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"The Third Day He Rose Again From the Dead"
Matthew 27:62 ~ 28:10

April 6, 1969

Rev. John M. Buchanan

The President of the United States was there; DeGaulle, Thieu, Trudeau,

U Thant; wealth and power, the Secret Service and the Marine Corps Bank; Cadillac
limousines dispensing captains of finance and industry; even the Gothic sanctuary of

the National Cathedral spoke of grandeur and might. And in the midst of it all - in

the midst of this unique concentration of what men perceive as powerful, death, in

stark, brute reality, wrote the final page in the story of a beloved man's life.

The contrast was striking. There was nothing in all the world these men, and the power
they represented, could do about the last terrible foe.

There was , of course, a majesty and dignity to all of it - as there always is
when a great man dies. And yet lirs. Eisenhower felt the same feelings, no more, no
less, than millions upon millions of other widows; the same oppressive, helpless
weakness best expressed by an inaudible sigh.

And in the midst of it all, a man in a black robe stood and in a straightforward,
unadorned manner, read the words - the most glorious — the most optimistic - the most
hopeful words words in the vocabulary of man. . . "I am the resurrection and the life:
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die,"

That is very much the manner in which the New Testament presented the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is all very straightforward, without hesitation or
awkward embarrassment. The New Testament doesn't argue about it or plead for its
truth. I+ doesn't mumble, as if the resurrection could be tacked on to the end of
Jesus' life, to be accepted or ignored depending on how the individual feels about
these things. It simply announces it: "Now is Christ risen from the dead. Who can
separate us from the love of God. Not life, not death, not anything. I am the resurrection
and the life."

In the midst of the sophisticated pomp of a state funeral the words were read-
in the same way that the words are articulated in the midst of all humanity: "The
third day he rose again." But for most contemporary Christians it is not enough:
there must be more.

We are, I believe, very much like those chief priests and pharisees who
went to Pilate after the crucifixion and requested measures to secure the tomb. They
were, the scripture said, afraid that his disciples would steal the body and then tell
the people that he had risen. They were afraid of that, to be sure. But don't you
think their words belie their real fear? Don't you think they were omore than a
little afraid that he might rise up from that grave. Don't you think, underneath it all,
they were desparately afraid of that and that what the New Testament is describing
here is a group of frightened men wanting to do everything possible to protect
themselves from that kind of miracle. .

I think we are like that. Of course, the stakes are a little different.

And yet we continue to insist on a life made safe from miracles. We continue to
insist on rational explanations for everything in order to shut out the possibility
of a miracle.

And so on this day all the traditional "explanations: of the resurrection
are dragged out and placed on parade. "It's the language of poetry - but it really
didn't happen. Jesus' teaching are immortal and will live forever. His loving spirit
was resurrected in the lives of his disciples and he lives in people who call him
Lord." Or - "he was drugged by thewine they gave him to drink, or in a coma from
his wounds, or unconscious from pain, and in the coolness of the tomb he revived."

All the so-called "proofs" of the resurrection are discussed today and the
effect of them is to make the event understandable and to protect us from a miracle.
It's a little like discovering that you're sitting om a bomb, and acting immediately
+o defuse it. The bomb is still there, but now you may go about your business without

worrying about the possibility that it may detonate.

Contrary to the views held by many people the resurrection of Jesus
Christ was like a bomb that exploded in the midst of the disciples. It has been
argucd that they wanted it to happen so badly that they ended up deluding themselves.
But isn't it odd that the New Testament should describe the exact opposite? Imm't it
odd that not one person directly involved expected it to happen? They had been with
him for three years, and had heard him predict that he would suffer and die and after
three days rise up from his grave. And-apparently the only ones who took that promis:
seriously were the men who crucified him. The disciples didn't expect it: they fled as
quickly as they could and hid behind a barred door. Joseph of Arimithea - the only
one courageous enough to be identified with him after his humiliation certainly didn't
expect it. He prepared the tomb he had constructed for himself and had the body
wrapped tightly in linen. The women who came to the garden in the first light of dawn
obviously expected to find him dead, because they had brought with them the proper
spices to anoint tho body.

No one really expected it to happen. When they were confronted with it;
when they first heard the neve that the tomb was empty they reacted with cynical
doubt. Whon several of thom tol the others what they had seen, they didn't believe

it. Thomas held out until ke could sce and fsael. When the rumor persisted their
response was not joy an’ ho opiness, but fear and terror. No one really expected it to
happen.

The disciples of Jesu: belicved that he hed risen from the dead only after
they had explored every other pesibility - only when it forced itself in upon them -
only after it had cxplo". 1 in ‘ oin midst iike a bomb.

We are concerned vith ex lasations and it's interesting that the New Testament
which can be very meticulcou: in ovhor places, deesa't even bother to tell how it
happened. No story wac constructed to dcacribe that dramatic moment when the stone
rolled away and the lifeless form stood up. ihe early writers wore content to refrain
from doing the imporsible -- explaining the unexplainable. And so they simply proclaimed
it ~ straightforward ~- withont awkward hocitation ~ Jecus Christ is Risen.

For the Chuvch of Jesus Christ Paster is a celebration of a reality, and not
a pathotic yearly attempt to convince ourselves that the resurrection really
happened. The New ‘ceetement was written on the basis of that conviction. The church
was [oundca ane lives sy this faith. - And it is no more appropriate to spend our
‘ans arguing todsy ‘then it would be to spend the Fourth of July arguing that we
really are independent cf Groat Britain.

