Everybody wants to believe that life continues after death. No one likes to think that when it’s over, it’s really over. So it’s no surprise that every culture throughout history has shared some kind of belief in life after death. Egyptian royalty were buried with all kinds of cool stuff, so at least they wouldn’t have to start the next life with a lot of shopping. One Chinese emperor was buried with an entire army of clay soldiers. Perhaps he feared his enemies were already there waiting for him. Our American culture is no exception. From Clarence the bumbling angel in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” to the classic chick flick “Ghost,” our cultural folktales are filled with the hope for life beyond the grave. I think it’s safe to say that the number one wish of humanity is that life doesn’t end beneath a carved hunk of granite. The problem is, no matter how strong a wish may be, it’s still just a wish. And a hard, cold truth of life is that things don’t come true simply because you wish for them. If that were the case, I’d be 25, thin, and shooting under par golf. No, for us to have real hope and genuine confidence in something as important as life after death, we need something a whole lot better than just wishful thinking. Paul, the writer of a big chunk of the New Testament, agrees. He has this to say about the resurrection of Jesus:. “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” You see, Christianity is not founded on the 10 Commandments, as is often taught. The followers of Jesus did not go on the lecture circuit to tell people how to behave. The earliest recorded words of the apostles – the 12 guys Jesus appointed as his special representatives – all focus on the resurrection of Jesus. In the very first recorded sermon, spoken less than two months after Jesus’ death, Peter had this to say: ” … you … put him (Jesus) to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead … and we are all witnesses of the fact.” From day one, the Christian Church has proclaimed that the resurrection of Jesus is fact – cold, hard, historical fact. The men who saw him die saw him alive again. They poked and prodded the scars where the nails were driven in. Paul talks about the fact that more than 500 people saw Jesus alive after his death. These eyewitnesses go out of their way to assure us that the resurrection of Jesus was anything but wishful thinking. And it’s not like they were expecting him to rise. When Jesus died, the disciples were heartbroken, confused and scared. They cowered behind locked doors, fearing that the authorities who had crucified Jesus would come for them as well. When Jesus appeared to them behind those doors, they thought they were seeing a ghost. Jesus reassured them by showing them the scars, and even asked for something to eat (broiled fish, by the way). But when they knew for sure that Jesus was alive, nothing was ever the same for them. Everything Jesus had taught them now had the authority of the One who had defeated death. They truly had nothing to fear. Believing that Jesus had died to forgive their sins, and then rose again, they faced the rest of their lives with the joy and conviction that their grave would have to let them go just as Jesus’ had. And when death is no longer a problem, all the rest of life’s problems are pretty minor. So, at this season of the year, Christians joyfully greet each other with the cry, “He is risen!” It is a shout of joy, hope and confidence. It is the voice of faith, a faith built firmly on the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. Thank God we don’t have to rely on wishful thinking! Instead, we have the Risen Christ!
