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.
[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.
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