Following the Risen Lord
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate key moment in world history. If this did not really happen, faith in Jesus Christ makes no sense. Through the resurrection of Christ, discipleship received a huge boost, a new depth and a transcendent orientation. The resurrected Christ is the cornerstone to which everything should be orientated. But – belief in the resurrection is also objectionable and provokes resistance.
Recently I read the obituary of a pastor’s wife and there it said Resurrection celebration invited. This perspective at the end of an extremely painful life impresses me. Every year at Easter we celebrate the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus has given the entire history of the world a new direction. Today we listen to a sermon by Peter, which he could only preach in this way against the background of Christ’s resurrection. It was preceded by Peter’s healing of a paralysed beggar. «Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, «Leading men and elders of our people, are we being questioned because we did good to a paralysed man? Do you want to know how he was healed? I declare before you and all the people of Israel that he was healed in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the man whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is «the stone which you builders rejected, but which has now become the cornerstone». In him alone there is salvation! In all heaven there is no other name that men can call upon to be saved» » (Acts 4:8–12 NLB).
New message
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the absolutely crucial piece of the puzzle in the Christian proclamation. It is the legitimisation for everything said before. «But if Christ is not risen, then your faith is useless and you are still imprisoned in your sins.» (1 Corinthians 15:17 NLB).
We can claim that a height of 6 metres in the pole vault cannot be mastered until someone comes along and does it. It is the same with the resurrection. As soon as someone has passed on, we know that there is resurrection to eternal life. This is why Paul argues: «But now Christ is the first to rise from the dead» (1 Corinthians 15:20 NLB). This event overrode the previous laws of nature and started a new age. And then: «[…] Christ first, and when he comes again, then those who belong to him» (V.23 NLB). Resurrection is a realistic future scenario for those who belong to Him. There is a huge difference between a pole vault over 6 metres and the resurrection to eternal life: No one has to be resurrected in their own strength, but only to belong to Him, to cling to Jesus. Figuratively speaking, Jesus is the head and His followers are the body. Once the head has passed through the birth canal, the rest happens effortlessly.
It happens from time to time that Christians pass on the gospel in short bursts and say: «Jesus Christ died for our sins…» Yes, that’s true! But we must not ignore the resurrection. It’s not just about forgiveness, but about a new life. Paul’s proclamation is aimed at the resurrection of Christ: «[…] of the man whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead […]» The fruit of the life of people who belong to God is resurrection life. Peter then explains to all the listeners how they too can become potential candidates for resurrection: «In him (Jesus Christ!) alone there is salvation! There is no other name in all of heaven that people can call upon to be saved» (Acts 4:12 NLB).
New successor
When Jesus lived on earth, it was quite clear to his friends what it meant to follow him. They walked live with Jesus through the streets, listened to His sermons, witnessed how He healed the sick and cast out demons. The longer He went on, the more He instructed them to do these things themselves. So far everything is clear. But how do you follow the resurrected Jesus, who is no longer physically present? Peter gives us a hint in his sermon: «For Jesus is the stone you builders rejected, who has now become the cornerstone» (Acts 4:11 NLB). The Builders of the time were the people of the high council. They wanted to get Jesus out of the way. But now this ’stone» of all things turns out to be the cornerstone, the reference point on which the whole order of the new world, the kingdom of God, is to be orientated.
Anyone who wants to follow Jesus must orientate their thoughts, actions, words and feelings towards the cornerstone. It should be the undisputed focal point. «[…] We want to run the race to the end for which we are destined. We do this by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from the beginning to the end […]» (Hebrews 12:1f NLB). Recently I heard a pastor say with great clarity that a Christian must read at least one chapter from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament every day. The Word of God is alive and allows us to keep our eyes on the cornerstone. However, it is no substitute for persistent searching and intimate, purpose-free being with Jesus. At the cornerstone risen Jesus It is important to orientate yourself. In medicine, there is the external fixator and the internal fixator. Jesus Christ is not only an external fixed star, but also an internal one. It is said of Peter that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Christ in us. The Spirit of God is the decisive factor in discipleship.
