by Peter Bolt

"Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!'

Thus say the various liturgical formulae that have been said in Christian churches for centuries and still are being said in countless churches each Sunday. The belief in the resurrection of Jesus is by no means peripheral to Christianity; it is at its core. But, as the saying goes, familiarity often breeds contempt. Are we really saying that a man rose from the grave, i.e. that a dead man, a corpse, came out of the grave? And, if we are saying
that, what does that event really mean? It may be amazing, and it certainly is unique, but does it have any real cash-value for life at the beginning of the twenty-first century?

1. Christ is risen! It's a fact

The first thing to establish is whether or not we are talking about fact or fiction. This is surely extremely important. Even though our post-modern world recognises the power of stories to change our life story, we are able to discern that the difference between a true story and a made-up story is still a distinction worth making. If I told a story that New Zealand had transposed the sporting rivalry with Australia to the next level by starting a nuclear war with Australia by dropping an atom bomb on the Sydney Sports Ground, there is a huge difference between the implications and the consequences of the story if true, and the story if not. So did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the grave? That is, is it a fact of history just as much as the fact of history that Captain James Cook landed on the East coast of Australia, beginning the British settlement of this land?

The historical answer must uncover the evidence and then account for that evidence through proposing a theory which best explains that evidence. As the previous article has explained, the evidence is considerable, and the best theory to explain the evidence is that Jesus really did rise from the dead. (1)

A common reaction to this evidence is simply to deny the very possibility of a dead man coming to life again. This denial was found in the ancient world just as surely as it is part of the modern world. After all, it has good statistical support on its side: dead people usually stay dead in 100% of the cases known to human beings from all parts of the globe and for all time. But, despite the naturalness of this explanation, it must be said that it is not an explanation; it is a prejudice. It is a well-founded prejudice, but it is still a prejudice, in that it does not attempt to explain the evidence, but simply asserts that the New Testament explanation cannot happen.

Even in the ancient world, there were other options. Were the reported appearances the appearance of a ghost? Luke's Gospel shows that this option was considered from the earliest days, for this was what the first disciples were afraid of (Luke 24:36-43). The risen Jesus anticipated this objection, and demonstrated to them that he was not a ghost, but "f lesh and bones' by inviting them to inspect his body (vv. 39-40) and demonstrating his physicality by eating some fish (vv. 41-43). As they began to preach the gospel, this incident became a crucial piece of their witness to the resurrection (see Acts 10:41). In addition, the ghost theory does not explain the empty tomb, for ghosts usually left their corpses in the grave. Nor does it adequately account for the rise of the Christian movement.

The hero cult also relied on a theory of ghosts. Here a great hero was worshipped at their gravesite, in the belief that their power continued to have an inf luence in the world of the living. Occasionally, if the hero had died in battle in a foreign land, the worship would take place at a "Cenotaph',
which is translated "empty tomb'. There are also reports of some of these heroes appearing in the vicinity of their tombs. Was this what the Gospel writers were trying to say when they spoke of an empty tomb and of appearances from Jesus? No, this does not fit the evidence well at all. Firstly, the "cenotaphs' at which heroes were sometimes worshipped assumed that the hero had died and was buried in a grave elsewhere"”it was just that these graves were inaccessible. A body in a grave was essential for the cult, and so the cenotaphs were an attempt to provide this essential item. In other words, the cenotaphs of the hero cult were empty (as a substitute for a body known to be buried elsewhere), whereas Jesus' grave was emptied (in that the body was there but had disappeared). There is also no evidence that any worship was ever offered at Jesus's tomb, and the appearances occurred at some distance from the original tomb (e.g. Emmaus, Galilee) which does not fit the facts of the hero cult.

