More on the Resurrection
Acts 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?” Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you are presenting? 20 Because what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.)22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, “People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. 23 For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth—does not live in shrines made by hands. 25 Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. 26 From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. 27 He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ 29 Since, then, we are God’s offspring, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. 30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Acts 17:22-31
Baptism…now saves you…through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…
1 Pet. 3:21
Because I live, you will live too.
John 14:19
I want to take this Sunday to look at the resurrection of Jesus one more time but to do so in a more detailed way (we could have done this next Sunday, the last Sunday of Easter, but next week we will be celebrating the Ascension of Christ).
So, we ask the questions, what does the resurrection do, what does it mean, what does it prove? We take the answers to these questions and bring them with us into our everyday lives, because when we do so we find the greatest of benefits.
The resurrection of Christ is mentioned in each of our lessons for today, but I will mainly focus on Acts 17.
Athens was the place where both reason and pleasure were highly regarded, as can be seen by the presence of Stoic and Epicurean philosophers mentioned earlier in this chapter. But Paul also notices and is deeply distressed by all the idols. What does all this tell him? It tells him that everyone there, whether taken in by Stoicism, Epicureanism, polytheism, pantheism, paganism – all of which were present in Athens – all these people are very religious. If someone says to you, “I’m not religious,” that is not true. Nobody can escape being religious. It’s built into everyone. They may not belong to a specific religion, but they all have thoughts or beliefs about what happens after death, how they should live and why, etc.
So, Paul there in Athens everyday would reason with the Jews and others in the synagogue, and then reason with others in the marketplace. Some wrote him off as ignorant and arrogant. Others thought he was explaining gods or deities they had not heard about before. However, his teachings, which focused on “the good news about Jesus and the resurrection,” was intriguing enough to get himself invited to lecture on or explain his religious views at the Areopagus, which apparently had become a kind of lecture hall, probably so city leaders and religious and philosophical scholars could ask him questions, try to figure where he was coming from, challenge him, critique him, and judge him. Some have compared it to “Ted Talks” or maybe even being invited to Harvard or Yale to give a lecture. Anyway, it was an honor and probably the exact kind of opportunity Paul was looking for. “They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you are presenting? Because what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean.
So, here’s what Paul explains at the Areopagus to these prestigious thinkers (keeping in mind we have just a very small portion of his lecture): “I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. You have objects of worship.” And he proceeded to challenge basic beliefs of paganism, polytheism, pantheism, Epicureanism, and Stoicism. “I see you have an altar here to the ‘Unknown God.’ Let me explain that God to you. He made the world and everything in it—he is Lord of heaven and earth. He gives everyone life and breath and all things. From one man he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He is the one who oversees and directs all of history.” And then Paul explains why this almighty God, this Lord of Lords, has done and is doing all this: “He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. He is closer than you think.” And then he finally gets to the bottom line: “God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed.” So Paul sets his Christianity apart from all the others that are represented there that day. But he sets Christianity apart especially by this last shocking statement: “He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
The final and ultimate proof for everything Paul has just said about this religion and this God and this person Jesus and all Jesus has done – including that it somehow means good news – is the resurrection.
There were two reactions: he was mocked (probably from the Epicureans; and we see such mockery today as well); others said, “we want to hear more” and some of those who did hear more joined Paul and believed.
When we can put the past and future events of the life of Christ into several categories: his incarnation and birth, his three years of ministry (which includes his temptations, his perfect righteousness, his claims, his miracles, his teachings, predictions, being persecuted), his crucifixion, his resurrection, his ascension, his ruling at the right hand of his Father, and his return on the last day. The truth of all these and what they mean all depend on Jesus actually rising from the dead. The resurrection is the proof that these things actually took place (or will take place) and the resurrection is the proof that they mean what the Bible says they mean.
In our Small Catechism Explanation, the question is asked, “Why is the resurrection of such importance and comfort to you?” And the answer is, “The resurrection of Christ proves that
- “Christ is the Son of God.” And then the Catechism gives a proof passage: “Jesus Christ our Lord, was declared to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.” (Rom. 1:4) If you ever have doubts that Jesus is really the Son of God, remember his resurrection.
- “Christ has made full satisfaction for all my sins.” Forgiveness of all my sins. Proof passage: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor. 15:17) Or, to put it another way, it proves I am justified; not guilty, not held accountable for my sins. Proof passage: “He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Rom. 4:25) If your Christian brother or sister ever has doubts whether forgiveness is a reality, point him or her to the resurrection.
- “I too shall rise again on the last day.” Here is where our gospel lesson comes in. Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19). Or, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26). In John 6, Jesus says not once, not twice, not three times, but four times, “I will raise them up on the last day” (6:39, 40, 44, 54). He could only do this if he is alive. Dead men cannot do anything, especially bring other dead men back to life. This is especially a great comfort for the dying Christian.
- “It gives me strength to forsake sin and live a new life.” The life of the Christian is a changed life, a resurrected life, now. The proof passage says our baptism connects us with both the death and resurrection of Christ. “Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:3-4). Those who are born again in the waters of baptism do not live in sin, they do not live for sin, and when they do sin, they are not unrepentant. Daily repentance is the life of the Christian, and the reason we do so, our Catechism says, “is so that Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts, and that a new man daily come forth and arise, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” You are no longer of the world. You belong to Christ who lives in you, and his resurrection is your resurrection not only in the future, but even now, as you walk in the newness of life. We need to be reminded of this for we are often tempted by laziness.
Here’s one final and very important point: the resurrection is not just proof. His resurrection, along with everything from his conception to his shed blood to his coming on the last day, is good news, is gospel. And the good news, the gospel, of Jesus is the power of God (Rom. 1:16). Christ himself is the power of God (1 Cor. 1:24). Jesus, the Son of God, and all that he did is good news with divine power. And Christ and his gospel, are with us whenever we gather. It is why we gather. We come here to hear, believe, and receive that powerful good news. It is the divine power that comforts, encourages, strengthens, and emboldens us. Until we meet again.
Amen.
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