There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.… Mt 28:2
NEW JERSEY — An innocent man put to death… religious leaders desperately wanting to stay in power… disciples hiding behind locked doors… and finally, an empty tomb. A cover-up plan was set in place.
The Romans guards were instructed to spread stories that the body of Jesus had been stolen. Bribes were paid left and right to spread the fake news. But the truth was just too powerful to contain. The made-up stories collapsed under the pressure of what truly happened. Jesus rose from the dead, just as he said he would. The dead came back to life. The grave has been defeated. Death no longer has the final say.
In the next 40 days, Jesus was seen and heard by many. Eleven post-resurrection appearances testified to him being truly alive. 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 on 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 before their very eyes.
The resurrection account has been preserved for us to tell and re-tell. And that has not been easy. In a world that is getting more and more dense and hardened, what does it really mean? For believers who are barely making it through life, what is truly the good news of the resurrection?
I can say for one that the resurrection account reminds us that in Christ, we are both divine and human. We are divine because in Christ, we have the supernatural capacity to endure, to be resilient, to be forgiving of our enemies, to go through shame and abandonment; and to commend our spirits to God when we breathe our last.
But in Christ, we also come face to face with our humanity — our isolation; our fears to drink the cup of suffering in its purest form; our feelings of abandonment when we are in the midst of our own crucifixion; and our need to be able to embrace finality, and say, “It is finished.”
The resurrection teaches us that we need to be divine and human at the same time to celebrate the fullness of our being. And that only by doing so can we truly honor our need for God; and understand that we, too, need to carry our cross towards our own crucifixion and resurrection.
We can only imagine how it all went for Jesus as he neared Golgotha. So how does it feel to be in that moment when you are almost at the end of the finish line? You see it. You sense the excitement of it. You hear the cheer. You know you’re going to make it. But every inch of your body is in excruciating pain. Every muscle has stiffened; and everything in you is trying so hard to breathe.
I remember my first (and only!) 21-kilometer run from Dumaguete to Zamboanguita in Negros Oriental. It was grueling, especially as I neared the finish line. A friend who was coaching me warned that when you are nearing the end, it is all about the mind. Your body becomes locked up in a certain rhythm of its own. It will just push and push itself to the end. But your mind needs to find a place of joy, of purpose, and of meaning, so that when you do get to the finish line, you will realize that it was not just all about finishing it. That it was all about the process of getting there — and the transformation that came to you each time you moved forward.
The resurrection of Jesus taught me, and continues to teach me, the power of process. I realized that finish lines are awesome, but it is the run itself that is truly transforming in the end. It is what will make sense. It is what defines. It is what will count when the victory party is over; and when every person in the cheering crowd goes back home.
As Jesus neared his finish line, he was looking back — appreciating, celebrating, and yes, even weeping for all that had brought him forward — leaving home to pursue kingdom work; the awkward feeling of being different even as a child; the humility of going to places that were hostile and unwelcoming; the pressure of crossing cultural lines and challenging theological dogmas; the pain of being accused that you are of the devil; the overwhelming effort of identifying with every human drama while knowing deep within you that you have every heavenly power and authority to be great and be first; and yes, the priceless, liberating feeling of knowing you had done your task well; you have forgiven your enemies; and that you can face God with the clearest of conscience.
And so, our resurrection journey continues. We take courage. We go up the hill. We run, if we still can. But just like Jesus, we learn to run already celebrating. We run somehow with a smile. We run with a grateful and a sober heart. We run humbly, yet joyfully and with much dignity, knowing that even before we do reach the finish line, we are already winners because of Him who already made it through.
O, Jesus you are alive! You will always be! A blessed Resurrection Sunday to us all.
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Author’s email: [email protected]
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