THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS ACTUALLY HAPPENED: THIS IS WHY I BELIEVE IT. YOU TOO SHOULD!

Sisters and brothers, the Anastasis (Resurrection) of the Lord actually happened. Although the so called elites, the so called modern minds, the so called academic scholars, and unfortunately many of the millennials and Gen Z would want you to believe that it is a nice story, a legend, a myth like many other myths of the dying and rising of gods that is also found in other cultures and religions of the world. They want you to believe it is just one of the ancient stories that may have a moral meaning to it. But according to C. S. Lewis— who dedicated a great deal of his academic time to the study of mythical literature, “Those who say the Gospels are mythic, haven't read many myths.” Myths are traditional stories with symbolic importance. They speak of general truths about the world, about the early history of a people, about some natural or social phenomena that involve supernatural beings or events. Myths use simple stories to explain general truths about realities which is why myths are always said in some kind of indefinite distant time like “once upon a time… in a far distant land…” In some African mythical stories, animals like tortoise, snails, lions, goats, etc are personified and made to behave and appear like human beings. Star Wars is a good example of modern myth and a powerful one because it captures the attention of people all over the world and also taps into this mythic consciousness. 

But what we are dealing with here in Christianity is not a myth. The resurrection of Jesus is not one more addition to ancient stories. Consider these words of St. Peter in  Acts of the Apostles: 

You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem” (Acts 10:36-39).

Those words are not mythic words. The account is not a mythic one. It is the account someone who witnessed an event that occurred. Myths are stories that begin with “once upon a time in a place far far away…” Let me ask a few questions. Has anyone ever wondered who was the political leader when Hercules was around. Has anyone ever wondered who was the Pharaoh of the time when Osiris, Dionysus, Attis etc. rose from the dead. You know what? No one is going to ask such questions because they are  unsuitable questions. But Peter started by narrating what happened in Judea about Jesus of Nazareth. We know Nazareth. We know there is a country of the Jews. We know there is a place called Jerusalem. Check this out! If I start to tell you about someone I met in Memphis some years ago, and how I met him again in Louisiana and now in Minnesota, would you ever think for a second that I was about to tell you a mythic story?  Right there you will conclude that I am about to tell you about something that really occurred and about someone I had actually met. From the Acts of the Apostles I quoted already, St. Peter’s language is much more like that than it is like a mythic language.  

Let’s continue to cite Peter’s oration from the Acts of the Apostles. He said:

 This man (again not some generic myth) God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

In these words, Peter was speaking with authority as someone who witnessed an event. And he was not speaking for himself alone but also for the disciples—the first Christians. He used the pronoun, “we” and talked about “this Jesus,” whom they had seen, whom they ate and drank with after he rose from the dead. He was not talking about some mythical figure. He was not talking about a “once upon a time” story that happened in distant unknown land. If you read a “once upon a time” story or a writing by a spiritual teacher, there is always something tranquil and unperturbed about it. Such a story or writing can obviously communicate an important truth. But it is often told in a detached and placid manner. But if you read any chapter in the New Testament, from Matthew to the book of Revelation, what you will find will not be an abstract, placid and detached reflection on abstract spiritual truths. What you will find in every page is a detailed narration of an event that actually happened. Myths can be invented and composed in the privacy of your home or in a community center or in academic departments by anybody. The disciples of Christ, our ancestors in faith did not talk in mythical language. Something profoundly transformational happened to them that they were ready and wiling to go to every part of the world in order to tell their story: that this Jesus of Nazareth, crucified by the Romans is risen and that he alone is the Lord, not Caesar. 

Here is another point to ponder over. How many missionaries of Hercules are there? The answer is none! How many martyrs for Osiris are there? Again, the answer is none! Why? Because those are mythic figures. No one becomes a missionary or a martyr on behalf of mythic characters. As for Jesus, there were lots of missionaries and martyrs for him, and after more than two thousand years, there are still missionaries and martyrs for him. The first disciples traveled around the world with the sense of urgency, risked their lives, endured torture and death in order to tell their story about Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified by the Romans, nevertheless rose from the dead. Every single of Jesus intimate followers, except John, was martyred. You can actually fly to Rome, and there you will see the grave of the man who said the words I cited in Acts of the Apostles. He is buried in the biggest and most beautiful grave marker in the whole world. It is called St. Peter’s Basilica. St. Peter had a chance to deny the truth of what he saw and to walk away alive. However, rather than deny the truth of what he saw, he was crucified upside down. So, the next time you hear people describe the resurrection as a myth, do not believe it. The explosive and combustible  power of the resurrection message is still felt to this day.