It is a celebration, and that is best done in hym and prayer and worship.

O Faster day we aru called to celebrate the reality wich gives life and meaning

to our fellowsh'p srovy Sunday of the year=
Fux. wiat does 1%-menn to live within the reality of the resurrection -- n0%
only in April - but also in July and November? It means, of course, far more than

I am able to diccusc thin morning. But I wovld suggest two directions.

It means, first, tho ultimate victory of truth end goodness. Now, that is
a fine sounding phrase that probably means very little to anyone here. So let's
axamine a little moze closely

We are inclined 4» ‘nin’: about the resurrection first in terms of personal
immortality. That is, pos of it. cL ccouwen, but primarily what is at stake is what
kind of world we live ‘n - wac is ultimately goung to win the battle -- the forces
of good -- or the force. of ov. 1? Sus really terrible thing about the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ was thc! iv cat the bovloa cut of everything. What kind of a world
is it, in which this coula iove ple.s. If s kina and gonsle man, an absolutely honest
man who did nothing but good. caa ts exccuted e3 a criminal inothing much makes

sense.

That, I belicve, was the post-crucifixion despair of the disciples. Over the
period of threo years life hod giadually come to make sense. The way to real life
was - in loving - helping - suffering and serving. And now this. Now he was dead.
All the sham and hypocricy and evil he had stood against had won the day. That, I
believe, was the very depths of despair.

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find, I believe, you and I know something about it because we have experienced
it, too. Truth and goodness and honesty seem very weak - almost helpless in the face
of life's brute realities. The world seems to smile indulgently at the totally honest
man: unselfishness and sacrifice are not honored so much as they are exploited.
4nd so we grow cynical and call it "being realistic."

Or perhaps we've lost someone very dear to us: someone who meant all the world
+o us: someone for whom we, lived to please and to love. And suddenly nothing makes
sense any more. Life has no meaning.

Or perhaps we've committed ourselves to some noble cause -- equal rights, or
the relicf of poverty -.,and time and time again seen our cause sacrificed because
of expediency. Perhaps we've disédvered’ that the policies of our government, or ri
the motives of our elected representatives are not . blessed with a pristine purity,
but rather reflect econoric and political convenience. And so we throw up our hands
in despair. "What's the usei"

We are, of course, treading very anes on the most important, most profound
question ever asket: "What kind of a world is it? Who will win the battle?" - c

The message of L-ster is that the good aaa gentle man rose up from his grave.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the gloricusly good news that no matter who is
winning today's skirmish, ‘tho decireive battle has already been won. There is an
ultimate integrity and justice anc goodness in God's creation and nothing can prevent
its ultimate victory. Not comm-nrism or fascism -- or the rampant nihilism of our own
day: not cancer or hearé disease ox tragiv airplane crashes: not racism or bigotry

or vested interests. Nothine. Jesuc Christ is alive -- the battle is won. The universe
is good - and things do make sonse -- life is worth living no matter what is going on
at the moment.

From his prison cell in Nasi Germany, facing certain execution, Dietrich
“Bonhoeffer wrote to his parents: "We need not the ars moriendi, the art of dying,
but the resurrection of Christ to invigorate and cleanse the world today... what

a tremendoug difference it would make if a few people really believed and acted upon
‘that. To live in the light of the resurrection - that is the meaning of Easter."
(y 154, Letters and Papers from Prison) ti
hat is the first direction. The second is that in a very personal sense
we may know thet life is the victor over death. Death did not hold Jesus Christ.
He got up and walked away. Celebrating that fact, St. Paul wrote ‘some of the es
happicst words I know. Te the Romans he poced the question: "Who shall separate us a
from the love of God?" and answered -- ‘Nothing -- nothing in life, not even death."
Writing to the Corinthians he concluded a lengthy dissertation on the resurrection ieee’
Witla theses good words: “0 death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
Thove words stand a one: hut I think Georze Frederick Handel best understood then :
when he put them to music in his fancus oratorio, "The Messiah". The melody is
lilting, almost giddy. ‘he question is asked olrout mockingly. He caught the essence ae
of the resurrection: and that is that the sting and cvictory of the grave are simply Be
no more.
We mourn the ceath of others - our own loved ones — Dwight Eisenhower; we
mourn a little every tiie we aro confronted with anyone's death, because we are reminded —
of our own. From tim? imm-norial men have been afraid. The strongest instinct . re
within ue is to deny and fear snd battlo against death. . i.
Dylan Thomas said it well: ees
"Do not go gentle into *he night :
Rage, rage against the dimming of tha light..." ee

Fe

me

nie Easter means, simply - put aside your fear. Death is not your conqueror:
The last spoken about you will not be death: in fact, you have already been
spoken for by your risen Lord. s
‘ I'm uncomfortable with specific descriptions of eternal life. But a British MES
ae _ theologian has said it beautifully and well: "The unfinished tasks we have tried eH -
ot A igs do, the dreams and hopes and aspirations after which we have striven, the
a relationships we have vainly sought to perfect and complete, the experiences that —
_ have lifted us up and laid us low, moulded us and made us — all these will not be
a a - lost or left behind, but will be the notow we = we render harmony to the music
.- “ of the City of God." (Neville Clark, ting +h surrection. ps 114)
ayes That is what Easter means, and it is good n

et On this day let us sing it, rejoice in ait, peTetoute it. Jesus Christ our
“y. ee is Risen. And then let us live - gloriously in security and freedom. Christ ;
a Fy Risen!