Does the Resurrection Mean Anything to Me?

 

April 20, 2025

Easter is the biggest feast of Christianity, though of course Christmas is the most celebrated feast. And while it is quite easy to see how Christmas, the birth of Jesus has changed our lives, perhaps we have not asked ourselves as clearly, how Easter has changed our lives. Furthermore, while the birth of Jesus is generally accepted as being a historical event, the fact is that Easter is primarily considered a faith-event, for it is an event that was manifested only to those who were, or became, followers of Jesus.

In fact though Muslims accept that Jesus was indeed a messenger of Allah, they are not willing to accept the idea of Jesus’ resurrection after death: “ …they (the Jews) said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah"; but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not. Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.(Quran 4:157–158[12].  The Ahmadi religion, which is considered a break-off from mainline Islam, believes that Jesus did not really die on the cross and somehow escaped and came to India where he continued to preach and finally died in Kashmir where they point to a tomb which has a name very similar to Jesus. The Dalai Lama in 2001 spoke of Jesus as having lived many lives, which could be one of many possible Buddhist interpretations of the resurrection of Jesus.  

Added to this, even within Christendom, there is the well-founded teaching that we need not take the very physical portrayals of the Gospels very literally. (Having an Adult Faith, April 16, 2023).

So what do we make of this event?  Was it purely a faith event, and is there no historical justification for this belief? And more importantly, does this resurrection event make any difference in my life today?  

Responding first to the historical basis of such an event, one could say that while we may not really know what exactly happened, it would seem that something extraordinary did happen. And there are three simple reasons that could be put forward to support this assertion. Firstly there is a significant amount of non-Christian evidence that Jesus was in fact nailed to the cross and he did die there. However, the Jewish Sanhedrin already knew that there were predictions about Jesus rising from the dead (Mathew 27:66-69), and so both they and the Roman authorities who had many resources at their command (money, soldiers, authority etc) had a great stake in ensuring that a ‘false’ prophecy was not claimed to have come true. Therefore the question could be asked as to why these authorities could not produce Jesus’ body when the Christians started spreading the story of Jesus’ resurrection - for they only had to do this to completely squelch this troublesome group. So the fact seems to be that the body did disappear. Secondly,  it has been noted, that in all the Gospel stories, strangely a woman or women were the first witnesses to the Resurrection. Why is this important? Remember that the Gospels were written within a religious and culturall milieu where a woman’s witness was clearly not as weighty as a man’s, and therefore if the story was being fabricated, then surely any sensible writer would have made one or more men to be the first witnesses. Thirdly, we can assume while human beings are at times ready to die for their beliefs, whether those beliefs are true or not, it is extremely unlikely that human beings will put their lives in jeopardy for something that they themselves know to be a lie. Now we do know that the apostles were willing to die for their belief in the “resurrection” of Jesus, and therefore we can assume that they would not have been ready to die for this belief, if in actual fact they knew that they themselves had spirited away the body and only pretended that he rose from the dead.  

Leaving aside the historical question, and more importantly, we need to ask ourselves what difference does the Resurrection of Jesus make to me in my life. Unfortunately, for some/many of us, the resurrection of Jesus is a matter of dogma or belief, and not a transforming experience, as it is basically a ‘proof’ that we are in the ‘right’ religion, and this gives us a certain sense of security. But if that is all that the resurrection means to us, then to use the words of Paul, our faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:17)

On the other hand there are those for whom the life of Jesus taken as a whole, from his birth, his ministry, his crucifixion and death and his eventual resurrection is more than just a belief.  Just to give a few examples: For some  it could be a motivation to live a life like Jesus, knowing that even if one seems to fail despite all the efforts one makes in trying to live up to one’s commitments, one really does not eventually fail. So, for example, we have Fr. Stan Swami who worked selflessly for the adivasis (indigenous people)in a part of India, and was arrested and died in jail without getting justice, but his life still inspires many. And a quick search on the net gave me the names of numerous others who died and yet influenced and inspired thousands, even  millions of others - like Socrates, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr - all of whom were killed unjustly, - and yet who continue to live in so many powerful ways. And there are many many others, less famous, like committed medical professionals, teachers, parents, coaches, lawyers, and many others who live their lives deeply committed to making the world a little better place, and do not get any apparent recognition before they die - yet continue to live powerfully in the lives of those they touched. And so we too are helped to continue in our own commitments even in the face of the lack of any obvious success. Then there are others who  have suffered the loss of a near and dear one, and the experience of the resurrection of Jesus helps them bear with their loss, and even to face death themselves, knowing/believing that death is not the end.  For still others it gives them the ability to forgive others, knowing/believing that eventually such forgiveness will both heal themselves and bring new life, a better life, to the small world their own lives have influenced. And so on and so forth.  These are some of the ways in which the resurrection of Jesus has transformed some lives. Then there are of course those, like Paul (and all the Apostles, and many saints down the centuries), whose lives have turned completely topsy-turvy because of their experience of the resurrected Jesus.

So the question we need to ask ourselves is: What does it mean to me that Jesus rose from the dead?  How has it influenced how I live my life? Or has it not made any real difference?

First Reading: Acts 10: 34a, 37-43

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.  That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.  He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.  All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

 

Second Reading: Colossians 3: 1-4 or First Corinthians 5: 6b-8

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Or

Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

 

Gospel: John 20: 1-9 or Matthew 28: 1-10

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Or

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.  But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead,[b] and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.”  So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.  Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”