The dawning of 2025’s coming edition of Resurrection Sunday is only eight days away. Most of those who consider themselves Christians are looking forward to a weekend marked by special family times that include heading off to church together and hearing traditional Easter greetings that will resound in churches across the land. As people gather, someone will lift their voice and declare, “Hallelujah, He is risen!” Then others will respond joyfully, “He is risen, indeed, Hallelujah!” Cell phone cameras will pop up everywhere in an effort to capture as many of those special moments as possible and to help recall Easter’s welcome reprieve from the daily grind. But, ‘nine’ days from now, the dawn introducing another Monday morning may feel quite different. Many, if not most, will find that the joyful thoughts of triumph over death and the hope of heavenly bliss have been smothered as the heartless ‘here and now’ resumes its relentless demands for attention. 

A Familiar Scene ~
We’ve seen this process play out before, haven’t we? Every year, the sights and sounds of our Easter celebrations barely begin to fade before the invasive culture around us cranks up its insistence that we park our futuristic fantasies and return our attention to the “real” world. But as we suggested last week, Jesus’ post resurrection plan for His followers looked dramatically different than the ones we’re used to. Rather than returning to a mostly fear-based acquiescence to the pressures of the prevailing culture, Jesus called His followers to boldly resist living in accordance with its demands. He dispatched them to initiate transformation, not to promote conformity. Carrying out such a plan would require expanding their grasp of the extent of the Kingdom Jesus came to establish and of their role in it.

Like everything else in their lives, the disciples’ view of the scope of Jesus’ mission would undergo some radical changes in the months and years ahead. We in the West tend not to consider the impact of Jesus’ Jewishness. American Christians don’t generally think about the fact that Jesus of Nazareth and those in His special band of chosen disciples were also Jews, or how that influenced their view of the world and life in general. Most of our New Testament heroes and heroines were born to Jewish parents and raised in Jewish customs and traditions. They lived in Jewish homes, worshipped in Jewish synagogues, worked in Jewish trades, and ate Jewish food. And to His followers, Jesus was the Messiah God had promised to send to the Jewish people. The placard over His cross declared Him to be, The King of the Jews, not The King of the World. But His followers would soon discover that that’s exactly who He is. 

Early Indications of Expansion ~
But during His initial ministry, few, if any, understood the extent of the redemption He came to secure. They had no idea that the good news of His coming would reach far beyond those who considered themselves to be children of Abraham, even though it was declared the very night He was born. The angel’s announcement to the Bethlehem shepherds included a wonderfully prophetic phrase: 

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. (Luke 2:10 NKJV)

Beyond that, Jesus, Himself, indicated an expanded vision when He delivered the parable of the Good Shepherd and said: 

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. (John 10:16 NKJV)

And later, the Apostle, Paul, who would refer to himself as the Apostle to the Gentiles, would make it clear repeatedly that the gospel was not reserved for Jews alone. In his letter to the Church in Rome, he said:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek [a term representing any and all non-Jewish believers]. (Romans 1:16 NKJV)

When you consider that with one possible exception, Jesus Himself never travelled more than 100 miles from where He was born, reaching the entire civilized world would seem impossible. All He had to start with was a small, diverse band of young followers who were, by the accepted academic standards of the culture, uneducated and untrained. In spite of that, the world Jesus intended to reach meant going far beyond the limits that existed in that day. 

A Gospel with No Boundaries ~
The Gospel of the Kingdom Jesus began to preach in Galilee would go on to outlive every age, race, nation, tribe, tongue, and people that would come after Him. The transforming power of love and redemptive forgiveness secured forever by His resurrection has withstood every obstacle that human and satanic forces could create to obstruct it. Jesus’ promise of life has proven to be relevant to every human being in every age, regardless of their race, gender, ethnic origin, ideology, religious affiliation, or social context. The only ones excluded from His Kingdom then or now are those who deny and reject the King and refuse to receive the gift He offers. The world has been transformed in many ways since Jesus came, but the mission is not complete yet, and that’s where you and I, and our relationship with Resurrection Sunday, comes in. 

Jesus’ vision from the beginning was not just to offer the promise of an eventual resurrection and a place in His Kingdom after death. Being “saved” isn’t just something to talk about at our funeral . . .

• • • It’s about deliverance from the pain, suffering, grief, and despair that plague us here and now.
    • It’s about present deliverance from the impact of lies, betrayal, deceit, greed, lust, and fear.
    • It’s about practicing the principles Jesus taught and living out the righteousness and justice that are foundational in His Kingdom.

None of that can be done without His active and personal involvement – and thankfully, that’s exactly what the empty tomb allowed. 

When the stone was moved away to allow His followers to see that His body was no longer there, it also opened the way for the Spirit that animated Him to dwell within our bodies, as well. It allows every one of us to be participants in His resurrection spiritually as we await the  new body promised to us physically. Consider a few of the affirmations of that and what it can really mean to our lives here and now, and to the world around us.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:1–2 NKJV)

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  (Romans 6:3–4 NKJV)

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, (Colossians 2:13 NKJV)

So, as we contemplate our celebration of Resurrection Sunday, let’s also contemplate what Jesus intended our ‘post’ resurrection involvement in this world to be. The neighborhoods we live in, the places we work, the restaurants where we enjoy a meal now and then … they all need to see something different. They need to see people like you and me who were once just one of the world’s zombies moving through a world where every street is a dead end, but who have now left the tomb behind. We’re not physically perfected yet, but we’re blessed to be spiritually prepared to make this world better as we await that day.

________________________________

As we look toward Resurrection Sunday, may your plans for the week ahead be blessed, and may the Spirit of Christ prepare our hearts for celebrating the empty tomb and Jesus’ triumph over death.

Join us next week for our the final installment of “But if Christ Be not Risen,” Part III.

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • Jesus called and dispatched His followers to initiate transformation, not to promote conformity. Carrying out such a plan would require expanding their grasp of the extent of the Kingdom He came to establish and their role in it. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • American Christians don’t generally think about the fact that Jesus of Nazareth and those in His special band of chosen disciples were also Jews, or how that influenced their view of the world and life in general. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
  • To His followers, Jesus was the Messiah God promised to send to the Jewish people. The placard over His cross declared Him to be King of the Jews, not King of the World. But His followers would soon discover that that’s exactly who He is. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • The transforming power of love and redemptive forgiveness secured forever by His resurrection has withstood every obstacle that human and satanic forces could ever create to obstruct it. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
  • Salvation includes deliverance from pain, suffering, grief, despair that plague us here and now. It’s present deliverance from the impact of lies, betrayal, greed, lust and fear. It’s practicing principles He taught and living out righteousness and justice. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 

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