Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B

The Resurrection Jesus Is Not A Myth!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, April 21, 2024

The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead actually happened. Although, the so-called modern minds, scholars in university lounges, and many millennials and Gen Z would want you to believe that it is a nice little story, a legend, a myth like many other myths of the dying and rising gods 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 as C. S. Lewis— a man who dedicated a great deal of his academic time studying mythical literatures keenly observed, those who think the Resurrection story is a myth haven’t read many myths. Myths or legends or fairytale are beautifully crafted and composed stories meant to convey moral lessons. 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 teach and explain universal truths about realities, which is why they always begin with phrases like, “once upon a time, in a 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. In the West, a good example of modern myths are the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Star Wars etc. 

But what we are dealing with in Christianity is not a myth. The Resurrection of Jesus from death is not one more addition to ancient mythical stories. It actually happened. Consider these words of St. Peter, the first Pope of the Catholic Church: “Leaders of the people and elders: if we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed.”

Are those words a mythic language? Is that account a mythic one? Not at all! It is the account of someone who witnessed an event that occurred. As I said earlier, mythic stories often begin with “once upon a time in a place far far away.” But that’s not what Peter is narrating here. He is talking about an event that happened, an event that people who came into the Temple also witnessed. Peter is preaching to astonished leaders and elders of the people that the crippled man was healed in the name of Jesus the Nazorean whom they betrayed and crucified, and whom God has raised from the dead. Peter is speaking with the boldness of someone who has witnessed an event, and he is not speaking for himself alone but also for John and other disciples. If you noticed, he used the pronoun “we” as he talked about the event. He was not talking about a “once upon a time” story that happened in a distant unknown land. Truth be told, a “once upon a time” story can communicate important truths. But they are often told in a detached and placid manner. But what we hear in all the Resurrection accounts in the chapters of the New Testament is not an abstract, unperturbed and detached reflection of spiritual truths. Myths can be invented and composed in the privacy of your home or in a community center or in an academic department by anybody. Peter and the first disciples of Jesus did not talk in mythical language. Something profoundly transformational happened to them that they were ready and willing to go to every part of the world in order to tell their story: that Jesus of Nazorean who was crucified is Risen. As such, he alone is the Lord, not Caesar. 

If you believe that the Crucified One, Jesus of Nazareth is Risen, what does his Resurrection from the dead imply? One, it shows us that Jesus is who he said he was. Some say he 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 public ministry, he spoke and acted in the very person of the God of Israel. And that is why he compels us to make a choice. Speaking about the obligation to love our parents, Jesus says that unless you love me more than your father and mother and more than your very life, you are not worthy of me. I tell you, no other spiritual teacher or leader ever spoke like that. Unless you are the highest good, Summum Bonum, you cannot utter such. More to it, attending to a paralytic who was brought before him in Capernaum, Jesus says, “Child, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). Right away, the scribes got really upset and rightly questioned, “Who can forgive sin except God?” After predicting the destruction of the Temple, the great tribulation and signs of the end-time, Jesus adds, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35).” Who can really say that except the Eternal Word of God?

Jesus is Lord and King. All through the letters of St. Paul, he announces over and over again, “Yesous Kyrios” “Jesus is Lord;” Yesous Christos” “Jesus is the Messiah.” Who was lord in that world? Caesar! The watchword of the era was “Caesar is lord, Caesar is king.” He is the one to whom all allegiance is due. But for St. Paul and the early Christians, the true Lord and King is Jesus of Nazareth, the one Caesar put to death. What enabled them to risk their freedom and lives to believe and announce such? Because of the stubborn fact of the Resurrection. So, stop messing around with these earthly corrupt kings and wanna be kings. Don’t give your life, your heart and mind to them. Theirs is over! The true Lord, the real King is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the one to whom final allegiance is due. He is the one to whom we should give our hearts, our minds, our bodies, our energies, our souls to. And the great good news is that he does not manipulate us. He does not repress, oppress, and suppress us. In fact, he wants us to be truly free. He is the true Lord and on him, the Father, God, has set his seal. In and through Jesus, God is offering us friendship. You don’t mess around with friendship. You don’t turn it into something abstract; you don’t compromise with it. You simply enter into it fully. 

Veni Sancte Spiritus!