At dawn on a distant Sunday morning, grieving women on their way to visit the grave of Jesus came upon an incredible sight. They found the stone rolled away from the mouth of a deserted tomb. Suddenly, they were confronted by two men in dazzling apparel who asked, “Why do you seek the Living One among the dead? He is not here but is risen” (Luke 24:1-6).
He is not here! These words sum up the hope and glory of the Christian faith (1 Peter 1:3, 21). Christianity centers on a blood-stained cross and an empty tomb! The resurrection lies at the very heart of what we believe, practice and live as followers of Christ.
Unfortunately, some would-be Christians find the doctrine of the resurrection more of an embarrassment than a cause of celebration. The apostle Paul found this to be true in His day. His proclamation of the resurrection was met with jeers (Acts 17:32), with sneers (Acts 26:24), and with angry fears (Acts 23:9). It is still so today! In Britain, the Anglican Church was recently plunged into controversy by the appointment of a Bishop who openly denies the historical truth of Christ’s resurrection. In America, the “Jesus Seminar” has expended a great deal of effort and ingenuity to show that the resurrection could not actually have happened. A seminary professor voiced the doubts of many when he said, “I no longer believe it is possible to take the resurrection myth seriously.”
However, we must take the resurrection seriously if we are to take God and His Word seriously! If Christ was not raised, as Paul insisted, then, preaching is vain, faith is vain, we are of all men most miserable and we are yet in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:15-17)! We must not only believe in the resurrection as a fact of history, but we must make it real in our own lives (Philippians 3:7-11). It is not enough merely to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead 1900 years ago. Our belief must make a difference in our lives! We must proclaim our faith in the resurrection by the way we live!
It is unspeakably tragic that many Christians are carrying on their lives as though Christ were still dead! Their basic attitudes, values and lifestyles are not really different in any substantial way from those of their unbelieving neighbors!
To really live our faith in the resurrection, we must live changed lives. We must no longer conduct ourselves as though this life were all that mattered. Instead, we must learn to see this world against the backdrop of eternity. If we really take the resurrection seriously, it will give us a new standard of values, a new way of judging things and a new sense of proportion! If we truly begin to live the resurrection, we will set giving above getting, serving above ruling and forgiving above avenging. We will learn to look at things, not as they appear to our contemporaries, but as they appear to God!
The resurrection is real! On a faraway Judean morn, two angels really did greet a band of women at the tomb of Jesus with the words, “He is not here but risen…” Do you believe it? More to the point, are you living it?