The Greeks and Romans, as well as the Jews, believed that great men were occasionally translated to heaven, without dying. Amongst the Jews, for example, the disappearance of Enoch (Genesis 5:24) was elaborated in this direction, as was the translation of Elijah (2 Kings 2), and the death of Moses was also discussed by the Jewish historian Josephus in a similar fashion. As time went on, the Romans believed that several of their emperors underwent "apotheosis'"”they were great men who were translated to heaven to become gods. But Jesus didn't avoid death, he truly died. And he was crucified, which removed him from being a candidate for apotheosis, for a crucified man was regarded as under a curse and not assured of even a good place in the afterlife, let alone a place amongst the gods! The accounts of the resurrection in the early preaching, in Paul, the Gospels or anywhere else in the NT have no real trace of the language used in the various translation stories elsewhere. The closest the gospels come to it is in the transfiguration scene (e.g. Mark 9:21-3), which can be read as Jesus having the option of being translated to heaven, but choosing instead to come down the mountain in order to die before entering into his glory. In addition, apoth-eosis was of the soul, which left the body in the tomb, but Jesus's tomb was emptied.

Attempts have also been made to explain the appearances as visions or hallucinations. This does not explain the empty tomb, and proposes that the Christian movement was founded upon a big mistake. But does the theory fit the facts? The appearances were reported at various times of the day and in a variety of situations and to different kinds of people in varying numbers. Do hallucinations occur to groups who all see the same thing? What analogies do we have for different people having the same hallucination as someone else has had in a different place and time?

Although it is an utterly amazing claim, it seems that the best explanation of the evidence is that the man, Jesus of Nazareth, really did rise again from the dead. He is risen, it's a fact. But, so what? What is the significance of Jesus's resurrection both for him and for the world?

2. Christ is risen! So everything is his!

On the day of Pentecost in the year AD 30, the city of Jerusalem witnessed a strange event. The disciples of Jesus had been wait-ing expectantly in the city for a new stage in God's plan, when the sound of rushing wind, the appearance of tongues of fire, and the sound of the disciples speaking in other languages signalled the arrival of the Spirit of God (Acts 2). Peter explained this event as being a direct consequence of Jesus's resurrection. The prophet Joel had promised that the Spirit would be poured out in the last days, so the last days had begun (vv. 16-21), bringing the time of salvation (v. 21). God's plans had come to their climax when the well-known Jesus, the one crucified by the city of Jerusalem, had been raised from the dead in the divine reversal of the human decision about him (vv. 22-24). The risen Jesus had been exalted to the right hand of God from where he then poured out the Holy Spirit (vv. 32-33).

Citing Psalm 16, Peter argued that the resurrection of Jesus demonstrated that death could not hold him, because the promised Messiah was Lord and Christ, as Psalm 110 predicted (vv. 32-36). As Lord and Christ, everything belongs to Jesus: the past, the future and the present. The past is his, in that the Old Testament is fulfilled in him (note Peter's citation of Joel and the Psalms). The future is his, in that he is now seated at the right hand of God until God makes his enemies his footstool (vv. 34-35), which suggests that the future will be concerned with making Jesus enemies acknowledge his Lordship whether willingly (through the gospel) or unwillingly (on the final day). The present is his, because he has poured out the Spirit onto all who call upon him for salvation. This picture of everything belonging to the risen Lord could be expanded further from elsewhere in the New Testament, for, as risen Lord he is the heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2). But it also becomes clear, that whatever the Christ has achieved, he has achieved it on behalf of his people.mightier than death (vv. 25-31). This unique event therefore makes clear that God had installed him as Lord and Christ, as Psalm 110 predicted (vv. 32-36).

As Lord and Christ, everything belongs to Jesus: the past, the future and the present. The past is his, in that the Old Testament is fulfilled in him (note Peter's citation of Joel and the Psalms). The future is his, in that he is now seated at the right hand of God until God makes his enemies his footstool (vv. 34-35), which suggests that the future will be concerned with making Jesus enemies acknowledge his Lordship whether willingly (through the gospel) or unwillingly (on the final day). The present is his, because he has poured out the Spirit onto all who call upon him for salvation.

