[Ps. 118:14-18; Mt. 28:2-10]
Grace to all of you who are one in Christ.
He is risen indeed, alleluia! Amen.
Easter was never supposed to have happened. After all, dead means dead.
In the biological makeup of humanity, the Resurrection remains an anomaly.
Without it happening, perhaps sometime after Jesus’ death or a bit longer after that, someone would’ve written down some of the things they remembered about him or what others remembered about him, and what he had said and done. Perhaps some people would’ve felt inspired and might have started a movement, a religion might have grown out of that, a philosophy, worldwide or more local. Perhaps a similar or a totally different version of the Gospels we have today would have been collected, or not. Or perhaps Jesus and his story would have simply faded into history, faded into the background, as a local folk hero, as a local teacher, barely mentioned, barely remembered.
The Resurrection made sure that the story of Jesus is remembered on a much larger scale, globally, through the centuries, that its impact is lasting, that the narrative has longevity. The Resurrection is a guarantee that the story of Jesus is always more, that it always goes deeper, that there will always be more to explore and learn.
The end is never the end.
The Resurrection is also a guarantee that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, it’s an assurance that pain, evil, sadness are always temporary, that we’ll overcome, that things will be ok. The Resurrection is all of those clichés.
At the same time it’s an affirmation that human suffering, anxiety, failure is acceptable, that human chaos, human messiness, human life is a place where God is fully present. After all, the Resurrection didn’t happen in a void, it happened from inside a cold, dark tomb.
We often consider the Resurrection as an ‘after’, first comes death, than after that comes resurrection. However, the Resurrection of Jesus guarantees us that in fact the before, now, and after are all intrinsically linked: in the story of Jesus his life, death, and rising from the dead are intrinsically linked. This is why the story of Jesus is more than a collection of sayings, or more than the life of man who was inspirational and who set amazing examples to follow. This is why that story of Jesus always goes beyond, deeper, farther, higher, into more detail. The Resurrection is a guarantee that every detail is covered, is valuable. The Resurrection is a guarantee that all of human life, every detail of human life is valuable.
As such, resurrection truly means holiness and wholeness. The Resurrection will always be an and-and story.
The Resurrection is the ultimate guarantee that we mustn’t feel pressured or forced to compartmentalise our lives, that we’re by no means bound in any way to hide certain aspects of ourselves, our emotions, our identity and personality. We’re under no obligation to present a perfect picture to the outside world, with the perfect job, the perfect family situation, the perfect relationship and friendships, the perfect holiday snaps, perfect white teeth and perfect clear skin and hair style and perfect outfits, with the perfect mental health, the perfectly ripped bodies. The Resurrection is a happy and necessary reminder that no one has is quite together like that. The Resurrection is a frank and equally necessary reminder that reality is good and shouldn’t be photo shopped.
All our bits and pieces matter to God. God created both body and soul and cares for both, and considers both worthy of resurrection. Even the soul that is troubled, and even the body that is crippled. No exceptions.
Because the Resurrection happened and because of the way it happened, we humans can be human as we have always been intended to be. The Resurrection is God’s way of showing us, of making absolutely clear to us that which God has always known and said, that human life matters, that it has its place and value in the greater plan of Creation.
The Resurrection is God’s promise and guarantee for us as his creatures that God has no regrets.
The Resurrection underlines and guarantees intent and commitment, interest, love.
Resurrection is covenant.
Without his physical resurrection, the story of Jesus would perhaps have been interesting enough to write down and read, but the impact would undoubtedly have remained limited, both in time and space and strength.
To interpret the Resurrection metaphorically or mythically means missing out on all the opportunities that the Resurrection presents. There was an actual tomb in an actual place at an actual time. And the Resurrection means that that actual tomb in an actual place as an actual time is empty.
Dead doesn’t mean dead, and the end doesn’t mean the end, and the biological anomaly that is the Resurrection give a place to all the clichés.