We’ve Received Word

Scripture: Luke 24.1-12; Acts 10.34-43; Romans 6.1-11



There are lots of different beliefs about the afterlife and what happens to us when we die. They cover the gamut of, “There is only nothingness” to “I have a mansion in glory.” These beliefs crop up more frequently than maybe we realize. I heard tell recently of a dead hamster who made the journey into the next life accompanied by food and some of his favorite things.

Our culture today has borrowed and included beliefs from different times and cultures so that we have pieces of Reincarnation and Hindu spirituality; Buddhist enlightenment; a raw materialist/evolutionist resignation; as well as a Christian hopefulness.

In some cultures, like the Plains Indians culture, it customary to speak with the dead. In fact the divide between living and dead is a very permeable and shifting one. A man might have an argument with his wife and not speak to her for days but have an all day chat with his long-dead grandma. We have prohibitions in our culture against trying to speak with the dead. These prohibitions come straight from the Scriptures. I notice the many signs in our popular cultural (tv shows like Medium and Ghost Whisperer) that we are ignoring or wish to ignore these prohibitions.

Its important to note, however, that the Scripture doesn’t say the dead cannot speak or the spiritual world doesn’t exist. Of course, the Bible in fact points to the reality of these things. Rather, God tells us through the Scriptures that we would do well to not get mixed up with mediums and sooth-sayers and voices of the dead. We have no business in their world. We have enough to do here in our world, and we have the only spiritual guide we need in the Holy Spirit.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?” the angels told the frightened women.

Jesus’ resurrection is the declarative statement that we are spiritual creatures living in a spiritual world. It is the antithesis to the raw atheistic and materialist view of our world that has received attention on the NY Times bestseller list and other places. “The God Delusion” is written about, “The End of Faith” is proclaimed. Men like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins say they have no emotional reasons for their strident disbelief. They so there is no evidence for resurrection and God:

“There’s no evidence for such a God,” says Harris in an interview with Newsweek, “and it’s instructive to notice that we’re all atheists with respect to Zeus and the thousands of other dead gods whom now nobody worships.”

But when I look at the stories surrounding the empty tomb, I don’t see the ridiculousness of Greek mythology, instead, I notice how humanly probable it all is. The stories are not contrived. The people act like we would act in the same situation. Lee Strobel points out that women in first-century Jewish culture were not the most credible of witnesses. In fact, in a court of law their testimony would be considered unreliable. So why do the Gospel writers say that women discovered the empty tomb, especially when this fact hurts their case in the view of their audience? Because the Gospel writers wanted to tell the story the way it actually happened.

What about miracle? A dead body coming back to life is called resurrection – not resuscitation mind you, but resurrection – and that is a miracle.

Though there are evidences of God’s supernatural activity all around us, these do not prove that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ happened. Though I would also point out that many people today believe in all kinds of charms, potions, seers, horoscopes, talismans and trust funds, still their existence does not prove or disprove the Resurrection.

There is a healthy skepticism that, indeed, is seeking the truth. And then there is an unhealthy and unwise skepticism. It may start out in service of the truth, but it becomes only self-seeking and arrogant. The person who falls under its sway refuses to believe in God because deep down they just don’t want anyone telling them what to do. They don’t want to admit that there is good and evil and they have to choose a side.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is our advance notice that the Kingdom of God, which is all that is good and true, has come.

As Rick Warren puts it, “history split into A.D. and B.C. because of the Resurrection. And the Resurrection is not only the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is the hope of the world: it says there’s more to this life than just here and now. That doesn’t mean that I do less, it means that this life is a test, it’s a trust and it’s a temporary assignment.”

We’ve received the Word. Will we really believe and act on this news in our daily lives. To live in the light of the Resurrection – that is what Easter means.

To paraphrase Pascal, “I’m betting my life that Jesus Christ was not a liar. When we die, if I’m wrong, I’ve lost nothing and lived a good life. If I’m right, I’ve gained everything. . . .Certainty, Certainty, joy, peace. God of Jesus Christ. My God and your God.”