and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door,
and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And
the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said
to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not
here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly
and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you
into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
(Matthew 28:1-7)
Many people, including Christians, view the Resurrection only as a great historical event. They pause once a year to reverently remember the death and resurrection of Christ. However, the resurrection is also a force, a power that belongs only to God. The death and resurrection of Jesus was much more than just something that happened one time. It was an historic demonstration of God’s attitude and power.
When we come to a place where we die to our own dreams and preferences and possessions and agendas – when we let it all fall into the ground and just pass away and be covered over with dirt – the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead comes into the story. In the pattern of our Lord, we cannot taste the power of the Resurrection without first going the way of the cross. It seems that the cross never kills the ignored or tolerated parts of our life. It always seems to demand life’s most cherished dimensions and details.
When we read the story of Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac, we often miss the fact that Abraham is the one who died that day. The father who walked back down the mountain was a different Abraham than the one who ascended it. His personal ideas and affections as a father had to die, to be poured out, so that the infinitely larger purpose of God could flow into his heart. Because Abraham died to himself, God could trust him to carry the seed that would bless the whole earth for all time.
God exchanged Abraham’s old life – very provincial, personal and limited – with the unlimited and panoramic sweep of the Lord’s generosity for the whole earth. Abraham became one of the largest figures in world history because he released his cherished and only son Isaac into the hand of God. A seed is one of the most mysterious things in all of God’s creation. When you hold a grain of wheat in your hand, you are holding much more than a seed; you hold future fields and generations of wheat.
The seed in your hand may belong to you. Yes, you can eat it. But, if you drop it into the ground and walk away, by its own death it takes on a brand new and limitless life. It can literally feed millions. Jesus’ friends and disciples could not understand the cross. How would it even be possible that their Friend, the youthful and very vibrant Jesus, could just, you know, die? And, besides, He was just a magnificent man, such a continual fountain of blessing and health and provision for them and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of others.
Such wonderful blessings are supposed to continue. A “God-who-is-good-all-the-time‚” just had to know that they really needed the One whom He gave. Surely, He would remain with them every day of their lives. But, the largeness of God knew that the personal and very local relationships with Jesus would have to be cashed in for the grand eternal purpose. What about the gifts that God has deposited in you? Were they given for your own life? For your own family? Did God give them so that you could control and dispense them according to your vision and agenda? Or, does He have a harvest in mind?
Praise God, HE has risen.
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