Last week, we discussed how the Cross helps transform us into mature believers. But what does the resurrection have to do with our Growing Up?
First, there is no new life without the resurrection. For those that follow Jesus, our resurrection comes about because of Christ’s resurrection. Paul says, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Also, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” There is a new life that comes from following Christ that would simply not be possible if it were not for the resurrection.
Second, the resurrection makes possible a personal encounter with Jesus. As Trevor Hudson points out, the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection weren’t meant to be just a theological event but a real encounter the disciples had with their friend, lord, and teacher. We too get to experience Jesus.
The resurrected Jesus can now be with us wherever we are and whatever we are doing. This means that when we seek him we will find him and come right up to him and experience him. To encounter Jesus in a more personal and powerful way is to experience the transformation that changes the way we live, work, worship, and serve others. Hudson says, “The Resurrection declares that Jesus has not stopped listening, speaking, and acting. He is alive and at large in our world, in the places where we live, love, and work—and we can join him there. The Jesus story continues in you and in me!”
Third, the resurrection sparks a deeper commitment to serve others. When Mary Magdalene sees Jesus, she immediately goes and tells the disciples the news. When the Emmaus travelers spend the day with Jesus they immediately return seven miles to tell others. When Thomas encounters Jesus, he falls on his knees and declares that Jesus is his Lord and his God. The resurrection gives us the motivation and inspiration to make sure that others have an opportunity to experience new life too.
If the cross brings forgiveness of sins and the reality of God’s mercy then the resurrection brings the power to start anew and to live in the reality of a resurrected Lord who dwells in us. That Lord is shaping us, molding us, renovating our hearts, and changing us.
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