by Rev. Alasdair Macleod
The fearful were transformed into fearless followers of Jesus. Those stuck, not knowing where to turn or what to do following Jesus’ death, were transformed into those with a lifelong mission. The sceptics were convinced; the hopeless now filled with hope, joy and peace. There is no denying the impact of Jesus’ resurrection on his people. Many of these early witnesses would die rather than deny that they had met the risen Lord Jesus, spoken with him, touched him and eaten with him.
A world without Jesus’ resurrection is not worth imagining. Death would still have the final word. The final word on Jesus; the final word on us. Writing to those who questioned the resurrection, the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians Chapter 15 explained that if the resurrection didn’t happen, we are left with hopeless despair, v32. Without Jesus’ resurrection, the debts of our sin remain to be paid by us, v17. Without Jesus’ resurrection, there is no safe future for us, v18-19. Thankfully, we don’t have to think of a world without the resurrection. Because Christ is risen, life wins, sin can be forgiven, and our future with Jesus is assured!
He is the prototype, the first fruits, the pioneer of life and all in Christ will follow. In the words of CS Lewis in his book Miracles, ‘He (Jesus) has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different…’ The Good Shepherd has gone ahead, faced and then cleared the danger. Just as he explained in John Chapter 10 v17/18, ‘The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
It falls to us to tell our generation that there is hope and meaning in life, through death and into eternity, all because Christ is risen.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!