Christ is risen. Alleluia!
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Many people in this world doubt the facts of the resurrection. To some, it is an article of blasphemy. To others, it is simply a physical impossibility. Many people consider bodily resurrection a flight of fancy, to be dismissed with witches and leprechauns.
Islam says that Jesus was not crucified. The Quran says that Jesus was only a human prophet, born like anyone else, son of Mary and not God. Allah supposedly promised Jesus that he would not die a shameful death, which certainly means that he did not die on the cross. To Muslims, the idea that Jesus would have risen from the dead is blasphemy, because no one rises from the dead.
In the early Church, there were some who said that Jesus was not really a man. He only took on the appearance of humanity to do the job for which he was sent. Because Jesus was not really man, he only appeared to have died on the cross, and therefore it was just an illusion when he appeared to have risen.
In our day, the Jehovah's Witnesses espouse much the same idea. They say that Jesus is a creature, a half-god. The man Jesus died on the Cross, but not the Son of God. What appeared to the disciples was simply an apparition generated by the Holy Spirit so they would believe in God. Of course, they contradict themselves about whether there is a Holy Spirit or not.
Then the rationalists would have you believe that Jesus died, but did not rise. To them, Jesus was just simply a man. A very good man, a wonderful teacher, an example of faith, but only a mortal human being.
But that is not the message the Angel of the Lord speaks to Mary Magdalene. “You seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said.” Jesus Christ, the true Son of God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and true Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, is not dead but is risen. The Word of God declares it, and it is so. The Angel of the Lord proclaims the message to Mary and to the whole world. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, lives, and reigns to all eternity. The Lamb of God who once was slain is raised. He is no longer in the grave, because the grave cannot hold Him. Death sank its teeth into Him, but Life prevailed and death was destroyed. The grave shut the door over His lifeless body, but was rent asunder by the Lord of heaven and earth. “Christ, who once was slain, has burst His three-day prison.”
St. Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.” Without the resurrection, Christ's death is worthless to us. If Jesus had not risen and left the tomb, death and the devil would have won. What good is a Lord and God if He cannot keep Himself alive? Jesus would have been no better than the gods of the ancient world who spent their time warring against one another for supremacy.
But Jesus did, in fact, rise from the dead by the glory of the Father. He was crucified for our transgressions and raised for our justification. He did not remain in the tomb, but burst forth from the grave, opening the graves of the saints and opening to us the way of salvation.
The resurrection of our Lord is more than just an historical what-not, however. It is the very center of our faith. That Jesus Christ rose from the dead is not simply the icing on the Holy Week cake, either. Yes, the work of our salvation was accomplished on Good Friday, and it is finished. However, that is not the end of the story. As the prophets foretold, the Messiah must die and then be raised after three days. The resurrection is the seal upon the sacrifice of Christ that makes it effective for you. Jesus Christ had to rise from the dead and appear in true flesh and blood to proclaim that the work of salvation has been given for you and for me.
What the Angel of the Lord proclaimed to Mary is true: “He is not here, for He has risen.” The Lord is not to be found among the dead, for He has defeated death. Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again. And as the angel commanded Mary, so too are we commanded to go and tell. Share the Good News with those around you. Let the blessing of the resurrection be made evident in you. Receive the life of Christ in His Body and Blood given and shed for you. Be strengthened thereby to be His witnesses of the forgiveness, life, and salvation you have received in His name. And keep returning, not to the empty tomb, but to the full Table of the Lord. The resurrection of the Lord is for you.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Christ is risen. Alleluia!
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