The Christ Is Raised!
The syntax of this title certainly comes off a little clunky. We would be more comfortable, perhaps, to have the title say, “Christ is Risen!” After all, this is the witness of the angels, the women who went to the tomb, the Apostles, the Christians from the early days of Christianity, and the ongoing cry of the Church today!
But I’d like to briefly focus on each of the words in this title. First of all, the word “The.” Seems like a silly place to start. We all know what “the” means, right? But “the” is different than “some,” “any,” “all,” etc. It denotes a singularity, a uniqueness, specificity. “The Christ” is a much different statement than “Some Christ,” or “Any Christ.” No, there is only one, unique Christ.
This may seem like a small matter (as small as the word “the”). Actually, it is quite important. There is only one Christ. Many have come and claimed to be the Christ. Jesus says in Matthew 24:5, “Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” I was surprised to find on Wikipedia a long list of people who have actually claimed to be “the Christ”. THE Christ is the Son of God whom we describe in our creeds: Born of the virgin Mary, the one who suffered under Pontius Pilate, who was crucified, died and was buried. That one. The one of whom God said, when THE Christ came up out of the Jordan River at his baptism, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” THAT specific Christ, who lived and died 2,000 years ago, THAT Christ is raised! “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
The CHRIST is raised! The name, Christ, is sometimes not properly understood. We tend to use it as though it is Jesus’ last name. And, truly, that is not an improper use. However, in the beginning, it denoted his title as God’s Messiah. “Messiah” is a Hebrew word that means “anointed or chosen one.” God’s Son, Jesus, was the One chosen/anointed by God to be the Savior of the world. He was Israel’s Messiah, prophesied as the One to come to redeem Israel and, indeed, the world. The word “Christ” comes from the Greek translation of “Messiah.” It is “Christos” in the Greek, “Christ” in English. We see some of its meaning in the English word, “Christen”, as when you Christen a baby, or christen a new boat.
“Christ” means “anointed one”. Jesus is the One anointed by God to be our Savior. That means that he was anointed, as were kings and prophets, to fulfill a specific role in our salvation. He actively earned righteousness by his sinless life, fulfilling every commandment perfectly in our place. Then he took our place on the cross, took our sin on himself, and took, there, our punishment, one man dying for the sins of the people (world). God’s Anointed One is raised.
The Christ is RAISED! Now, there have been several (many?) people that have been raised from the dead. The prophet Elijah raised the widow’s son. Elisha raised his host’s son. And there’s one more recorded in the Old Testament; that’s the strange one where a dead man was being buried and those carrying the body threw it hastily into a cave that held the bones of Elisha. When the dead body touched the prophet’s bones, the dead man came to life! (see 2 Kings 13)
Jesus raised the widow of Nain’s son, the daughter of Jairus, and, famously, Lazarus. Many of the saints who had died, we are told in Matthew 27, were raised from the dead when Jesus gave up his spirit on the cross and died. And in Acts, Peter raises Tabitha in Joppa and Paul raises the young man, Eutychus, who fell out of a window.
In each of these instances, God raised someone from the dead through an intermediary: A prophet, Jesus, an Apostle, or as a result of Jesus’ death. But THE CHRIST is RAISED from the dead after three days in the tomb, not through any intermediary or causative circumstance. No one is standing outside the tomb praying for God to raise Jesus. God simply brings him back to life. Ephesians 1:20, Acts 2:24, Romans 8:11 and other passages all say that God raised Jesus from the dead. Though, in an interesting twist, Jesus also predicts that he himself will take up his life again after he dies. Jesus says that he is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. “I have authority to lay it down,” he says, “and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” This is a mystery, and quite impossible to understand, that Jesus lays down his life, and on the third day, he himself takes it up again.
The Christ IS raised! The last word we’ll look at is the word, “IS”. It’s a small word, but a very important one. The Christ rose from the dead, God raised him from the dead. But our joy, our very hope, is caught up in the fact that Jesus is alive eternally. God raised him from the dead because his sacrifice for sin was sufficient for our salvation. The One anointed by God to be the sin bearer fulfilled everything, completed everything, so that from the cross he could declare that “It is finished!” His death and resurrection have eternal consequences for all who believe.
THE CHRIST IS RAISED! Alleluia! Jesus lives! Alleluia! Jesus is coming again to take us to himself and to present his bride, the Church, to the Father! Alleluia!
May God bless your celebration this blessed Eastertide as you bask in his love for you, demonstrated in the sending of his Son to be the Christ. And what joy we have in knowing that Jesus is raised from the dead and is seated at God’s right hand where he intercedes daily for you and for me.
THE CHRIST IS RAISED! ALLELUIA!
God’s peace be with you,
Pastor
Art: The Resurrection of Christ by Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio and Marco d'Oggiono