JESUS IS RISEN. THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT.
1 CORINTHAINS 15:1-11
In
the name + of Jesus.
M: Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
C: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Not long ago, there was a Christian
theologian who spoke these words from his death bed: “If Jesus is risen,
nothing else matters. If Jesus is not
risen, nothing else matters.” St.
Paul said it differently: “I am going to call your attention to the gospel
that I preached to you. … For I
delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died
for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was
raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1,3-4). Jesus is risen. There is nothing more important.
St. Paul had a lot of issues to address in
his letters to the Corinthian congregation.
Among them were divisions in the church and church discipline, sexual
ethics and marriage, the office of the holy ministry, and proper decorum in
worship. Much of what Paul had to say are
still issues within Christendom; the problems never really go away. In fact, time seems to add new problems. How much should the church preach about
politicians, immigration, the war in Iran, LGBTQ+ matters, protests, free
speech, and the like?
First, it should be noted that the Church
is not a political action group. When
election season rolls around, we don’t hand out pins or invite candidates to
speak (although some have asked). If the
Church is to influence society, it is by changing hearts one person at a
time. That happens through preaching God’s
word, not by protests or activism. It
should also be noted that while contemporary issues are not the main thing, they
are not meaningless, either. God’s word has
a lot to say about them. But the Church
is not founded upon contemporary issues.
If we devote our time and attention to contemporary issues, we will lose
focus on the eternal issue. Jesus is
risen. There is nothing more important.
St. Paul told the Corinthians what truly
matters. “I delivered to you as of
first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in
accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the
third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). There is nothing more important. This is not to minimize your trials and your
tears. It is a broken world, and bad
things happen. You can argue that they
are not supposed to happen. You can work
hard to improve your little corner of the world. But nothing you say or do is going to change
the fact that this world is flawed and produces frustration.
The flaws and frustrations of this broken
world have their finality in death. That
is what produces fear in everyone. Even
if you are going through a trial, there is always hope that things are going to
get better. But death puts an end all
hope. If you have a sick child, you hope
things will get better. You hope to
avoid the worst-case scenario, that the child dies. Just the thought of that would make any
mother cry. Death brings finality. It puts an end to hope. Many of our fears arise from the threat of
death. When the news reports war or
terrorism, the fear is that it will bring death to your home. If your trials are financial, it is
frustrating, but people have survived through greater hardships than that. But if your life has been reduced to just
surviving, the fear is that you may not.
When COVID first hit, we were told that 1/3 of the population would
die. That terrified almost everybody. People think that the worst thing that can
happen to them is death. But every life
ends in death. There is no escape from
it. We don’t know the “how” or the
“when,” but we all know that it is not “if.”
You may wring your hands over politics, pandemics,
and the price of gas and eggs, but in the hour of death, you won’t care about
any of that. You need something certain
which brings comfort and peace. St. Paul
proclaimed it to the Corinthians, and it has been recorded for you: “I
delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died
for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was
raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians
15:3-4).
Jesus is risen. There is nothing more important. Of course, if we celebrate Jesus’
resurrection, that means he died. St.
Paul told us what Jesus’ death was for: “for our sins.” Jesus absorbed all transgressions into
himself. This man is the substitute for
all mankind, absorbing the blows and suffering the hell all mankind
deserves. He was buried, and on the
third day, this man rose from the dead, just as the Scriptures foretold. Psalm 16 states, “My heart is glad, and my
whole being rejoices. Even my flesh
will dwell securely because you will not abandon my life to the grave. You will not let your favored one see
decay” (Psalm 16:9-10). Jesus did
not come back as a zombie with a grotesque appearance. Jesus arose with a glorious body. Jesus lives and will never die again. This man rules over death and now can release
all mankind from the grave. Jesus is
risen. There is nothing more
important.
That resurrection assures us that the
Father has accepted Jesus’ payment for all your sins. It also shows us that the grave has lost its
power to Jesus. The Lord Jesus will come
again to raise up all the dead. In the
end, the grave gets nothing. All will be
gathered before Jesus. There will be a
division among the people, however.
Those who believe in Jesus will receive the benefits of his life, death,
and resurrection. Those to whom Jesus
was most important are covered in Jesus’ innocence. They will receive life everlasting. This is why there is nothing more
important.
