“You Do Believe in the Resurrection, Don’t You?”
May 4, 2003
The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel
Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Lessons: Acts 3:12-19; I John 3:1-7; St. Luke 24:36b-48
Pastor Ben Witherington, currently professor of New Testament at the Methodist seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, was once preaching on Easter Sunday, in a little chapel outside of Durham, England. He was just entering the church, when a man raced up to him, in something of a panic. The man said, “I have something I must ask you.” Pastor Ben said, “Yes, go ahead.” The man asked, with a grave expression on his face, “You do believe in the resurrection, don’t you?” “Yes,” Pastor Ben replied, “or else I wouldn’t be here this morning—nor would this church.” And you could see the relief on the man’s face. “I am ever so pleased,” the man said, “for you see, the last chap to preach here on Easter didn’t.”
Now, most of us, hearing a story like that, would be shocked, and find it hard to believe that a minister might come presuming to preach on Easter Sunday, not believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What in the world would one preach, on Easter, if he or she didn’t believe that Jesus who was crucified, has been raised—that Jesus, who was dead and buried, is alive again? Well, what people like Episcopal Bishop Shelby Spong, and scholars in the Jesus seminar, would have us preach is that Jesus lives on, not literally, bodily resurrected, but in our hearts, and in the collective memory of the Church. There are indeed, preachers and scholars who do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ—and tragically, because of that, there are people in the Church who have been led astray—led into the false belief that because a physical, bodily resurrection after death is hard to comprehend, rationally and with human reason, it’s okay to be a Christian, and believe that Jesus wasn’t raised from death…it’s okay not to believe in the physical, literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Well, what I want you to hear today, is that it’s NOT okay, not to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You can’t be a Christian, if you don’t believe that Jesus, who was crucified, who died a real, physical death, was also raised, physically, bodily, raised. And it’s not me who wants you to hear that—it’s Jesus himself who’s making that clear to us, and to all who will listen!
It’s been said that if there was a title to this fourth resurrection appearance of Jesus, the appearance recounted in our Gospel lesson for today, it would be, “I told you so!” Because that’s what Jesus is saying, to his unbelieving disciples then, and to all his unbelieving disciples now. Jesus stood among them, and said, “Peace, be with you.” And the disciples were startled and terrified, because they thought he was a ghost. They assumed he was a ghost, because they didn’t believe he had been raised. Already, they had heard this good news—but still, they couldn’t believe it. So, when Jesus appeared, what could he be, but a ghost, a spirit returned from the dead—to haunt them? And Jesus, seeing this through their fear and shock, speaks to them, to make it clear, without a doubt, that he is not a ghost, not some abstract apparition, but truly, a resurrected Savior. He says, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet—see that it is I, myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And St. Luke tells us, while they were, in their joy, still disbelieving and wondering, Jesus did the one thing that a ghost or an apparition could not do: He asked for something to eat, he was given a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. And then Jesus said, “See, I told you so. No, really, remember, I told you so…these are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled…that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day.” This is Jesus’ clear, unequivocal message to his disciples, then and now, that this is the truth of the matter: that everything written about Him in the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms, point to this fact…that the Messiah, the Christ was to suffer and die, and to rise from the dead on the third day. The Scriptures proclaim this, and if one will simply read Holy Scripture, this is what it says: that Jesus died, and was raised—He died a physical, literal death, and He was physically, bodily raised. His did not appear to the disciples as a ghost, nor did he simply live on in the memory of his disciples. He was raised from death—his disciples could see and touch his pierced hands and feet and side; they could feel his flesh and bones, he ate a piece of fish! All of which is aimed at convincing his first disciples, and us, of this: that Jesus is risen! That Jesus, who was dead and buried, is now alive, to live forever. And anything less, is worthless. Anything less, has no power. Because the power comes not from Jesus’ death; the value comes not from how we are able to keep Jesus’ memory alive in our hearts—the power and the worth, comes from Jesus’ victory over death—that Jesus’ resurrection means we too can be resurrected, so that death will not be the end of us, so that even on our darkest, most difficult, most terrifying, most frightening days—we have the hope and promise of life; eternal life, that gives meaning and purpose to daily living, no matter how dark and dismal. And that only comes, from a true resurrection. Anything less is false hope, and a broken promise. Which is why Jesus wants so desperately for his disciples to see and believe. Which is why Jesus tries so hard to get his disciples to understand the Scriptures—that all of Scripture points to one thing—his atoning death and literal resurrection—for us and for our salvation. And given the situation in the world, and in the Church today, we need Jesus to continue to point to that, and to convince us of that. We need Jesus to go to those who would doubt and resist believing in the resurrection. We need Jesus to say, again, to all of us—“See, I told you so! I am not dead, but alive. I am not a ghost or an apparition or a faded memory—I am an incarnate, flesh and blood, living person.” And if you still have trouble believing that—then come today, this morning, and touch him and see. For he offers to us, today, as he offered to his first disciples, then, his own body saying, “Touch me and see—for a ghost does not have flesh and blood—and a dead Lord, could not be present with you today.” But indeed, Christ is risen. Indeed, Jesus is with us. Indeed, we believe, that on the third day, He was raised from death, as the Scriptures proclaim. And we are, indeed, witnesses of these things. Let us, witness, to the truth of these things—that Jesus, who was dead, is now alive.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.