Jesus Is the Lord, Not Caesar! 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday)

St. Bernard Catholic Church, Cologne, MN

Sunday, April 04, 2021

On Palm Sunday, Jesus enters the holy city of Jerusalem acclaimed by many as the Son of David who has come as the Davidic warrior. And he actually went up to the temple precinct and picked a fight when he overturned the tables of those trading in the House of God. However, as Holy Week unfolded, it is as though all the powers that had opposed him from the time of his birth came out in full force to meet him. He was met by deep-seated hatred, by denial, by betrayal, by violence, by stupidity, by institutional injustice, and by incomparable cruelty. But rather than respond to the violence unleashed on him with more violence, he allowed all the darkness to wash over him. On Good Friday, after taking upon himself the sins of the world, he says, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. On Good Friday, upon the cross, Jesus interrupts  and disrupts the terrible interplay of violence and counter-violence, of vengeance and counter-vengeance which bedevils the human race from the very beginning. After he has accomplished his mission of reconciling us with God and with each other, after he has offered an undeserved divine mercy to the human race, he says, It is finished, and bowing his head, he hands over his Spirit to his Father, our Father. 

Now, what prevents us from saying that Jesus was a failed revolutioner or an inspiring idealist? It is the stubborn fact of the Resurrection. If you wanted to make a case that someone was not the Messiah, it would be his death in the hands of Israel’s enemy. The Messiah was supposed to gather the tribes; he was supposed to lead the nation of Israel in a fight to defeat the enemy of Israel. So, the strongest argument to make that someone was not the Messiah of Israel was that he was crucified by the Romans. In the year 132, Bar Kokhba led the Jews in a revolution against the Roman Empire. At the time, many proclaimed him to be the Messiah. They minted coins and declared it is the year of Bar Kokhba. But the moment he was arrested and put to death by the Romans, no one thinks of him as the Messiah. As for Jesus, the early Christians proclaimed boldly that he is the Messiah. St. Paul called him, “Iesous Christos,” that is, Jesus the Messiah. The first disciples  went to the ends of the world, risked their lives, endured torture and death as they proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah of the Jews because of his Resurrection from dead.

For sometime now, a growing number of contemporary scholars have been trying to explain away the resurrection of Jesus. They claim it is a myth, a legend, a symbol and a sign that prolongs Jesus’ cause. But no first century Christian would have found any of that convincing. Can you imagine, for instance, St. Paul saying, “I am proclaiming an inspiring dead man.” No Christian in Corinth would have taken him seriously. But what St. Paul said over and over again was Anastasis! Anastasis! — Resurrection! Resurrection! That was the first great Christian message. 

Today’s Gospel (John 20:1-9) says that early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary of Magdala went to the tomb. Visiting the tomb that early when most people were still sleeping and when most people would be scared to go there is a demonstration of her love for Jesus and the deep grief she felt over the death of Jesus. Upon getting to the tomb, she discovered that the tomb has been compromised. The stone which covered the tomb has been removed. Out of desperation, she ran to Peter and delivered the sad news: They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him. Peter and John left immediately to the tomb. The Gospel said They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first. Once they got to the tomb, what they did see? Only the burial cloths! The Gospel adds, “he (John) saw and believed.” 

What is it that he believed? You can argue that he believed the sad report of Mary of Magdala which says that they have taken the Lord from the tomb. But the most persuasive and compelling argument is: he believed that Jesus is Risen. Before they saw the empty tomb, they had not yet come to understand the Scripture which says that Jesus will rise from the dead. But after seeing the empty tomb, they believed that the Son of Man, the triumphant Warrior is Risen. Come to think of it, if the body of Jesus was stolen, the thieves won’t wait around to untie the burial clothes and to fold them. If his body was taken away from the tomb by the chief priests, the last thing they would do is to keep the burial clothes in the tomb because doing so would send the signal that he is risen. Don’t forget that they had previously made plans to prevent his disciples from stealing his body and then claiming that he is risen. Jesus’ disciples believed their Master once killed has risen. It is precisely the reason why St. Paul after he had encountered the Risen Christ would say, I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither heights or depths, nor any other power can separate us from the love of God. How does Paul know that? Because we killed God and God returned with forgiving and redeeming love. That is why through all his letters, he would say, “Iesous Kyrios”— Jesus is Lord. The watchword of the era was, “Kaizer kyrios” meaning “Caesar is Lord.” Caesar was one man to whom final allegiance is due. But the message Paul has for the world is, Jesus is the Lord not Caesar. Jesus is the new King of the nations. He is risen to die no more. 

So, the message of Easter is that we have a new King who reigns with love, kindness, compassion and mercy. Believe in Him unreservedly. Follow him wholeheartedly.