How Important is the Resurrection?

1 Corinthians 15: 12-23, CEB - So if the message that is preached says that Christ has been raised from the dead, then how can some of you say, “There’s no resurrection of the dead”? If there’s no resurrection of the dead, then Christ hasn’t been raised either. If Christ hasn’t been raised, then our preaching is useless and your faith is useless. We are found to be false witnesses about God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, when he didn’t raise him if it’s the case that the dead aren’t raised. If the dead aren’t raised, then Christ hasn’t been raised either. If Christ hasn’t been raised, then your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins, and what’s more, those who have died in Christ are gone forever. If we have a hope in Christ only in this life, then we deserve to be pitied more than anyone else.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. He’s the first crop of the harvest^[a] of those who have died. Since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came through one too. In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ. Each event will happen in the right order: Christ, the first crop of the harvest, then those who belong to Christ at his coming,

 

                The last of the five issues Paul wants to address in 1 Corinthians is some troubling ideas he has heard are being advocated in the community regarding the resurrection of Jesus.  There were those within the Corinthian church who were saying that the resurrection of Jesus is not necessary for one to be a follower of Christ.  The idea was that following Jesus’s teachings alone could achieve the desired relationship with God.  Paul vehemently rejects this idea and even labels it as dangerous. 

                I encourage you to read all of chapter 15 in order to see Paul’s full argument here, but I will simply sum it up here.  To reduce Jesus to simply a human teacher that teaches us how to achieve a proper relationship with God is to rob the Christian faith of its divine power.  Foundational to the Christian faith is the assertion that simply knowing how God wants us to live is not enough, because having that knowledge quickly illumines the fact that human beings are not capable of living out those teachings on their own.  It is an impossible undertaking to save ourselves.  We are physically and spiritually dead without God’s power.  We need the power of God – the power of God displayed in the resurrection of Jesus.  It is this power that works in us just as it did in Jesus to spiritually bring us back to life and assure us of physical life that extends into eternity. 

                It’s sometimes tempting to believe that we don’t need help of God and others.  But to the extent that one believes that is the extent to which that belief is not Christian belief.  At the core of the Christian faith is the conviction that we are utterly dependent on the grace, love, and power of God.  And the quintessential expression of that power is the resurrection of Jesus.  The same power shall raise us as well.

 

Question:  What are the core essential beliefs of your Christian faith?

 

Prayer:  God of all that is, thank you for sending Your son to reveal to us your character of love, grace, and power.  Show us our own need for that power to be at work in us.  Amen.

 

Prayer Focus:  Spend some time today praying for family members that you haven’t prayed for in a while.

 

Song:  Living Hope – Phil Wickham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f2FXxDVO6w

The End of Mark . . . Again.

Mark 16:19-20, CEB - After the Lord Jesus spoke to them, he was lifted up into heaven and sat down on the right side of God.  But they went out and proclaimed the message everywhere. The Lord worked with them, confirming the word by the signs associated with them.

 

                We come the ending of all endings of Mark today.  It is a summarization probably borrowed from other sources in order to wrap up the gospel in a nice tidy way.  This ending certainly does a better job of that than the original ending (verse 16:8), which leaves great uncertainty.  Jesus ascends into heaven and his disciples begin carry out the mission.  This ending is descriptive of the time after the original gospel was finished, so in that way, it is appropriate. It also likely gives us glimpse into the early second century after Jesus’s death.

                It references a church that is fully focused on its primary mission of proclaiming the good news of Jesus.  This is a great reminder to the church of the twenty-first century which often becomes distracted by other more superfluous matters.  This ending also references a church fully connected to the power of God as they experienced signs and wonders amidst their efforts to further the mission of Christ.  This also serves as a guiding principle to current congregations that often operate as if it all depends on the human being involved to “make” the mission of the church happen. 

                Both reminders are also instructive to individual Christians.  As followers of Jesus, we are part of a calling that is bigger than our individual concerns and livelihoods.   Our lives are supposed to be a reflection and witness to the resurrected Messiah Jesus.  Additionally, the power for us to do that does not originate in us, but in the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.  We rely on God more than we rely on our own power and intellect. 

                As we come to the end of our journey through the Gospel of Mark, I pray it has been good one for each of you.  I pray that God has used these reflections to spur you forward in your faith and calling.  I pray that your understanding and appreciation for scripture has grown and you feel more connected to the church to which Mark is a faithful witness.  I also pray that this journey has strengthened your commitment to connect with scripture regularly, whether it is through a devotional commentary like this or through other means.  Finally, I pray that you will be blessed through your daily practices of scripture and prayer.  To that end, I leave you with a benediction from scripture that has meant a lot to be since I was a teenager.

 

Questions: How are you personally connected to mission of the church?  Do you rely on the power of God to fulfill that role?

 

Prayer/Blessing:  "May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace,

both now and forever more." Amen.

 

Song:  Priestly Blessing – James Block

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjXYjcAyvGI