Do you know the most important question Jesus asked? It is this “who do men say I am?” and this follow on question “who do you say I am?” This is still the most important question for everyone today. Why is it that we remember this Jesus nearly 2000 years after his death? What is so special about Him? Some people say he was a miracle worker, a Jewish prophet, a holy man. He said many wise and challenging things like; “Love your enemies yes love ‘em, do good to those who seek to harm you, always forgive those do you wrong; forgive as God forgives you, God is your loving father, Love God and Love your fellow man”
But if these great words were all there was; Jesus would have been forgotten long ago. But something amazing happened in the life of Jesus which told us that he was no ordinary man. He was put to death on a cross, literally killed with cruel nails driven into his hands and feet, and then a few days later, on a day like today, He came back to life. He showed, by the greatest miracle of all, that He was no ordinary man. Jesus rose from the dead. Wow! Do I hear an Amen to that? Amen. Can we get our heads and hearts around this one? Can we believe that Jesus rose from the dead? You see there are certain indisputable truths in life; certain things that are undeniable; one is this when your dead you are dead! But Jesus laid down his life on the cross and took it up again by rising on the Easter Sunday morning.
Is there another holy man or women who have done this? No. But how is this possible? Think about it, if death is not the end then what other things are possible? But just wait a minute, how did Jesus do this? By what power was Jesus able to convert the darkest and meanest possible thing, death into life? Surely, only God has that power.
His disciples followed Jesus thinking that he was a good man, a holy man, perhaps even a great man, but a man nonetheless. So when the women, in our reading, came and said that Jesus is back, back from the dead even his closest friend couldn’t easily accept it. You see it is only when they meet the risen Jesus in the flesh, they realise that He was not just a man. For what mere man could come back from the dead? Finally their eyes are opened to the truth that Jesus is the eternal son of God; truly God who became man and lived among us.
Have you met Jesus for yourself? Who do you say that he is? In your heart of hearts, it’s your call, what do you believe?
Know this everything changed with the resurrection of Jesus. If death is not the end, then there is hope that good can come in every event in life. If death is not the end, good will always triumph over evil. Wrong choices we have made in life can be recovered, tragedies that befall us can be transformed, hurts healed and despair can be replaced with hope. Yes there is healing and hope when we trust in God, who loves us.
For Jesus has opened up a new way, a new and living way of healing and hope, a way of forgiveness and peace, and a way of eternal life. Death is no longer the end.
Let me tell to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. Then our dying bodies will be transformed into bodies that will never die, We will say “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ”, Christ was raised as the first; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. Hallelujah, Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again. Hallelujah.
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