If corpses can’t be raised, then Christ wasn’t, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren’t raised, then all you’re doing is wandering about in the dark, lost as ever.
It’s even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they’re in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we’re a pretty sorry lot.
But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries. 1 Corinthians 15: 16-20 (The Message)
Over the centuries, many have attempted to disprove the resurrection of Christ. In the gospel narration of Matthew (28: 11-15),the elders of the law and chief priests even resorted to bribery. They instructed the Roman guards to fabricate a story that the disciples stole the body of the Lord from the tomb while they were sleeping
In modern times, many other theories disproving the resurrection have emerged. They range from the highly-scientific to the most amusing and absurd.
One theory argues that Jesus was not really dead but was just unconscious when he was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
Another theory argues that the disciples who apparently saw Jesus after his death may have just been hallucinating because of extreme psychological and emotional trauma.
The most amusing theory that has emerged so far argues that the women who claimed to have seen the empty tomb of Jesus may have actually gone to the wrong tomb because it was still very dark when they left their homes.
But you see, truth will always be truth. No matter how much you hide it, it will always emerge even without anyone defending it.
Jesus was buried in the tomb, dead; but after three days, he walked out of it, alive.
In the next 40 days, he appeared to Mary Magdalene; to two travelers on the road to Emmaus; to Peter in Jerusalem; to 10 disciples in the Upper Room; to seven disciples fishing by the Sea of Galilee; to 11 disciples on the mountain in Galilee; to more than 500 men later; to his brother James; and finally, to a number of his disciples in Mount Olives just before he ascended to heaven right before their very eyes.
Today after over 2,000 years, Christianity — the faith that was birthed out of the lives of those who believed and continue to believe in the resurrected Christ — has never changed. The Christian faith stands true to its confession “…Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day …” (1 Corinthians 15: 3-4)
It’s amazing how this simple yet profound truth about the death and resurrection of Jesus has forever changed the course of human history.
This declaration has truly become the very cornerstone of a faith that has shaped the destiny of nations and kingdoms throughout the generations.
But what is more amazing is how the reality of Christ continues to transform and impact lives in ways that are up close and personal.
You see, in the end, truth is more than just doctrines and dogma. Truth is how we experience the living presence of Jesus especially in our most trying and difficult moments.
I once received a late phone call from a young woman, a very promising doctor based in Manila. She was hospitalized because of a condition that affected her nervous system. As a result, her entire body was in excruciating pain. She could not move her arms and legs, and her speech was beginning to slur. During a very painful episode, she insisted that her sister call for someone who could pray for her over the phone. I could hear her agreeing with me in prayer, saying, “Yes, Lord, heal me.” “Jesus, have mercy.” I was moved to tears by her sincerity, and act of humility.
It dawned on me again how powerless and helpless we all can be when the day of testing comes.
She felt a great deal of relief in her body after we prayed. She was able to move her arms slowly. Although her complete healing was not immediate, I was assured in my heart that God was in full control. She did what she had to do. She reached out and touched Jesus, and healing came her way — that’s truth!
When you have nowhere to go and nowhere to run, and believe in your heart that things are going to get better in the Lord — that’s truth!
When your resources have been depleted, and when you are face to face with lack and scarcity, and you believe in your heart that God will provide — that’s truth!
When you have given up on a broken marriage, or have become desperate for a wayward son or daughter, and you hold on to God who has the power to make all things new — that’s truth!
When your most trusted friends betray you, and people close to your heart walk away in times of hardship, and you rise up in faith and believe that God is and will always be with you — that’s truth!
You cannot shake a triumphant spirit. A triumphant heart will always find a reason to see God’s presence even in the most difficult times.
Human as we all are, it takes great strength for the spirit of triumph to rise in our hearts, especially when we are face to face with defeat!
And defeat comes in many forms. It has many names. Defeat can be called cancer. It can be called family problem. It can come in a form of a marriage falling apart, a son deep in drugs, a huge bank loan or credit card debt, unemployment, a failed business venture, or even a broken heart.
However, it comes to us in whatever form it chooses to make an appearance in our lives, the Lord empowers us to always rise in faith, and let the triumph of Jesus take over.
Four days after the triumphant entry of Jesus in Jerusalem on the night of the Passover, the Jewish supreme court conspired with the Roman government to have Jesus arrested in the garden of Gethsemane for blasphemy. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. In a matter of hours, Jesus was brutally tortured.
The following day, a mock trial was conducted by the Roman government. Under strong pressure from influential Jewish religious leaders, Jesus was executed via crucifixion for the crime of treason, for allegedly stirring rebellion among the Jewish by claiming to be King.
Looking back now, we know that the reason for Jesus’ death was not political but prophetic. His death was not about defeat, but a fulfillment of a glorious destiny — a destiny that will not end with the cross, but with a crown, not in shame but in supernatural splendor.
He voluntarily laid down his life to fulfill God’s requirement for the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins.
But according to the glorious purposes of God, the dead body of Jesus rose from the dead three days later. The disciples never truly believed it would happen, but it did, just as Jesus said, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” (Mark 9:31)
Today, in the midst of great uncertainly, we continue to hold on to our most precious faith. Through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, who is the gift of the Father to us, we are assured that death is never our final and ultimate end.
As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, may we find it in our hearts to rejoice, and to be truly grateful.
Jesus Christ, the firstfruits of those who have died, has indeed risen, just as he said he would. May the resurrection power of the Lord continue to raise us up today, and birth in us all a hope that is unshakable, a hope so secure, a hope we can pass on to the generations to come, a hope that will continually empower us to love the Lord and serve him to the very end.
Hallelujah! Christ is risen! Jesus is alive!
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