You’d have thought we were past this by now, but no. The resurrection of Jesus is an event that is still making news, frustrating opponents and amazing disciples 2000 years after the fact. It’s like the memo still hasn’t sunk in; ‘guys, haven’t we discussed this already?’ Perhaps it’s worth hearing it from the heavenly messenger’s mouth one more time. So here it is from three of the original angles:
Marks account is the most calmly unfolding, with a relaxed young man as the angel so as not to freak the women out too much. Not that it worked for long:
Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” (Mk 16)
Matthew favours a more theatrical entrance befitting an awesome angel from heaven, whose side-job seemed to be freaking out the soldiers guarding the tomb while he was at it. Note the first word:
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.’ (Mt 28)
Luke joins the ‘suddenly’ party but ups the anti with two angels and a mic-drop one-liner, which has become the classic Easter headline:
Suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ (Lk 24)
Let the academics, sceptics and objectors get lured into debating the details. There is one point upon which there was absolute agreement: JESUS WAS RISEN. It doesn’t matter where the angel was sitting, what he looked like, or how many there were. The fact is an angel definitely appeared, the stone was definitely rolled away, the body was definitely missing, the women were definitely freaked out, and the disciples definitely didn’t believe a word they said. “It seemed to them like an idle tale”.
The glaring reality remains, the startling truth persists, the whole reason this continues to be talked about 2000 years later is that Jesus Christ really rose from the dead. And if the man Jesus rose from the dead, then he was no mere man. He is not just a good teacher with a ‘Catholic ethos’. If Jesus Christ rose from the dead then he is who he said he was; The ‘I Am’ of God, the Son of the Father, born from all ages, light from light, true God from true God, one with the Father. And if that is true, it changes everything - or it should. It has certainly changed everything for millions of people throughout two millennia and counting; the rich and poor, both soldiers and citizens, the highly educated and simple, from nobles to slaves.
What about you?
If Jesus is who he said he was, it means that he made you, he knows who you are, he died for your sins, he is able to forgive you of every moral failure, to fill you with his Spirit, to give you a clean slate, to chart you a new course and he has the authority and power to give you eternal life. That’s no small thing! Not to mention love, joy, peace, patience and other spiritual fruits that come with being a follower of the Way. If all this is true, it’s also worth asking why we’re not falling over ourselves to tell more people about it! Perhaps we still need more convincing ourselves?
THE SWING IN THE STORY
As I read the lead up to the resurrection story in Luke’s gospel, I noticed something interesting. Each paragraph beforehand started with words that are non-confrontational and explanatory; ‘Then the assembly rose… When Pilate heard… Then they all shouted… As they led him away… And the people stood by… One of the criminals… It was now about noon… When the centurion saw… Now there was…’ Then like a rock thrown into the glass to shatter everything before it, the first word of chapter 24 begins with a radical word - ‘BUT’.
“BUT on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.”
As I read this sentence, I felt the Spirit hit me and tell me to back up. There’s enough in this one line to chew on for a week. The Greek word δὲ (‘de’) means “but / on the other hand / however”. In other words, everything leading up to this point looks extremely bleak, we get it - BUT… something is about to change all of that.
“On the first day of the week” – the day people were waking to resume work and carry out their mundane routines of existence. Ever been there? I have. And yet this is the ordinary day God decided to step in with a miracle that altered history.
“At early dawn” – ie while everyone was still asleep, not awake to the action of the Holy Spirit, heavy with slumber and not expecting anything to change. Ever been there? I have.
“They came to the tomb” – the place of death, the place of loss and defeat, the place of acceptance that everything is over. The tomb is a place of inactivity, of a numb and frozen heart. Ever been here? I have.
‘Taking the spices they had prepared” – an expression of love and honour true, yet these also represent the acceptance that the dream was over and all hope was lost. What spices are you preparing in your heart for the thing you have presumed is dead? Have you perhaps presumed too early? I’m sure I have.
Where are you on the first day of the week? What ‘deep sleep’ are you in at early dawn? What tomb, what defeating narrative or situation are you visiting each day or each year, accepting it as done and dusted, impossible to be resurrected to life? What spices of regret and defeat are you preparing in your heart to bring to that lost situation? While we are consumed by these things, one small word enters to break the silence and shatter the dawn…
BUT.
‘But’ is the swivel upon which history of the whole world swings, when all was lost and dark. ‘But’ is the mantra that drove Jesus forward as he laboured under a heavy wooden cross towards his own impending death. ‘But’ is the hammer which breaks the shackles of iron, freeing our hands to be lifted in praise. ‘But’ is the name of Jesus foot that kicked down the doors of Hades and freed hells prisoners among a mighty tumult and uproar. ‘But’ is the triumphant look from Jesus’ eyes that drained the blood from Satan’s face and froze the demons of the underworld mid-celebration. ‘But’ is the word that frees you from your past, erases your sins, dispels your fears, and overpowers your defeats.
We use the word ‘but’ these days as a way of making excuses, ‘but, but, but’. BUT what about its power as a word of contradiction, of reclaiming personal power, of telling a different story, of hope springing up?
Yes, you may be suffering and feel crucified by life. Yes, you may have been gossiped about and didn’t deserve the humiliation that came with that. Yes, you may be struggling under the weight of your own crosses just trying to get through life each day and year. BUT… but in Jesus God is with you every step of the way. In Jesus you have a God who understands and sees all of that. And most of all, in Jesus you have a Saviour who has defeated it all, conquered it with his divine power, and has risen from the grave to share with you with his own divine life, so that in your life those things don’t have the last word either.
I think that’s worth a resounding ‘hallelujah’.