it, took out all the putrefying stuff that was rotting there, and threw it away. Then He cleaned the closet and painted it, fixed it up, doing it all in a moment's time. Oh, what victory and release to have that dead thing out of my life!

For me personally, I am still in the process of opening all the rooms of my heart to Christ. Managing money, a “finance room,” is one of them. Recently, I received a tax return. I had promised to God that I would set aside a certain portion for mission offerings as well as my tithing when I receive income. But I actually received my tax return, I grudged. My other competing needs came to my mind – my retirement investments, children’s education funds, parents and family funds, etc. I struggled. It took a while until I opened up my heart to Jesus and honestly talked to him about it. Then, I was able to let go of my greed for money. I gave Jesus the key for my finance room. And I rejoiced.

Some of you may have noticed that Joyce became a happier person after coming back from the recent conference. She was struggling with certain relationships. She had a hard time to forgive someone who hurt her badly. While she was attending the conference, she opened up her heart and let Jesus come in and take care of it. It was such a painful process, but it was a necessarily healing process. After the conference, she made the first move and made things right with that person, writing a heartfelt letter and asking for forgiveness. Joyce gave Jesus the key for her social/relationship room. And she felt much more freedom.

Journey through Holy Week

In today’s scripture Jesus said to the cheering crowd, “You did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you” (v. 44, NIV). “You didn’t recognize and welcome God’s personal visit” (MSG). Jesus entered Jerusalem two thousand years ago. But, Jesus still comes to us today. Time is now. This is the day that the Lord is doing the great work of salvation among us. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. My prayer is that as we follow the footsteps of Jesus through Holy Week, we may be freed, cleansed, transformed, at peace with God, others, and ourselves. Amen. 

“The Mountains: Life of a Disciple” (Matt 5:1-12) - Life of Jesus -

Jesus and the Mountains

James Ridgeway Sr., a retired United Methodist pastor, who had been to the Holy Land more than one hundred times, tells Jesus’ story through the lens of the mountains[1]:

Following his baptism Jesus was tempted on a mountain. Upon his entrance into Galilee he prayed all night on a mountain and then chose his disciples. He gave his best-known sermon on the mount. He multiplied the loaves and fish on a mountainside. While praying with Peter, James, and John on a mountain, he was transfigured. Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last week of his life from the Mount of Olives. He was then arrested there, taken to Mt. Zion to be tried before the Sanhedrin, and then crucified on Mt. Calvary. After his resurrection Jesus gave the great commission from a mountain, then he ascended to heaven.

Apparently the mountains were important to Jesus.

Disciples and Crowds

Today’s scripture is part of Jesus’ best-known sermon, often called the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7). First, let me ask you this question: “Who do you think the intended audience for the sermon on the mount?”

There were always two different groups of people who were following Jesus: the crowds and the disciples. Matthew introduces Jesus’ sermon on the mount this way:

When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions (vv. 1-2 MSG).

There is no doubt that Jesus climbed a mountain to withdraw from the great crowds, so that he could give more concentrated teaching to his disciples. If you had a chance to read the sermon on the mount, you will soon realize that it is one of the most challenging, radical, counter-cultural sermons in the Bible. So for those conformed to this world and its culture (“the crowds”), this sermon just doesn’t make sense. But as for the disciples, this sermon is like spiritual dynamite, spiritual revolution.

Life of a Disciple

The sermon on the mount is all about what a disciple looks like in everyday life. It covers from ethical standard, religious devotion, attitude to money, human relationships, character to life-style. Basically, it covers every area of our life. The sermon on the mount can be paraphrased in this format: “You are my disciples when you...” For instance,

·       You are my disciples when you are meek and merciful, poor in spirit and pure in heart, mourning and hungry for righteousness, peacemakers and persecuted.  

·       You are my disciples when you are generous with your lives by opening up to others.

·       You are my disciples when you make the first move, make things right with your enemies.

·       You are my disciples when you help someone out quietly and graciously without thinking about how it looks to others.

·       You are my disciples when you actually do what God wills as well as hear it.

Nicodemus’ Question

The question still remains: Is the sermon on the mount practical? Is it attainable? Many say that its ideals are noble but unpractical. They say it is a dream which could never come true. This echoes Nicodemus’ question to Jesus: “How can this be? Rabbi, you are living everything you are saying. You are different from our religion teachers, from me. I want to have what you have.” Jesus says to him, “You must be born again (from above).” Now Nicodemus gets even more confused, saying, “How can anyone re-enter their mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus clarifies this way, saying, “No one can enter the kingdom of God (live a life of a disciple described on the sermon on the mount) unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” Nicodemus still doesn’t get it. So Jesus continues, “Think about the wind! You hear its sound, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus asks, “What do you mean by ‘born of the Spirt’? How does this happen?” Jesus says, “Nicodemus, you are Israel’s teacher. Certainly, you remember the story of Moses and the bronze snake. In the wildness the Israelites did not trust God and kept complaining, saying, ‘There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’ By this, many people were dying as they had been bitten by God-sent poisonous snakes. So Moses prayed for the people. God commended him to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then what happened?” Nicodemus replies, “Anyone bitten by a snake who then looked at the bronze snake lived.” “That’s right, Nicodemus” Jesus says, “It’s faith. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up on the tree – and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and believing, will have new life, new nature, new heart, new affections and wills. That’s how you are born of the Spirit.”

Climbing Mt. Calvary

By faith. By looking up to Jesus, who is lifted up on Mt. Calvary, we are born from above, born of the Spirit. A new birth is necessary to live a life of a disciple. When we are born again first, then the sermon on the mount becomes practical, and all its standards become attainable all right to us, by the power of the Spirit.

So how can we really live out the sermon on the mount? I want to share the following story as an answer to this question. There was a sculptor once, so they say, who sculpted a statue of our Lord. And people came from great distances to see it – Christ in all his strength and tenderness. They would walk all round the statue, trying to grasp its splendor, looking at it now from this angle, now from that. Yet still its grandeur eluded them, until they consulted the sculptor himself. He would invariably reply ‘There’s only one angle from which this statue can be truly seen. You must kneel.’ [2]

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[1] Adam Hamilton, The Way, Expanded Large Print Edition, Abingdon Press, Kindle Edition. Location 834 of 2317.

[2] John Stott, The Incomparable Christ, InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition. Location 4040 of 4606.