Why does the Resurrection Matter so Much?

Why does the Resurrection Matter so Much?  Easter, 2015.  Last one.

Howdy. 

What’s the big deal?  I mean, why in the world do Christians make such a big deal about Easter Sunday? Yesterday, churches filled with people, little boys and girls dressed in their finery, with beaming mothers looking on, phone cameras in hand.  Easter is the number one day of the year people attend church, followed by Christmas, and then ……. Mother’s Day!  My beloved pastor greeted us familiarly, 

“The Lord is risen . . .”  and then as Christ-followers for centuries have, the congregation responded, “He has risen indeed!”¹

I submit to you that day which we generally refer to as Easter is not just the most important day on the church calendar, but in all of history—that it is the very epicenter of history.

Paul stated so clearly in his first letter to the Corinthians, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile . . ." another translation says, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith."  Why?  Because the resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything.  Jesus said he would die and be buried, and on the third day, would rise again_.² Here’s the thing:  

>IF Jesus did not rise from the dead, it would have made him a liar, and nothing else he taught would have been credible;                                                               >IF he did not rise from the dead, we would not serve a living Savior and Lord, and                                                                                                                                             >IF Jesus did not rise from the dead, we would not have the hope of resurrection after death ourselves to make our home with him forever.

The Christian faith would not have gone forward if Jesus had been killed, and never heard from again. The disciples would have remained hopeless, died in shame, and that would have been the end of Christianity.  Alas, it was not, and we are evidence of that. The young Jewish-Christian church started in Jerusalem, and soon spread to Mediterranean lands and beyond--which assures us that these young believers, who were enduring persecution, saw and believed in the risen Lord.

Paul wrote the most extensive biblical treatise on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, I delivered to you that … Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, (Peter) then to the twelve.  After that he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared to me also. 1 Corinthians 15.4 – 8.  These verses formed a creed that was recited in early Christian churches, and has been dated by scholars to within two to eight years of Jesus' resurrection.

Eyewitness accounts are the most valuable

Eyewitness accounts are the most valuable evidence in any matter or event being analyzed--515 eyewitnesses, most of whom were still alive when this was written, who could have refuted what has been recorded about Jesus' post-resurrection appearances, but they did not.  Jesus talked, walked and ate with his disciples.

The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest symbol of hope for believers today. It means that we serve a living God!  Combined with our faith is the HOPE that there is a new world to come, and in that world, God will set the record straight. And besides, the resurrection is one more testament that God keeps his promises.

Let us conclude by saying, the Resurrection is the epicenter of belief.  It is not a belief that grew up within the church; it is the belief around which the church itself grew up, and the 'given' upon which its faith was based.³  You see, Christianity without the resurrection is not simply Christianity without its final chapter.  No, it is not Christianity at all.⁴

Dear Christ follower, we simply must be aware of the proofs of our faith, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest of these.  His recorded crucifixion proves his death; the empty tomb proves he was not in it; all of the people who had encounters with a living, breathing Jesus Christ after they had seen him crucified proved he lived again.  Hope springs eternal, does it not? 

Christine

PastorWoman.com

1)    Luke 24.34

2)   Matthew 16.21

3)    C.H. Dodd

4) Father Gerald O’Collins, theologian – Easter Faith: Believing in the Risen Jesus, author of 55 books; from Melbourne, Australia