THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE

Todd Postlethwaite, Worship Pastor

Christians are people of the resurrection.

When Peter addressed the crowds on Pentecost, his message was “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are witnesses of it” (Acts 2). Paul went so far as to say that, if Christ has not been raised, the Christian message is worthless (1 Cor 15). In the earliest days of the Church, and for many centuries, Christian worship centered on the resurrection of Christ; eventually the focus would shift to emphasize his death.

Of course, both are vital. In dying, Jesus gathered up in himself all that in humanity was broken, fallen, corrupt. On the cross he made an end of sin itself, the soul disease that has made the human story such a tragedy. He drew every last drop of that deadly venom into his own body and, dying, did away with it. The crucifixion was a long-awaited end: a book was closed, a door shut, a long and dreary day finally put to rest. It’s enough to make one exhale a deep sigh of relief, to weep knowing a terrible ordeal has finally passed.

But the good news of Jesus is so much more than this. It wasn’t merely the end of something bad, but the beginning of something unspeakably good. It set the apostles’ feet to dancing, inflamed their hearts with an unquenchable, unassailable joy. It inspired a cataract of literature, song, love, and service that has never seen an end. It sent the followers of Jesus in a mad rush to the far-flung corners of the earth, desperate to announce their message to everyone and anyone, whatever the cost.

And this was their message: The third day he rose again from the dead. Jesus had not merely died. He rose! He is alive, now and forevermore!

The resurrection was Jesus’ ultimate vindication. It signalled that he is Lord and Messiah. If there was any doubt that Jesus' claims about himself were true, his resurrection put an end to it. Who is this man, that not even death could overcome him? Not merely human but divine. Not merely teacher or prophet but God the Son, the incarnate Word.

It was also a new beginning: the inauguration of a new administration, the dawn of a new and eternal day. This is what the Ascension means. Having risen, the Creed avers, Jesus ascended to heaven and is seated at the right of God the Father almighty. This isn’t simply a way of saying that Jesus floated into the air, up and up and finally out of sight. Rather it refers to his assumption of heavenly authority, as a king ascending to a throne. Jesus had told his disciples: “it is better for you that I go away” (John 16). How can this be? The ascension of Christ does not mark the beginning of his absence, but the universalization of his presence. While on earth, Jesus’ influence was localized to those in his immediate vicinity. Having ascended to heaven, his presence and reign became cosmic – they extend everywhere. There is now nowhere that Jesus is not with us, no circumstances in which the benefits of his beneficent reign do not extend to us. He has ascended to his Father's throne.

Christians are people of the resurrection. We live in the dawn of the glorious new day Christ ushered in. And just as he promised he would rise again, he promises that he will one day return to fully renew the world. On the day he went up to heaven, angels appeared to the disciples saying “Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1) This is an energizing hope. He lives! And because he lives, we too shall live.

This is the gospel: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ is reigning. Christ will come again.