Easter Sunday A; 04.05.26; G. Miles Smith+ "Three Questions"
Updated: Jul 30
John 20:1-18
I am glad you are here this Easter Day! Because Easter raises some important questions.
Why does a human-sized rabbit hide chicken eggs?
Are Jesus and the Easter Bunny friends?
How long will this service be?
Easter does raise some important questions…but those are not the ones. :)
The thing about asking questions…is that we have a chance at getting better answers…if we can manage to ask better questions.
So it occurs to me that there are three questions…we could ask of Easter…that could get us more helpful answers:
Do we actually need the resurrection of Jesus…in order to believe in life after death?
Do we need the resurrection of Jesus…in order to believe in Jesus?
Do we need the resurrection of Jesus…in order to believe in God?
And, in my best judgment, the answers are:
No, but.
Yes.
No, but.
So, let me say a little more.
Do we actually need the resurrection of Jesus…in order to believe in life after death?
No. Throughout human history and across religions and cultures, human beings have almost universally believed in some form of life after death, even if it was only some form of a very attenuated existence. The idea of no life after death did exist some in the ancient world, but it is an especially modern concept. As best I can tell from recent statistics, 70-80% of Americans believe in life after death. In other places in the Western world it may drop as low as 30%.
For the people who do believe in life after death, their belief may or may not be directly related to the Easter proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection. People may believe in life after death more because of ideas about…souls…heaven…or Near Death Experiences—than Jesus.
But…what is distinctive about Jesus’ resurrection, and the promise of resurrection…is that it unexpectedly indicates an embodied life after death. Not a physical body--but a tangible spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15)…which is both continuous with who we are now…and yet also very different. So, the resurrection of Jesus especially leads Christians to imagine that life after death somehow involves our whole sense of self as an embodied person. And this has led to other related beliefs…that our hope…is that the whole world…including everything that has ever existed…will not be cast off…but will be renewed, restored, and finally free to truly be as God has intended.
Do we actually need the resurrection of Jesus…in order to believe in life after death? No…but Christians have been given a special revelation that there is a life after death…that is not an escape from this world…but unexpectedly responds to both the brokenness…and blessings…of this life.
Do we need the resurrection of Jesus…in order to believe in Jesus?
Obviously, a lot of people admire Jesus in various ways without believing in Jesus’ resurrection. In fact, there was an article published on Good Friday which highlighted a number of churches around the country which do not especially teach the resurrection of Jesus—where it’s kind of optional. And, in practice, it has become kind of optional for a lot of people. People will admire Jesus’ ethics and teachings…but feel like the idea of his resurrection…is just too far a reach…people like Thomas Jefferson.
But the fact is, we would have never even known about a Jesus with admirable ethics and teachings…if there had not been a firm experience and belief…in Jesus’ resurrection. The sheer existence of Jesus’ teachings…actually depends upon the resurrection of Jesus...otherwise his crucifixion would have cast them into the dustbin of history.
And even if his teachings had somehow survived…without the belief in the resurrection of Jesus… we’d be justified in finding his teachings as being admirably lofty…but totally unrealistic…and a mistake to actually try to practice. Lying, revenge, and violence is practical. Telling the truth, compassion and mercy, and peacemaking…is only a credible way to live…if the resurrection is true.
Do we need the resurrection of Jesus…in order to believe in Jesus? Yes, we do. While it may seem that we don’t…we actually cannot get to the validity of his ethics and teachings…or the heart of whom he actually is…without his resurrection.
Do we need the resurrection of Jesus…in order to believe in God?
No. And even the Bible says as much. The Psalms repeatedly say that heaven and earth continuously proclaim the glory of God…such that anyone who is paying attention to heaven and earth…can potentially believe in God. And many people who have a great love for the earth and the above…are moved to believe in the Creator.
Also, the apostle Peter said today in the reading from Acts: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” It is possible to have a belief in God from paying attention to life. 81-83% of Americans believe in God. but I am sure they have many different reasons for believing in God aside from the resurrection of Jesus.
But…the truth is that the resurrection of Jesus…is not only a tangible sign of life after death… and… a sign of the authority of Jesus…but the resurrection also confirms a specific belief in God…that is not obvious from paying attention to life.
Jesus very specifically prayed to God as his “Father”…i.e. as the God who is intimate, trustworthy, and good. And the resurrection confirmed this…when God held onto Jesus despite the evil of the cross…and gave Jesus new life when the world only gives death.
Heaven and earth can reveal the glory of God…but Jesus reveals the glory of God the Father… whom we would not otherwise know. Jesus invites us into the same relationship he has with his Father…and to also call God “Our Father”…who is intimate, trustworthy, and good.
The resurrection of Jesus…confirms that we are not wasting our time…when we pray the Lord’s Prayer…or read the Beatitudes.
The resurrection of Jesus confirms that we are not wasting our lives…if we love others…as Jesus loves…because that is how God the Father loves.
Do we need the resurrection of Jesus…in order to believe in God? No…but so much more of God is revealed to us on this side of Jesus’ resurrection…than we could have ever known…or ever even dreamt…could be true.
