Does Christ’s Physical Resurrection Matter?

           

The topic of Christ’s resurrection has often been a topic of intrigue and debate mainly because of theories that have been formed over what really occurred. The theories have ranged from accusations that Jesus mysteriously survived the crucifixion, to his disciples stole the body and fabricated the whole thing, to his disciples suffered hallucinations, to it being a metaphorical resurrection of Christ coming to life in the hearts of the disciples, to the argument that the disciples, among many, really did witness the miraculous.  I personally find the evidence for a real resurrection account to be sufficient over all the other theories. So, if any of you would like to hear my thoughts on that, say so and I would be more than happy to make it my next post.  However, my main point here is to show why it is vital that it be true otherwise Christ was no Messiah, but would have been the failed revolutionary or false prophet as others claimed him to be.

            The Claim

Throughout the Synoptic Gospels there is plenty of anticipated warning given by Jesus that both his death and resurrection were on the horizon given that his demise had already been in the hearts and on the agendas of the elders, chief priests and scribes (Matt. 12:40, 16:21; Mk 8:31; Lk. 9:22).  It must, nevertheless, be understood that in this first-century world any talk of rising from the dead or resurrection was understood to denote an occurrence happening to the physical body.  As N.T. Wright has extensively laid out, bodily resurrection was something the many Jews believed could and would happen as a future event while most of the Pagan world, along with some Jews, denied especially in the context of a future life.[1]  Death was a one way road.  Now I know the tendency to assume that the Pagan world was just being faithless, but what reason did they have to think any different?  The eventual death of the body had never not occurred as far as they knew.  The idea of new life was something God reveled to Israel via Abraham, Moses and the Law, Israel’s oracles and so on and became inherent within Jewish theology and hope. 

Decay

However, this is most pronounced in their view of sin.  Sin is ultimately disobedience to YHWH not because he has some sick need to dominate and smite, but because he is the source of life and working contrary to that source of life was going to cause bondage unto death.  An appropriate analogy is like that of a flower that has been cut from its root.  While it too appears to still be healthy and alive, it is only a matter of time before its decay becomes evident the longer it is away from its root system.  So also, sin irreversibly crosses that boundary that initiates the curse of being severed from our life source thus bringing death to both the organic aspect of humanity as-well-as the spiritual (Gen. 2:17; 3:3).  From that point forward humanity is in need of an act of mere regeneration by way of re-creation. This act is essentially what we see initiated by the Ten Commandments as God’s new act of creation (hence the Law’s intrinsic purpose of setting the Hebrews apart through restored fidelity to YHWH)  that comes to further completion in the Messiah who was obedient/faithful to the point of death (Matt. 5:17-19).     

    

New Life   

Paul expounds on this notion for the church of Corinth (a people steeped in Pagan thought and tradition) who had trouble grappling with this concept:

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures… If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have died in Christ have perished.  If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Cor. 15:3-4, 17-19 NRSV). 

In essence it is that simple; if Jesus did have a bodily resurrection, then sin and subsequent death have really been overcome, but if he did not rise then nothing has changed and we are still in bondage to sin. However, since we believe Jesus did rise from the dead, we do have a reason to believe that we are in the initial stages of freedom and things are different.  Therefore, we have entered into an overlap of time between times.  This is to say that “‘the present evil age’ has been invaded by the ‘age to come,’ and is the time of restoration, return, covenant renewal and forgiveness”.[2]  Therefore, God’s initial act toward the completion of re-creation could not end except in a literal reanimating of both organic and spiritual life in Christ the “firstborn of creation” (Col. 1:15).  Perhaps this raises more questions than it answers, but it is the beginning of understanding.

[1] N.T. Wright. Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church (New York: Harper Collins Publishing 2009), 37.

[2] N.T. Wright. Christian Origins and the Question of God: The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press 2003), 332.