He is Risen – Easter Sunday – Sermon 5 April, 2015
“He Is Risen”
Mark 16: 1 – 8
If we compare the synoptic gospels we find similarities and also some differences in the accounts written about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Beside the name of Mary Magdalene, which the four gospels mention, the common phrase is: “He is risen” or “He has risen”. The reference here is to Jesus, who was crucified, died and buried.
On the first day of the week the first people who came to the tomb were the women. They came to complete the last services to the body of Jesus, but they were worried about one thing. How were they going to move the stone that was used to seal Jesus’ tomb? They knew that it was beyond their strength to move a stone like that. But to their surprise when they reached the tomb, the stone was rolled away and inside was a messenger who gave them the unbelievable news that Jesus had risen from the dead.
The intention of the women at that point was to pay their last tributes to a dead body. And the attitude of the disciples was that everything had finished in tragedy. It was the end of the dreams they had hoping that Jesus would establish His kingdom. Now the news that He had risen was not what they were expecting.
The message that Easter morning was that their Lord was not dead, He had risen and He lives. What more exciting and happy news can someone hope for. Nothing else could have changed the world and especially change those miserable men and women into joyful people and flaming with courage to be charged to fulfil a task of proclaiming the good news of His resurrection.
His resurrection is the central fact of the whole Christian faith. Without this truth as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 “the preaching is useless and the followers of Christ are false witnesses of God. If Christ is not raised, then our faith is futile and we are still in our sins”. The Cross of Jesus Christ is the turning point and His resurrection is the firm base upon which the church was established.
He is risen and because we believe in the Resurrection certain things follow, which we should consider.
- Jesus is not a figure but a real presence
We can study the life of prominent historical figures to learn the facts about them and the role they had played in history. It is not the same case with Jesus. It is not enough to study His life but rather we should meet Him personally, because He is well and alive. He is a real presence and He is with us all until the end of the world.
- Jesus is not a memory, He is a presence
It is natural that the memory of any person fades away in time. When a dear one passes away, we pay our respects, commit the breathless body to the soil, the spirit to God and then in subsequent years we gather together for memorial services. But sooner or later as the years go by the memory fades away little by little. But for our Lord and Saviour it is not just a memory that fades away. He lives and acts through us and the Church which represents His body; a body that lives and acts on His behalf.
- The Christian life is not the life of one who knows about Jesus, but the life of one who knows Jesus
There is a big difference between knowing about a person and knowing a person. We may know a lot about our political and religious leaders, but we don’t know them as such. We may know everything about a person, but we don’t know him/her personally. We may know a lot about the Christian religion and even the Christian faith, but we may not know Him and may not have accepted Him as our personal Lord and Saviour.
Therefore if Jesus is a living presence, He is with us always and we know Him, then we cannot stand still. Because He lives we will discover new wonders and truths and we should go and tell others about Him.
Though the following verses in this last chapter of Mark are believed to be added later, we find there clearly stated the tasks and the responsibilities of the church given to it by the Lord Himself.
The following are the tasks of the church.
- The church has the task of preaching
Telling the story of the good news of Jesus is the duty of the church and every Christian. We are called to be His heralds.
- The church has the task of healing
It is not necessary to have the gift of healing as such, which is one of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned by Paul. But every church has the duty and the responsibility to feed its members physically and spiritually. We should be concerned with the people around us.
- The church should be the source of power
The church should be the source of a power to cope with life and the challenges that come with it, not to control things even people. The power of the church should be embodied in the self-giving love of God. We can have and should have that power because He lives and He is with us.
- The church is never left alone to do its task
The risen Lord works with it, in it and through it. The Lord of the church is still in the church and is still the Lord of power, because He is its head and its Lord.
So the gospel finishes with the one main message that the Christian life is lived in the presence and the power of Him who was crucified but rose again and He is alive.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Krikor Youmshajekian