Those who follow the risen Christ experience profound change. Until his encounter with the risen Christ on the Sea of Galilee, Peter was a choleric coward. But after the encounter with the Risen Christ and the subsequent fulfilment by the Holy Spirit, he was like a «glove turned inside out». He followed Jesus with courage, fearlessness, power and strength. People were healed because Peter’s shadow fell on them (Acts 5:15). In Peter’s case, there is a clear difference between the time when he followed the historical Christ and the time when he followed the risen Christ. When we include the resurrection of Christ in our everyday discipleship, we realise that everything becomes possible. Heaven and earth meet, previously supernatural things are transformed into natural things.
At the same time, such a belief also creates friction: «When they heard Peter and John teaching that there was a resurrection of the dead and pointing to Jesus as proof of this, they were highly alarmed. They had them both arrested […]» (Acts 4:2f NLB). Such a crazy idea as the resurrection of the dead is not socially acceptable and generates resistance. Jesus predicted that His followers would be persecuted in the same way as He was. In my daily prayer time, I also use the Open Doors prayer calendar as a guide. On 19 March, for example, it said: «Laos: Let us pray for Manyseng, whose husband divorced her because of her faith. As she has no work, she can barely provide for herself and her children. Some Christian families help them with food, but that is still not enough.» When this happens, the belief in resurrection becomes even more important. The greatest conceivable force in the universe is on our side. The following therefore applies: «Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body – they cannot kill the soul» (Matthew 10:28a New Testament). Following the risen Christ has its price. And not only in Laos, but Jesus generalises: «[…] A servant is not greater than his master. Since they persecuted me, they will also persecute you […]» (John 15:20 NLB).
New identity
The Bible makes it clear that at the end of days there will be a new heaven and a new earth in this world. In his nature and quality, the resurrected Jesus is a harbinger of the new creation. When the disciples encountered the risen Christ and placed their fingers in his scars, they touched the new creation for the first time. And we see – the new creation is both: continuity and discontinuity. On the one hand, the story continues (Jesus was recognised, bore the scars of the crucifixion), on the other hand, it is created in a new dimension (Jesus could suddenly appear in a room without passing through the door). This is the future scenario for the whole of creation.
It says about Peter, the follower of Jesus, that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. What does this mean? Paul gives the answer: «God himself has prepared us for this new life by giving us his Spirit as a pledge and down payment» (2 Corinthians 5:5 New Testament). The gift of God’s Spirit is the preparation, pledge and down payment for the new heaven and the new earth. Every follower becomes a new creature through the Holy Spirit. The future begins today. It is not about us going to heaven, but about heaven coming to earth through us. This is precisely the aim of the dispositive, Jesus as the cornerstone and the Holy Spirit within. Following Christ means identifying with the new world and anticipating it. It cannot be emphasised enough that followers of Jesus already have the new heaven and the new earth within them. The fulfilment according to the example of Jesus Christ happens when Jesus returns and establishes his kingdom in this world.
At the same time – and this is the message against all stressful busyness – the effects of the Holy Spirit are expressed with the Greek word Dynamis described. It is the same power – by far the strongest in the entire universe – that resurrected Jesus. This divine dynamite is what brings us forwards on our journey with Jesus.
The resurrection ceremony for the vicar’s wife is over. But she has not yet been resurrected. At the moment, she is still in paradise, just like the co-crucified Jesus and many others. Paradise is a place of bliss. The physical resurrection will follow when Jesus returns and creates the new heaven and the new earth. Today we celebrate that the head is already through and that we can know with confidence that there really is a resurrection!
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: Acts 4:1–15
- What is the difference between whether Jesus was truly physically resurrected or not? Why is this the crucial piece of the puzzle?
- What is the difference between following only the historical Christ or the actually risen Christ?
- The resurrected Christ is the bridge to the new heaven and the new earth. How can a person cross this bridge?
- What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? What is changed by it? Where is there a connection to the new creature from 2 Corinthians 5:17?
- To what extent have you experienced resistance when following Jesus? How do you deal with it?