This picture of everything belonging to the risen Lord could be expanded further from elsewhere in the New Testament, for, as risen Lord he is the heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2). But it also becomes clear, that whatever the Christ has achieved, he has achieved it on behalf of his people.

3. Christ is risen! So everything is ours

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul reminds the Corinthian church of the gospel that he has preached and they have believed. He reminds them that it is a gospel about resurrection, and he lists those who saw the risen Lord, and who would therefore be able to confirm that this event had actually occurred (note especially v. 6, which implicitly says: "if you don't believe me, go and ask them!'). But, although the Corinthians believed that Jesus had risen, it seems that they had not managed to grasp the fact that this held serious implications for them. Their problem was that some amongst them denied that there was a future resurrection which was yet to occur (v. 12; for the same problem, see 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 1 Timothy 2:18).

If this were so, says Paul, then not even Christ has been raised (v. 13), for the two events must be taken closely together, as he will argue more below (v. 20). This would mean that their preaching and faith were useless (v. 14), that the apostles had made God a liar (v. 15), that there is no provision for sin (v. 17), life is still to be lived firmly under the shadow of death (v. 18), and so Christians are the most pitiful of people (v. 19). This would also destroy the mysterious practice of baptism of the dead (v. 29) and make the apostolic labours a complete waste of time (vv. 30 -32). If the dead will not be raised, then a life of hedonism is called for (v. 32): let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. Death robs life of all meaning, so make the most of it while it is yours!

But Paul's object is to stress that there is a future resurrection. This certain knowledge is grounded upon the fact that Jesus Christ has been raised. Christ has been raised "the first-fruits of those who have died' (v. 20). The image of the first-fruits suggests that he is the first of many who will rise in the resurrection harvest to come. His resurrection is not a separate event from the end-time resurrection expected by the Jews (cf. Daniel 12:12), but it is the beginning of that resurrection and a beginning that guarantees that the rest of the resurrection harvest will most surely occur. It will all occur in its own time as God's plan continues to unfold: Christ first, then those who belong to him will rise from the dead at his return (v.23). Paul calls upon the Corinthians to think sensibly"”to think with this future resurrection in mind (v.34), hinting that a failure to live in the light of the future resurrection actually leads to sin. They are to realize that they will have a new body, completely suitable for the age to come, and they will bear the image of the risen Christ (vv.35-49). The change will occur in the twinkling of an eye in the future, and we will be transformed into our deathless state of life (vv.50-53) and death, the last and greatest enemy, will then be done away with (vv.54-57).

This sure future means that the work for the Lord in the present time gains significance and meaning (v.58). Death robs all of life of vitality and purpose. Hebrews (2:14) speaks of the fear of death holding humanity in slavery all the days of their lives. Our mortality hangs over our heads all our days, so that the only answer seems to be to turn to the desperate attempt to make the most of the brief time we have got through "eating, drinking and being merry'. Even our pleasure-seeking is against the backdrop of our grave, "for tomorrow we die'. But, because of his resurrection, Jesus gives us back a future. There is more to life than the grave, and so there is more to life. Because of Jesus's resurrection, the future is ours, which gives us back our lives! Because everything is his, past, present, and future, so too everything is ours. We will live again, so we can live again.

4. Christ is risen! So everything matters

If death is the end, then nothing really matters in life. This sad fact of mortal life has been observed by many from the preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes, to the philosophers both of the ancient Epicurean and the modern existentialist variety; to the pop group Queen, whose top-selling "Bohemian Rhapsody' proclaimed "nothing really matters'. For following hard on the "Where am I going?' question comes the "Who am I?' question, and if there is no future, then there is no personal significance.

But when the resurrection of Jesus gives us back our future, the "who am I?' question takes on a whole new perspective. The restoration of our future brings about the restoration"”or perhaps it is better to say the discovery"”of our true self.

