The Astonishment of the Resurrection
Editor’s Note: This is a sneak peek at a reflection from the 4-week devotional series Deb Judas will be offering beginning April 26, 2021. The series will study the resurrection and its implications for us here and now in everyday life. You can register at www.creatingspace.ca.
Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-8
THE GRAVE IS EMPTY. HE HAS RISEN!
My husband and I often watch a show called Dateline. It is an investigative journalism show that reports on real life crimes that have taken place - some solved and some still unsolved. It's intriguing to see how detectives solve the mystery. They are constantly interviewing various people to hear their version of what happened, looking for clues at the scene of the crime and then trying to piece together what actually happened. Everyone has their own perspective of what might have taken place offering their own opinion of why it happened and how it impacted them.
Each of the four gospels in the New Testament tells the story of the resurrection of Jesus and each has its own perspective on what happened that day. There are shared details that appear in all four gospels but also some differing details.
One overarching fact in each telling is that the tomb was empty on the third day. As each person associated with Jesus heard the news that his body was gone, the response was shock.
The authors of each gospel use many different adjectives to describe the shock. The word fear comes up at six different times and depending on which biblical translation you are reading, you will see words like stunned, alarmed, amazement and puzzled. As well, there were tears and terror. There was even falling to the ground in worship.
This was mind-boggling. How could this be?
Jesus had told all these people before he died that this would happen. He was quite clear in sharing how the events would unfold from start to finish. Yet when it happened, no one could believe it. They never ever expected this to actually happen, not by any scope of the imagination.
The resurrection caught everyone off guard, especially those closest to Jesus. No one was prepared. For the disciples, if the resurrection was really true, then everything had changed for them.
We, who live over 2,000 years later and have heard this resurrection story told hundreds of times still wrestle with it. How can it be? We have read it and studied it in the bible, listened to teaching, sermons, and research in an effort to explain it.
It is absolutely astonishing.
But just because we can't understand it, does that mean it is not true? It is refreshing and perhaps even exhilarating to follow a God that cannot be explained and contained. In a world that has been shaped by the Enlightenment where everything needs to be explainable, reasonable, rational, measurable, and quantified, we have lost the mystery and the beauty of faith.
It's like the mystery of creation. It is so fascinating and overwhelmingly complex that it spurs many to explore and study in an attempt to unravel its origins, patterns and movements. But the gift of the creation is to be enjoyed and received, even when we can't always understand its intricacies.
And so it is with the resurrection. It is beyond our human comprehension and maddeningly inexplicable, other than to accept that a transcendent Love prevailed. Love was the foundation, motivation, and deciding factor that brought about the resurrection. And for all of us... this is the very best GOOD NEWS!
He is risen. He is risen indeed.
Dear Jesus,
You summon us to life in the midst of death, peace in the midst of violence, praise in the midst of despair. Filled once again with your unruly Spirit, may we answer your summons and be part of the movement of life. Amen
(Walter Brueggemann)
Don’t forget to sign up for more writing from Deb. This is a sneak peek from a 4-week devotional series Deb will be offering beginning April 26, 2021. You can register at www.creatingspace.ca.
