The Power of the Resurrection II
John 20:19-31; Acts 4:31-35; 1 John 1:1-2:2
Two Fridays ago those who condemned Jesus were resting knowing that this charismatic preacher who spoke against them is not around anymore; two Fridays ago those who followed Jesus were disappointed and ready to give up; two Fridays ago Jesus died on the cross, his body was put into a tomb. When Joseph and Nicodemus closed the tomb with the stone it was the end. At least that is what they thought. However as we celebrated last Sunday something remarkable and unexpected happened, when the women came to the tomb looking for Jesus’ body, the tomb was empty, he was not there and beginning with the women that day, Jesus appeared to all his disciples. He was alive. The cross was not the end, was only the beginning.
In today’s scriptures, we see the consequences of Jesus’ resurrection, which are at the same time proof of the veracity of the event. The refrain of hymn “He Lives” has a question in it, “you ask me how I know he lives?” the answer “He lives within my heart.” The best evidence of Jesus’ resurrection is us, the Church. After Jesus’ crucifixion, what came to be His church was only a group of men and women scared playing hide and seek. However, the news of the risen Christ and the encounter with the risen Christ was so powerful that their lives and everything they did reflected their conviction, their faith in Jesus. Ever since Mary said, “I have seen the Lord”, ever since the disciples said, “we have seen the Lord” everything changed. Those cowards at Jesus arrest and crucifixion are now boldly preaching about their Lord’s resurrection. There is not jail or punishment; there is not persecution or threat that can stop them. Even death has no power over them. They shifted the worship day from Sabbath, the last day of the week to Sunday, the first day of the week, the day Jesus choose to resurrect and appear for forty days to His disciples.
The disciples knew something that sometimes we forget, the greatest proof of Jesus resurrection is not only what we read in all the gospels. They did not have gospel yet; it is not even, what we say about it, but rather how we look and what we do because of it. In other words, our belief, our conviction of Jesus resurrection, of Jesus walking among us, must bring changes to our lives, must inspire in us an active faith.
The scripture in the book of Acts presents us with an image of what happened with Jesus’ follower when they knew Jesus was alive. Verse 33 says, “With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” This community of early disciples was empowered by the same power of the prophets in the Old Testament. Jeremiah and Elijah are a good example. Neither jail time, nor fear of the government, nor fear of the religious authorities made these early disciples afraid. They were so overwhelmed by the conviction of Jesus resurrection, that they were able to give us a glimpse of the perfect church, a glimpse of God’s kingdom. That glimpse, that image is portrayed in verse 32 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” No longer were competition or desire for power the driving forces in their lives; serving the Lord and others until the last consequences was.
Acts 4 has always been controversial, specially the last two verses. I find NIV translation interesting because it says, “For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” According to NIV, it was not always and was not everybody who sold his or her properties. From time to time and those who owned, in those times were not many. The center of this scripture is not what they did but rather why they did it. Listen to verse 33 “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all”. The testimony of the risen Christ made many men and women endure prison, persecution and death; the testimony of the risen Christ made many others leave everything behind, sell houses and land and follow the called of the risen Christ. Maybe those who sold houses and land were those called to go to faraway countries with the Good News of Jesus. What made them do this was the transforming power of the risen Christ in their lives! All this selling was an expression of their faith in Jesus and their love for Him.
John 20:19-31 and Acts 4:31-35 present us the connection between the fact of Jesus’ resurrection and faith, the practice of our belief. Our third reading 1 John presents us the message of the early church, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”
This was an invitation to the unbelievers to be part of this fellowship, but not just any fellowship, was a fellowship with the Father and the His Son, and the seal of that fellowship was “one heart and one mind.” The presence of the Father and the Son in this community made possible for them to overcome the differences. They preached their own experience, what they saw, what they heard, what they touched. And they showed it with their lives.
That is what we have to do, share our personal experience with Jesus. Remember the only gospel that some people will ever hear or see is the gospel according to you. The gospel according our church, if new people come and see that we are of one heart and one soul, they will stay, if they come and feel the love and presence of the risen Christ, they will stay. How are they going to feel it and see it? In you and me.
Our mission as Christians, our mission as church is, “to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. When we do it God’s grace will work powerfully in us all”
Remember “we serve a risen Savior and He is in the world today. We know that He is living, whatever men may say.” People will see His hand of mercy; they will hear His voice of cheer; And just the time they need Him He will be always near. All this will happen thru you because He live within you.