But there will be many others for whom
Jesus was never important. They were
devoted to other matters—perhaps social causes or political activism. Perhaps their Sundays were devoted to sports
or sleep. Perhaps they cared only about
partying or porn. Most do not think that
they are bad people. Granted, most
people are not criminals, but all people are sinners. All need God’s forgiveness. To despise Jesus is to forsake the only
source of forgiveness there is. Many
will be raised from their graves only to be cast into hellfire. So, there are things worse than death.
That’s why there is nothing more important
than Jesus. He proclaimed, “Repent,
and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Repent,
and recognize that you have not lived the holy life God demands. You don’t have to sell yourself to God. He wouldn’t buy it anyway. And if you are honest with yourself, neither
would you. But here is the good news:
Jesus Christ has redeemed you from your sin.
The proof is that he has conquered death. Eternal life is God’s gift, won by Jesus, delivered
to you. Jesus is risen. He delivers the goods to you in word and
sacraments. “Whoever believes and is
baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).
There is nothing more important.
“If Jesus is risen, nothing else
matters. If Jesus is not risen, nothing
else matters.” If Jesus is
risen, it will not matter if you die rich or poor; young or old; married,
single, or divorced; beloved or despised; healthy of sick. It will not matter if you die peacefully or
tragically. If Jesus is risen, nothing
else matters. Your place in heaven is
secure, and you can live your life in godliness and in joyful anticipation of a
glorious resurrection.
But the other end of that statement is,
“If Jesus is not risen, nothing else matters.”
If Jesus is not risen, you are still in our sins. The world remains broken. Life goes on with trials and tears. In fact, life is just a march of failings and
frustrations to the finality of death.
Even St. Paul observed, “If our hope in Christ applies only to this
life, we are the most pitiful people of all.
If the dead are not raised, then ‘let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we
die’” (1 Corinthians 15:19,32).
But St. Paul removes the “If” from these
things. Jesus is risen! There is nothing more important. In fact, St. Paul says there is nothing more
certain! Listen to the evidence St. Paul
presents: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that
he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the
Scriptures, and that he appeared to
Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that he appeared to over five hundred brothers at the same time,
most of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, and then to all
the apostles. Last of all, he appeared
also to me” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Jesus is risen! It is not a metaphor or a myth, a fable or a
fairy tale. It is a historical fact
attested by multiple witnesses who saw him, spoke with him, touched him,
inspected his wounds, and feasted with him.
As St. Paul noted, the claims of Jesus’ resurrection are not private
encounters that cannot be investigated. In
one case, he appeared to over five hundred brothers at the same time. St. Paul practically dared the Corinthians to
verify it since most of them were still alive and could testify what they saw
and heard.
Jesus is risen. There is nothing more important. You and I are not able to interview those who
saw Jesus’ risen body. We have only
their eyewitness accounts recorded for us.
But we also have their testimony confirmed by their blood. They chose to rather die rather than deny
what they had seen. Compare that to the
men who were involved in the cover-up of the Watergate scandal. Chuck Colson served as White House special
counsel. He was involved in the cover-up
and spoke about the failure to keep the lie going. He said, “I know the resurrection is a
fact, and Watergate proved it to me.
How? Because 12 men testified
that they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth
for 40 years, never once denying it.
Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it
weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of
the most powerful men in the world—and they couldn’t keep a lie for three
weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles
could keep lie for 40 years? Absolutely
impossible.”
Dear Christians, the Lord Jesus Christ
died for your sins. He was buried. He is risen.
The Scriptures prophesied about it.
Jesus himself foretold it. The
apostles witnessed it, proclaimed it, and died for it. It is the message on which the Church is
built. It is the message on which your
life rests and in which you will find comfort in the hour of death. As sure and certain as death is, just as sure
and certain is that Jesus rose from the dead.
Therefore, you can be sure and certain of the resurrection of the dead
and the life everlasting.
You
may die having accomplished much, or you may wish you could have done
more. You may die having accumulated
much, or you may leave behind precious little.
You may die surrounded by friends and family, or you may die alone. In the eternal picture, none of that
matters. No matter what, you will
die. But no matter what, Jesus
lives. Jesus will come again and raise
you up to a life that will never end, will never know tears, and will never
disappoint you. Jesus is risen. There is nothing more important.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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