Title: Jesus Is Risen
The process of the public life of Jesus Christ (7)
(Jesus has risen again)
Text/ Mark 16:1-8
1. Introduction
The morning of the resurrection came when Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again. It is an Easter morning full of joy, surprise, and golden glory. In the holy name of Jesus, I pray that the love, grace and power of our Lord who rose from the dead may overflow in all of us.
2. Correlation between Crucifixion and Resurrection
There is no resurrection without the cross. Death on the cross without resurrection is Satan's victory. However, God turned the cross of defeat into the cross of victory through the resurrection event of raising Jesus from the dead. This is the secret and mystery of the crucifixion.
The resurrection event is a wonderful revelation and blessing from God directly showing that the life of Jesus is the truth and that we cannot go to the Father except through Jesus.
3. Then, why is the resurrection of Jesus a blessing?.
Because the resurrection of Jesus is the promise of the living God that guarantees the health, life and happiness of me, my family, and my good friends forever. Everyone in this world will die someday. When a person dies, he is judged by God and either goes to eternal heaven, or is thrown into the eternal fire of hell where maggots do not die.
However, those who believe in the cross and resurrection of Jesus can be resurrected after death, receive eternal life, and live together for eternity in the kingdom of God. Therefore, the resurrected Jesus said to his skeptical disciple Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands, and reach out your hand and put it in my side. And do not be unbelievers, but be believers (John 20:27). And the Apostle Paul also said, “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into his death, which is the Father. Just as Christ was raised from the dead through His glory, so we too may walk in newness of life. If we have been united in imitation of his death, then we will also be united in imitation of his resurrection (Romans 6:3-5).
Easter is a day to reaffirm the <promise of eternal life> between us and God, the Lord of life, and it is a day to renew a contract, so it is a blessing, a festival, and a joy.
4. What is the realistic meaning of the resurrection of Jesus?.
The resurrection of Jesus is a blessing that guarantees the <promise of eternal life> and at the same time has an amazing meaning in this real life we live in.
Resurrection is not only a historical and realistic event in which the dead are brought back to life by the power of God, but also an existential and spiritual event. Resurrection is the transition from an old, rotten, diseased, filthy, dead being to The New Being. The Resurrection is more than an event that will happen one day in the distant future. Resurrection means the power of a new being to create life, out of the world of death, right now, in this real life we live together.
Where there is a transition from the old and the sick to the new, there is the resurrection. Resurrection is an event that takes place over and over again where moments of ordinary reality are transformed into pure eternity. When a person puts off all the dirty sins, disorder, negative thoughts, and hateful life in him, and begins to fear God, live a life of purity and gratitude, the power of resurrection is revealed in that. As such, the resurrection is an event that takes place here and now! Resurrection has no meaning at all if the resurrection event does not occur in real life now. Resurrection is a constant event of God in our lives, in our souls and in history, in nature and in the universe. <Paul Tillich, The New Being, 24p.>
5. Closing Story
Resurrection is God's event that presupposes death on the cross. Without the suffering and death of the cross, there would be no glorious resurrection. The crucifixion of Jesus was a spiritual battle with Satan, a cosmic battle, and a historical battle. The words that Jesus, who was victorious in this battle and resurrected, gave to his disciples are recorded slightly differently in each of the 4 Gospels (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:44-49, John 21: 15-23). When we read these words in the light of the resurrection, we can find the following meaning:
first. Preach the Gospel (The Great Commandment/Matthew 28:18-20).
second. You are the ones who have been given the power of resurrection, that you will receive blessings, new tongues, pick up serpents, and if you drink anything poisonous, you will not be harmed, and you will be healed (Mark 16:17-18).
third. You will be clothed with power from above (Luke 24:49).
Easter is a day to reaffirm the promise of eternal life. Easter is the day my life transforms into a new being. Easter is a blessed day to preach the gospel, to receive the power of resurrection, and to receive power from above. Praise the risen Lord. Hallelujah!.
Weekly <Fountain of the Word>