What would it have been like to be around 2000 years ago when Jesus lived and you got to listen to Him. Nobody had ever taught like this, lived like this and loved the
way He did. So you wanted to become His follower and you left everything. You left home, family, and work. People thought you were crazy, but you didn’t care because you
were convinced that Jesus was the Son of God, and that His little group was going to change the world.
For a while, it was a great adventure. Then one Sunday, you went into Jerusalem and everybody wanted to make Him King. Crowds showed up for Him, but He wouldn’t be that
kind of King, and then things went south really fast. By Friday, what we call Good Friday, this leader you had given up everything to follow was dead. Not just dead, He
was crucified like a common slave, a common criminal. That meant failure and you were in deep, deep despair. On Sunday, you go to the tomb because you had nowhere
else to go. It’s confusing. The tomb is empty and the stone that blocked it—rolled away.
Amazing Easter!
There are no guards any longer, and there’s an angel who says: Jesus is not here, He is still alive. So you go and tell everybody the good news. Now that’s probably
dangerous. Romans might kill you for it. But they killed Jesus and He’s doing great so you don’t worry about it. So the crucified carpenter from Nazareth is Master of the
Universe. Jesus Christ is risen! Amazing!!
Amazing is what we say when something happens that turns the world upside down, but we didn’t see it coming and we don’t know how to quite comprehend it. Amazing is
an expression of shock and wonder and awe.
Two Realities About the Resurrection:
The Resurrection Actually Happened.
This is important because today there’s an idea that is going around about Easter. That Jesus probably existed. He was probably a really good man, maybe a great
teacher, but He was just a man. All ideas at the natural human level. When He died, people missed Him and some people felt like His spirit lingered on, so that turned
into some mythical stories about a resurrection, like folklore stuff, because in the ancient world people were really naïve, some of them actually started believing it and
took it seriously when they shouldn’t have and resurrection should actually be understood as symbolic. Just hope stories.
Understand that for the New Testament writers, the resurrection did not mean that. That is not how they understood it. They were presenting something that actually
happened and a lot rides on this.
In the gospel, there are a lot of eyewitnesses. Here’s one example:
“A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.” Mark 15:21 (NIV)
Mark says there’s a man Simon. Simon was a very common name, so Simon from Cyrene. Then to make it even clearer—he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. Why
would Mark tell us about “the father of Alexander and Rufus”? They weren’t famous or anything. Because they were prob Christians who were still alive when Mark wrote his
gospel. Mark: These guys are still alive, and if you don’t believe me, you can ask them and check it out. This happened and it matters.
The Resurrection Changed Everything.
There was this amazing movement, and then Jesus died and the movement died with Him. That was it. On Saturday there was nothing left of that movement and then
Sunday it was on. Most people don’t understand this. Christianity is very unique among faiths when it comes to this. It’s the only faith that did not gradually develop
over time. One day it did not exist and then the next day it did exist and people were ready to die for it, and in fact, they DID die for it.
“So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him.” Matthew 28:8-9 (NIV)
I love that: Greetings. Pretty casual. Worshiped Him—just a few days earlier, He was a crucified criminal, a failed Messiah. Today, He is Lord of the Universe and they
worship Him. Jesus’ way, the way of servanthood and humility and self-sacrifice and love, wasn’t stopped by a cross. In fact, it turned the cross into the most recognizable
symbol in human history. You don’t have to live in fear. You don’t have to live in defeat. Nations rise and nations fall, civilizations come and go, and the shadow of this one
person still impacts the human race 2000 years later like no other. He changed everything. And that power that resurrected Jesus can be at work in your life.
The Resurrection Is God’s Gift So You Can Be Changed
Jesus had not come to be the King of the land. He came to be the King of our hearts.
He says: I offer you My grace and My love and My forgiveness as a free gift, and I’ll be part of your life every moment that you live and then you can be with Me forever in
all of eternity after you die.
Give Me the steering wheel of your life. Follow Me. I will begin to change you from the inside out. Your life will never be the same. Then that one moment at the end of
your life, not only will you be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, you’ll be celebrating the resurrection of you. Amazing!
Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!…” Mark 16:6a (NIV)
