From the Pastor’s Heart OP-ED BY DR. ROBERT KENNEDY
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, and the world still experiences nearly 12,000 deaths per day, it is a joyous thing that we can proclaim the resurrection.
We do not have to end every day with memorials. In fact, in contradistinction to the other messages that are being proclaimed on death and dying, such as the never-dying soul or transmigration of the soul, and other views that give the impression that death is not the total destruction of all that is human, the message of the resurrection states that, that which has been completely taken away in death, will come to life, like Jesus came to life again after he rested in the grave.
Yes, the resurrection has been the most fantastic news to be proclaimed from the day it occurred and continues to be the touchstone of the Christian faith and will be so until the day of consummation. It is the message that has been doubted by many individuals and believed by authentic followers of Christ. Those who believe find it the greatest hope for the human situation in this life of death and destruction.
The proclamation began on the morning of the resurrection. As the record states, an angel came from heaven and rolled the stone away from the tomb, and Jesus came forth from the grave in his own power (Matthew 28:2), as he proclaimed at the graveside of Lazarus, “I am the resurrection and the life, anyone who believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25). “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” (cf. John 5:26). He has “the authority to lay down his life and to take it up again.” (John 10:18)
The Roman soldiers who witnessed the presence of the angel(s) (John 20:12) and the resurrection left the tomb and began to proclaim that “He is risen.” But the priests and other religious leaders who had condemned him to death and sought to secure the tomb against him rising caught wind of the soldiers’ proclamation and invited them in to plot a conspiracy that the disciples had stolen the body.
For the sake of the money, the soldiers recapitulated and went to Pilate with the deception, but Pilate had overheard that Christ had already risen. Though Pilate listened to the soldiers and then the priests who came with their concocted story, he was probably convinced that the resurrection must have been true. (Matthew 28)
The priest could not stop the proclamation, for there were many who had been raised as the earth quaked at the moment of Christ’s death and were going throughout the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming the message. (Matthew 27:51-53)
As a side note, it is said that those who were raised then were raised to immortality, never to die again like Lazarus and others who were raised during the time of Jesus’ ministry. After walking the streets of Jerusalem, they ascended with Jesus when he returned to heaven.
As the Scripture says, “Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (Ephesians 4:8). These ascended ones along with Christ are referenced by the apostle Paul as “the first fruits,” of death, making it clear that resurrected life is possible to all humanity.
The proclamation of the resurrection was also carried by Mary and the other women who went to visit the tomb on resurrection morning. They saw the empty tomb and the angels who informed them that the one they sought “is risen.” The women then took the message and proclaimed it to the disciples who were sorrowing in the Upper Room, the place where they had celebrated the Last Supper.
Peter and John left the rest of the disciples, ran to the tomb and returned to proclaim the message to those who had stayed back what they had seen. While they were discussing the story of the empty tomb, Jesus appeared to them. Without citing the Bible references, we can find at least 13 times that Jesus appeared to the disciples and others.
He appeared to Mary Magdalene. He appeared to the women returning from the tomb. He appeared to Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus. He appeared to the disciples, in whole or in part, at least on five occasions. He appeared to 500 people at one time. He appeared to James at the end of his post-resurrection forty days stay on earth. He appeared to the apostle Paul in a vision on the road to Damascus. After they saw him, they all began to proclaim the resurrection.
The early Christian church formed at Pentecost (Acts 2) proclaimed that it was founded on the one fundamental teaching- that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day. The proclamation became the heart of the Pentecostal message – the central theme of New Testament preaching and teaching. And it has been at the heart of the Christian proclamation through the ages. Many efforts have been made to corrupt and remove this proclamation from the center of the Christian message, but as the apostle Paul states, if there is no resurrection, “we are to be pitied” and “our faith is vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)
So while I am not able to reach everyone with my encouragement, I urge all that if you want to bring meaning into your life, peace to your soul, hope to your heart, and power into your practices, you need to take with utter seriousness the biblical teaching on the resurrection. Believe it. Proclaim it. Teach it. Live it. Let your neighbors know about it because this is the only accurate answer to death and the true comfort to all humanity.