Now, what are the conclusions and implications of the Resurrection of Jesus? Let’s examine three. One, Jesus is who he said he was. Some say that Jesus was a spiritual teacher. Surely, there are spiritual teachings to be derived from his teachings. But Jesus is much more than a spiritual teacher. Throughout his earthly ministry, he spoke and acted in the very person of God. That is why he compels us to make a choice. He said that unless you love me more than your father and mother and more than your very life, you are not worthy of me. No other spiritual teacher or leader ever said such. It is the zenith of arrogance, of course, unless the person is the highest good. Jesus also said, “You have heard it was said to your ancestors, in the Torah… but now I say…” For first century Jews, that’s a heresy and a breathtaking comment. Torah is the highest law that God gave to Moses and no one can claim authority over it unless the author of the Torah itself. Jesus also said, “My son, your sins are forgiven you.” When people heard that they got really upset and questioned, “Who can forgive sin except God.” He also said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Who can really say that except the Eternal Word of God? 

Whenever Jesus made any of those bold claims, some people got fascinated and followed him. Others got puzzled. There were others who hated him and hounded him to death because of it. What did the first witnesses of the resurrection realize? They realized that Jesus is who he said he was. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the ratification of his claim to speak and act in the very person of God. Therefore, if Jesus is not just one spiritual teacher among the many, one philosopher among the many, if Jesus is himself God made flesh, then we have to give our whole life to him. If he is who he said he was, then we have to surrender our whole life to him. 

The second implication of the resurrection is that our sins are forgiven. From all the accounts of the resurrection, the resurrected Christ did two things: first, he shows his wounds, and then says, “Shalom,” which means “Peace.” Why is the showing of the wounds so important? By showing his wounds, Jesus enjoins us not to forget what we did to him. The author of life came, and we killed him. Great message! So, to all those people in our society who brag and say, ‘I am okay, you are okay,’ and ‘Everything is fine with me,’ please, do not believe such the next time you hear someone says it. The wounds of Jesus are the sign of our own spiritual dysfunction. When the risen Lord showed his wounds he is asking us not to forget it. But after showing his wounds, what follows it? Not vengeance! You will expect vengeance in Hollywood movies and as a matter fact, in many myths of the world. If you are watching a Hollywood movie of a poor man who has been betrayed, denied, abandoned by all at the moment of truth and was put to death, and after a few days he rises from the dead, would you not expect that he is going to unleash vengeance on those who betrayed and put him to death? But the Risen Jesus said, “Shalom!” (Peace). The word “Shalom” sums up what God intended for his people from the beginning. What sin has interrupted is “Shalom.” What sin has disrupted is peace— that is well being at every level. To those who had denied, betrayed, and abandoned him, he offers the word of forgiveness and peace. We killed God, and God returned in forgiving and redeeming love. That means there is no sin that God in principle cannot forgive. There is finally nothing that can separate us from the love of God. St. Paul said in his letters to the Romans that I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither heights nor depths or any other power can separate us from the love of God. How does Paul know that? Because he met the risen Jesus who showed his wounds and said “Shalom.”

The third and final conclusion and implication of the resurrection shows who is our King and what our mission ought to be. Remember Pontus Pilate, the Roman governor who wrote a mocking sign over the cross that says, “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews? He put those words in Hebrew and Greek so that no one will miss reading it. It was a mocking expression directed at Jesus. It was meant as a joke and a taunt and as a ridicule to Jesus who claimed to be the king of the Jews. After the resurrection, what is the sense now? Who is the joke now? It is not Jesus but Pilate. When Pilate wrote “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews,” he was unknowingly declaring in fact that Jesus is the King of the Jews and therefore the King of all nations. As such, he became deliciously  and unknowingly the first great evangelist that announced to all the nations and in all the relevant languages that you've got a new King. That was the first message of the first Christian. All through the letters of St. Paul, he would announce over and over again “Yesous Kyrios,” “Yesous Christos” which means— Jesus the Lord, Jesus the Messiah. Who was Lord in that world? The watchword of the era was “Kaizer Kyrios,” (Caesar is lord; Caesar is king). He is the one to whom all allegiance is due. But what is St. Paul saying? Not Kaizer (Caesar), rather someone that Kaizer put to death and who God raised from the dead. Yesous Kyrios! Jesus is the Lord. He is the one now to whom our allegiance is due. 

So, brothers and sisters, stop messing around with Caesar and all his successors today. Stop messing around with all these false kings. Don’t give your life, your heart and your mind to them. Their day is over. The real King as Pilate told us is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the one now to whom we should give our life, our hearts, our minds, our energy, our bodies and souls. He is the One to whom final allegiance is due. He is risen to die no more. So, rejoice because Jesus is Lord. Rejoice because our sins are forgiven. Rejoice because we now know our mission. Rejoice because our King reigns with love, kindness, mercy and compassion.