Easter 2007: Courage to Believe
John 20: 1-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
A preacher used to begin his Easter sermon by asking the congregation a rhetorical question: "Do we really believe that Christ is risen?" At least, the preacher thought his question was rhetorical. But one year a twelve-year old in his congregation spontaneously shouted out his answer, "Yes sir, we do!" No doubt, the boy was not alone. But neither did everyone agree with him.
I stand before you today quite clear that not everyone believes in the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. I know that some folks regard all talk of resurrection as pie in the sky stuff that can be tolerated on Easter because, after all, it's an American tradition, a holiday, something we're supposed to do, and besides it's only one day. I accept as valid the study by George Barna, a Gallup-poll type researcher who specializes in studying churches. Barna reports that among church going, evangelical Christians, 20% of them did not believe that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was (is) real. Can you believe that? Twenty percent! And that's among folks who attend regularly. How much higher is it among folks who attend only at Christmas and Easter?
I trust Barna’s research to be accurate, but I also recognize that every year seems to bring an attack on Christianity and its core beliefs, especially the resurrection. A couple of years ago we had “The Gospel of Judas,” which purported to tell the “real” story of what happened between Jesus and Judas. That this “eyewitness” account was written 300 to 350 years after Jesus and Judas lived, did not seem to deter the faith’s detractors. Last year, of course, we had the Gnostic nonsense of the “DaVinci Code,” which was so full of historical holes that it could have served as a colander. This year’s edition of skepticism is called “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.”
Hollywood producer James Cameron (of Titanic fame) directed the documentary which purports to have found the ossuaries (bone boxes) in which are found Jesus, Mary Magdalene and their family. Evidently, Cameron makes so compelling an argument that one wonders why Israeli archeologists, the best in the world, who have known about the existence of this particular tomb for thirty years, have dismissed any claim that it has anything to do with Jesus of Nazareth. Well, there are some reasons.
- First, Jesus was from Nazareth in Israel’s north not Jerusalem in Israel’s center where the tomb is found. Jesus also had family in Bethlehem, a bit south of Jerusalem, and would most likely have been buried either in Nazareth or Bethlehem but certainly not Jerusalem.
- Second, the names Jesus (Hebrew Yeshua, “God saves”) and Mary (Hebrew Miriam, Moses’ sister) were common names in the first century; indeed, four other tombs have been found with the names Jesus and Mary have been found together on four other tombs, a fact conveniently ignored in the documentary.
- Third, one may wonder how a poor family, for Jesus was but a common laborer, could afford an upscale, ornamental tomb such as the one in the documentary.
- Fourth, the “lost tomb” mentions a brother named Matthew, but we do not know of any Matthew who was in Jesus’ family. There was a Simon in Jesus family (Mark 6), but there is no Simon in the lost tomb.
- Finally, the documentary makes a big deal about the tomb mentioning “James the brother of Jesus.” Jesus did have a brother named James but the ancient historian Eusebius specifically writes about visiting James’ tomb, placing his hand on the slab and reading the inscription. And Eusebius describes the location of James’ tomb as miles from the allegedly lost tomb of Jesus.
It seems as if many folks are willing to doubt the resurrection. Indeed, the book about the documentary soared the #5 on the New York Times best-seller list! It seems as if logic has little to do with whether or not people accept the resurrection as possible, probably or just plain impossible. Again I ask: "Do we really believe that Christ is risen?"
*****
In past years, I have argued for the credibility of the resurrection through logical arguments based on the psychology and sociology of the situation: the disciples did not expect to see Jesus yet he was there; how did the tomb come to be empty given Roman soldiers were guarding the tomb and would have had to give up their life for having failed; if the tomb was empty and Jesus was still dead, where did his body go; if the disciples took Jesus' dead body, why would they die for their faith; what happened to transform a frightened band of friends into a faithful army of courageous followers? In the past, I have traveled these lines of thought, but today I want to travel a different path.
The truth of the matter is this: neither the gospel writers, nor Paul, nor the Church throughout the ages has been able to explain the resurrection beyond a shadow of doubt. Consequently, rather than seek to offer an explanation ill the resurrection, I would like to offer an explanation by the resurrection. That is, rather than try to show how the gospel writers offer to us a convincing explanation of the resurrection, I want to suggest how the resurrection, and only the resurrection, offers a convincing explanation of us. We are explained by the resurrection. The most convincing proof of the resurrection I can offer is what God does through it in your life and in mine.
Clint was an 18 year old in our congregation in San Antonio, a great kid, a talented kid, an artist. I had just come home from Sunday lunch with my family when I received the phone call telling me Clint was dead. He died that Sunday afternoon in a "single vehicle accident" on his way home from church. It was, without a doubt, the worst day of my life. Telling his parents, hearing his mother's anguished cries was, without question, the worst moment of my ministry. How could she ever recover from such personal tragedy?
Ann was a woman in my church in New Jersey who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. A smart, creative, successful business woman, the disease slowly crippled her. She was never rescued from the pain of the disease. In fact, it only grew worse, and she became bed-ridden; her life was filled with pain; it took over her life. What was she to do in the midst of such personal debilitation?