Paul urged the Colossians (3:14) "seek the things that are above" set your minds upon the things above, not on things that are on earth'. In the New Testament the "things of the earth' are not simply the evil things of this world, but they also encompass the things that we regard as part of ordinary life (marriage, family, work, buying and selling). It is possible to pursue such things as if they represent the sum total of reality. This is the error of materialism, which proclaims the material world as the only world, and so life becomes the world of matter and all else doesn't matter! But the great tradegy is that the logic of materialism reduces human beings to matter as well, and, seeing that we die, we aren't as lasting as some of the other forms that matter appears in, so we are not as significant either! Because we decay and die, nothing ultimately matters if all we have to set our minds upon are the things of everyday existence, and the only guiding picture of the world is that of materialism. The one with the most toys at the end may win the materialist game, but that equation sends back empty echoes to human beings asking "who am I?'.

But it is equally possible to seek "the things above" in a misguided fashion. The Western world is becoming increasingly disillusioned with the materialist view of life and so every day witnesses more options being put forward to get in touch with the spiritual reality of our lives and our world. In the ancient world, in spirituality deriving from Eastern thought, and amongst this new spirituality all around us at the moment, there can be a tendency to stress the spiritual so much that the earthly realities are deemed to be irrelevant, or even damaging. So, for example, some of the ancient Greek philosophers spoke of the body as the prison-house of the soul, and life became the quest for the subjugation of the body to enable the release of the soul. On this view the passions (emotions) were regarded as evil. Others derided or even forbade marriage, for sex was a concession to bodily passions. Others treated the body harshly through diet or other ascetic practices. A version of these practices seemed to be part of the error that the Colossians were in danger of falling into (see Colossians 2:20-23). Paul urges the Colossians to think of heavenly things, but not in such a way that loses touch with real life in the here and now.

He is urging them to become what they will be. Where is the "true you'? It has become fairly normal to hear of people trying "to find themselves'. When some people search for their "true them" they search inside themselves, perhaps through some kind of therapy, as if the answer will be found through "the journey within'. It is amazing how many others think that they will find themselves in some foreign land, as if hopping on a plane and breaking away from all your roots, responsibilities and relationships will enable you to discover your true identity by "the journey away'. But, because of the resurrection of Jesus, our true self is found by "the journey ahead'. Jesus died and rose again and was installed at the right hand of God from whence he will come again one day. Because he did all this for us, Paul explains that we ought to think of ourselves in exactly the same terms, as if those things have actually occurred for us as well. When he died, we died. When he rose and ascended to heaven, we did too. The implications of this are that our true life is with the risen Christ in heaven: "you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God' (Colossians 3:3). We do not yet see who we will be. Whatever we are now, even despite the renovation of life that has begun through Christ in the here and now, it is but a shadow of the glory that we will be. For "when Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory' (v. 4). We are under construction, but the final job will only be seen in completed form on the last day. Our "true us' will be seen then, after we complete the journey which lies ahead and only ends when the Lord returns.

It is this future life that should govern our life in the present. We shouldn't live as if the things of this life are what define who we are. Don't set your mind on the things of this earth, but on the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. We should live as if the things to come define who we are. We will be resurrected in glory, sharing the image of the heavenly man. We are not what we will one day be (see also 1 John 3:2), but in the meantime we should live as if we were! And this won't lead to a spirituality that tries to overcome real life in the body; on the contrary, it makes the life in the body all the more significant. We will be raised bodily, and so all that we do in the body becomes all-important. We are to live in the body now, as if we were living in our resurrected state. So it is little wonder that when Paul goes on to show what seeking the things above actually looks like, he proceeds to address the proper attitudes and behaviour with which we are to approach the many relationships of this world (Colossians 3-4). The resurrection of Jesus gives us back our future, and so bodily life is affirmed as most important. Christ is risen! So everything matters after all.

Dr Peter Bolt is a lecturer in New Testament at Moore Theological College.

E N D N O T E

1 See Peter Bolt, "Questing for Jesus', kategoria, 1998, 8, pp. 9-31 for an examination of modern attempts to explain away the resurrection of Jesus.