"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. Mark16:6
"See the place where they laid Him."
The New Testament is just full of these little phrases that naturally point to and take for granted that Jesus' resurrection was a physical one.
-His body wasn't lying where it had been placed.
-Thomas could touch His wounds.
-Mary could cling to Him.
-He ate food.
-He broke bread with the two on the Emmaus road.
-He walked with Peter on the beach and I'm sure they'd have noticed if He didn't leave footprints!!
-The early Christians, like Stephen, faced death with hope, courage and joy.
There are many who have difficulty with the physical resurrection of Jesus. They would prefer to settle for some kind of "spiritual" resurrection. But this is a poor substitute that robs the gospel of its incredible vitality, hope and power.
Most of the resistance to physical resurrection comes from two key issues:
1. Physical resurrection (and ascension) sets Jesus apart from every single other religious figure or guru. It moves Him from being a martyr and a great example to being the Son of God who will return in glory.
2. It profoundly challenges the divide between physical and spiritual that has been with us since Plato. This divide allows us to perpetuate the division of "sacred" and "secular". It means that Christians can allow themselves to be so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly use. (More on this tomorrow...)
Jesus' physical resurrection is taken for granted by the NT. It IS important for our understanding of Jesus, the gospel and our life, both now and eternally. Let's treasure it, celebrate it and rely on it.
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Theo Groeneveld theo @ emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at emmdev[dot]blogspot[dot]com/