Mary had, at one time in her life, been known around town. She had a reputation as a "sinful woman." What her sin was I'll let you guess. She also had rather severe mental and spiritual disease; she was said to carty seven demons within her, which either literally or symbolically understood is still a huge problem. Simply put: Mary was a mess. But then Mary met a man that looked at her rather than through her, a man who saw the tender inside and not just the robust outside, a man who saw her as a child of God rather than as a play toy for men. Mary met Jesus. And Jesus told Mary all about the kingdom of God's Sovereign love that had the power to change her life from the inside out: no more being misunderstood, no more mess. But now that Jesus was not only dead, but someone had desecrated his grave, taken his body.
As Mary wept that first Easter morning, she could no more guess at what was to come than she could guess that we would one day fly to the moon. Nothing in her experience prepared her for Jesus. Even when he spoke to her, so blinded was she in her grief, she thought Jesus was the gardener. It wasn't until Jesus spoke her name, "Mary," that God's transforming love broke through to her, and she recognized that Jesus was dead no more. The reality of resurrection that transformed Mary's grief into joy is present as God's life power in you and in me.
It is with God's transforming power, the same power made known in resurrection, that Ann's life was turned around. God brought resurrection to Ann, and she lived a life very much alive to God even though she had much pain. She began a prayer ministry from her bedside. She spent her days on the phone, conversing with, consoling and comforting others, praying with and for them. She spent hours in intercessory prayer. If you went to visit her, you always felt as if you were the one visited. You left her home feeling warm and loved; you left her home feeling as if you had been in the presence of God. Ann was never rescued from pain. Instead, God brought resurrection, new life, and she lived that new life as fully as anyone I've ever known.
Clint's funeral was five days later. It was held at the Catholic Church because his mom was Catholic and his dad was Presbyterian but only the Catholic Church was big enough for all the people who were in attendance, including most of the local high school. Miracles happened that day. One of the minor miracles was that two Catholic priests and two Presbyterian ministers were able to share the ministry together that day in all its fullness. Another miracle was the way Clint's girlfriend, Tracy, was able to speak about him. Tracy's had been the first car on the scene after the accident, and she was the last person to speak to him as she held him in her arms.
Perhaps the biggest miracle happened by surprise (isn't that always the way it is with resurrection; it's never expected?) We knew the clergy would set aside our differences for the sake of love and the gospel. We had prepared Tracy to speak about Clint. But the surprise came at the end of the service when, spontaneously, Clint's mom, Sheila, came forward to the microphone so that she could thank everyone for their prayers, loving words and support. But not only did she thank everyone, she bore witness to her belief in the resurrection to eternal life. She told those gathered students that Clint lived for a higher purpose than merely to party; she reminded them that a deeper love flowed through him than anything we can imagine; she invited them to put their trust in the same God, in Jesus Christ. Even now, over a decade later, I am amazed when I think of Sheila's strength. I remember thinking, “Two priests, two ministers, twelve to fifteen years of seminary between us and she has put us all to shame.” How did she do it? She did it because the same power that brought Jesus back from the dead was at work in her. She did it because the same love that refused to allow Jesus to remain dead was at work in her. She did it because God was with her, and where God is there is always life.
My friend Sheila's example teaches us what it means to really believe in the resurrection. To really believe in the resurrection is to believe in far more than the various gospel stories of it. To really and truly believe in the resurrection is to offer our lives to God so whole-heartedly that when hope appears crucified, dead and buried, yet by the power of God we hope again. It means to trust God with our lives so fully that when trust is crushed and defeated, yet by the love of God we trust again. It means to so put our lives in the hands of our loving and merciful Father that even when we die, yet by the resurrection of Jesus Christ we will live again. How is it that any of us here today can have such a belief?
*****
I was privileged once to hear Dr. Cooley from the Texas Heart Institute speak. Dr. Cooley is most famous as the first doctor to implant an artificial heart into a human being, in a surgery in 1969. A mere year before that, in 1968, a surgeon in South Africa, Dr. Christian Barnard, performed the first heart transplant of any kind. It was interesting to listen to Dr. Cooley talk about those first few, pioneer days of heart transplantation.
He said that heart surgeons all around the world knew the technology existed to perform heart transplants; however, the problem they all had was donors. How do you find a donor? Heart researchers everywhere pondered the problem: if they waited until the heart stopped, then the heart would be compromised, but they couldn't really ask a donor to let them take their life either. Forty years later the solution is self-evident to all of us: wait until someone is legally brain dead but one whose body's organs continue to function. It may be self-evident to us but, amazingly, these brilliant researchers around the world couldn't see this obvious solution until finally Dr. Barnard saw it.
This is how Dr. Cooley described the event: "none of us could figure out how to get around the donor problem until finally Dr. Barnard had the courage to see it." Extraordinary! Did you hear it? In Dr. Cooley's estimation, it's not that his colleague was smarter or more experienced or knew something that all other doctors around the world didn't know; it was that he had the courage to see what was right before them all.
My friends, I want to ask something of you this morning. I want to ask you to look deep within your soul. Look deep within your soul for the courage to believe that "Christ Jesus who died was raised from the dead in accordance with the Scriptures." All the facts of logic and intuition are useless without such courage. Like Dr. Cooley and all the doctors around the world, we are smart enough and experienced enough and know enough to see what is self-evident to all: that there is a Mysterious force or spirit or power or something that exists in this universe. The Christian faith calls this Mysterious Presence, God. And we have the audacity to assert that this God loves us personally! And we have the courage to believe that the God who loves us would never forsake us, for he has called us and claimed us as his very own children: body and soul, in life and in death...and in life again.
Look deep within, my friends. Find your courage. Find Jesus Christ, our resurrected Lord.