He is Risen Indeed

^{1Corinthians 15:17-22}

¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. ¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. ²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

In John 20 Mary Magdalene informs the disciples that someone has taken Jesus' body. Peter and John run to the tomb. What was going through their minds as they made their way through the city streets to the tomb? I love the painting (at right) by Burnand. We see worry, hope and urgency on the faces of these two, faithful disciples. The gospel says that they entered the tomb, saw the burial clothes lying there, and believed. Their belief was confirmed later that evening when they saw Jesus. Jesus had risen from the dead! Those who teach writing say that every writer gets one exclamation point to use in their life. What better way to use it than that last sentence? If it is true, it is the single, most profound truth of all human history. If it is not true, then as Paul says in the passage above, we only have hope for this life. But the empty tomb and the appearances to over 500 people over a course of 40 days confirm that it is true.

Jesus is the firstfruits of all who believe in him. What does that mean? It means that his resurrection made possible our resurrection. We do indeed have more to hope for than just this life. As I have said before, there is more to life than this life. For those who believe in Christ, death is not an end, it is a means to another end, a world without end.

I don't know how it is for you, but I know that once in a while, probably too frequently, I have that worried look John reveals in Burnand's painting. Sometimes we have to stop what we're doing. We have to look up. In the gospel passage I referred to before (John 20) it says that when the disciples finally saw Jesus, they were "overjoyed." That's what joy is about. Joy looks up. Joy knows there is more to life than this life. Joy is never circumstantial. Psalm 46:10 says: "Be still and know that I am God…" If we can force ourselves to stop what we're doing once in a while and look up, we might just see something. We might just see heaven. If that doesn't fill you with joy, nothing will.