Everything Is Coming Up Easter

This time of year is when we have a plethora of critical comments about the Resurrection. That is the twin of the critiques on the Birth of Jesus that spring up around the Advent season. “There was not a census.., Quirinius either was not a governor or it was at the wrong time.., The celebration was a copy of a pagan festival, Saturnalia.., It was not in December.., Mary was not really a virgin, just a young lady...” and so on.

Many of the “Easter Controversies” center around the actual day that we should celebrate the Resurrection. Other disputes focus on the specific day that Jesus died. I found a new one that asks if Jesus rose “on the third day,” or “after three days.” I suppose that is founded in the day of the week that Jesus died. Some say that He had to die on Thursday or even Wednesday to give a full three days. Died, Wednesday, then in the grave Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, three days, and rose on Sunday, after three days.

A variation is that He died on Thursday, and was dead Friday, Saturday, and rose again on Sunday, the third day. And, according to Dr. Rydelnyk, our resident and preferred Hebrew and Jewish scholar, He died on Friday, day one, in the grave Saturday, day two, and rose on Sunday, day three. In Jewish accounting, any part of a day counts as a full day. Friday, Saturday, Sunday adds up to three days. So He arose “after three days,” on the third day. Both sides are right.

Some will point out that the accounts vary in who came to the tomb and when; what they saw; and what they did. In reality, none of the “contradictions” are mutually exclusive. All of them could be perfectly and exactly accurate–for the people involved. Not everyone had the same experience, so trying to “merge” them into a single narrative is a foolish waste of time. That is like asking several people to tell about an earthquake, then pointing out the inconsistencies of the varied stories. It was different for each person. But each story was accurate.

Regardless of how the event is calculated, the important thing is that He rose! And if the “controversies” get us talking about the Resurrection, that is good. Jesus was dead, and came back to life. Paul spent the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians defending that premise. And, his argument is overwhelming. (I heard a guy comment one time that we should not say “incontestable or undeniable” fact, because some idiot, somewhere, will argue that even the sun did not come up today. No, not the old canard that the earth “turns under the sun. The sun stands still,” but that the sun is not really there. So we say that the evidence is overwhelming and let the goof-balls go where they will.)

Look at verses 3-5.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1. He died, as the sacrifice for our sins. 2. He was buried, picturing the removal of our sins like the “scape goat” in the Old Testament. (Leviticus 16) And, it verified that He was really dead because He was sealed in a tomb. 3. Then He was raised, as the Scriptures had predicted, by the way. 4. And He appeared to verifiable witnesses. That is the essential sense of the story.

He is alive! And, just for good measure, Romans 4:25 explains why this is important.
He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.
The resurrection of Jesus was the verification that we were justified, completely absolved of all the guilt of sin. A famous financial advisor has people proclaim, “I’m debt free!” I prefer the Romans version: “I’m guilt free!” Christ the Lord is risen today. What a great song that is. But a corollary would be the hymn, “Saved by the Blood of the Crucified One.” (Below)

He had to die, and that gave us the blood. But without the resurrection, it was a tragic waste. But, as Paul demonstrated, He did rise, and that is the message that we proclaim every Easter. And the more we talk about it, the more we proclaim this truth, “til He comes again.” So let’s answer every controversy that we can find. Some have said that there is no bad publicity. Even negative comments make people think of you. And Easter has so much good that even if a negative thought is espoused, it merely highlights how good it is.

Do we worry about the details of the resurrection? Absolutely not. We rejoice that we can proclaim it. Let’s sing.

Saved By the Blood of the Crucified One
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCdBHHHiyIs

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Hymn+Christ+the+Lord+Is+Risen+Today+Lyrics&&view=detail&mid=8EC5CBE69A8A847FAAEB8EC5CBE69A8A847FAAEB&&FORM=VRDGAR