The story of Jesus' resurrection is a direct outcome of Jesus' crucifixion. There would be no resurrection without the crucifixion story in which Jesus forgives those who crucified him and by extension the whole of humanity ("forgive them for they do not know what they are doing"); ergo, the first creed of the Christianity is somewhat erroneously expressed by Paul as, "Christ died for all." Paul should have said, "Christ forgave all." Jesus "dying" for all is about sacrifice. Jesus "forgiving" all is about mercy and is life-giving, which forms the basis of Jesus' resurrection.
As mentioned in my last post, Jesus was not all that keen on sacrifice, but he was on mercy. Jesus subscribed to the idea that God did not want sacrifice, but rather acts of mercy, which are acts of grace, and grace does not come with a price tag attached to it. Resurrection is an experience that results from mercy; being concerned and making room for the other - emptying one's self to make room for the SELF we share and the BEING-NESS of God we express.
No one can explain the resurrection story of Jesus in factual terms. It really is beyond comprehension and while the Gospels try to make it a tangible historical event (occurring at a certain time and place), after two thousand years the story of Jesus' resurrection takes on a mythic hue that conveys a universal truth about the grace and mercy of God. What makes the incredible resurrection of Jesus credible is that resurrection is something we can experience in the here and now. People who engage in kenosis, the letting go of self as mercy (not sacrifice) to make room for the other; to be compassionate and loving as Jesus was compassionate and loving find themselves being resurrected while resurrecting others.
The stories in the Gospel in which Jesus raised someone considered dead is about Jesus demonstrating mercy. Jesus has mercy on the mother in Nain whose son had died and raises him. Jesus has mercy on Jarius whose daughter was perceived to be dead and raises her up. In John's Gospel, Jesus has mercy on Mary and Martha and raises their brother Lazarus from the dead. Every healing story of Jesus involves resurrection, someone released from some form of death-like imprisonment, blindness, lameness, convulsive disorders, madness (possession), leprosy or social isolation and is raised to new life as an act of mercy (loving-kindness) and grace.
Jesus' parables about the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan are resurrection stories based on mercy and grace (not sacrifice). There was no ritual price being paid.
Jesus ended his life by fully living into his sonship of God by demonstrating the ultimate act of mercy in forgiving those who were torturing him to death. Jesus did not fight death in order to live, rather in mercy he laid down his life in a final act of mercy, so that others might live and do likewise. Having done so, God raised Jesus up to a new life, a new type of life; one that we cannot comprehend To be honest, Jesus' compassion, mercy, and grace is a tough act to follow, but there are those who do - those who put their own self-interests aside in order to redeem and save others. This requires an inner strength, a resolve that understands the fulfillment of one's life-journey is ultimately connected to the life-journey of all of God's children - all of God's creation.
The truth of Jesus' resurrection is not revealed in its being treated as a factual event which occurred some two thousand years ago, but rather that Jesus' resurrection involves an ongoing process in which all are involved and expressed in terms of the Risen and the Rising Christ. The resurrection story of Jesus serves as a reset of creation's compass, a re-orientation to the original intent of God's creative purpose. As such, the stories of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection were recorded to serve as humanity's North Star; that what is true about and for Jesus is true about and for us; that in Jesus' story we are reintroduced to who we are and the purpose of each life is being lived into.
Until next time, stay faithful.
Norm
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