Resurrection, Then and Now by Revd. Trevor Jamison

29/04/2011 by idavidsonblog.

Resurrection, Then and Now

Meeting with others to plan a one day event at Brentwood URC, New Life, New Hope: Stories of Jesus, Risen from the Dead, I was struck by how many stories we have from His followers reflecting their conviction that despite being crucified and killed Jesus was now alive.  Some disciples discovered an empty tomb and one then met Him in the cemetery garden.  Two disciples met Him on a journey to the village of Emmaus and rushed back to tell the others in Jerusalem only to be informed that He had appeared to Simon Peter (I hope they weren’t too disappointed to find that their big news was not news to the others).  Then we are told of Jesus meeting disciples in a locked room, something that Thomas found hard to believe until he too met the risen Jesus and declared his faith in Him.

That’s only what we hear in the Gospels (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20).  The Apostle Paul, writing a letter to the Church in Corinth, decades before the Gospels were written, mentions the appearances to Simon Peter and to the Twelve (presumably minus Judas Iscariot) and also one to James, the brother of Jesus.  He includes mention of an appearance to five hundred disciples, commenting that many of them are still alive to confirm the experience and last, but by no means least, speaks of his own spectacular encounter with the risen Jesus whilst on the road to Damascus (1 Corinthians: 15).  For those with faith to see and for those seeking evidence to lead them to faith there is plenty of information available to say that Jesus, who was dead on Good Friday, was very much alive on Easter Day.

The other thing I noticed was that Jesus’ resurrection was not just some astounding but isolated event; it affected people.  Firstly, the resurrection removed fear.  Disciples who had been in hiding following Jesus’ death now felt able to come out into the open and talk to others about what God had done for them through Jesus.  For Churches living in difficult times it is good to know not only that the most frequent command in the Bible is “do not be afraid” but that even death, whether for individuals or Churches, is not the final word as far as God is concerned.

Secondly, the resurrection experience changed people’s outlook and lifestyle.  Paul is the most quoted example here.  He began as one totally opposed to the new Christian movement, even persecuting it where it appeared within Judaism.  He changed totally as a result of his resurrection experience, becoming one of Christianity’s foremost advocates, not only to Jews but also to Gentiles.  What was true for Paul and others as individuals also worked its way out in their shared life: the Church.  Those who met to hear the apostles teach, share the common life, to break bread and to pray (Acts 2: 42) did so, sharing the conviction that Jesus had been raised to life.

For me, history matters, as a record of the past and as interpretation of its significance.  It matters that God raised Jesus from the dead and that this then changed things for His followers.  This history only becomes significant, however, when we let it affect our lives in the here and now.  Today, we need not be afraid of what the future holds.  Today, we are called to organise our lives in response to Jesus.  Today, we are called to do so in company with others, in Churches that celebrate Jesus, both crucified and raised from the dead.

Trevor

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