A sermon by The Rev. Gene R. Tucker given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, April 26, 2009
Acts 4: 5 – 11; Psalm 98: 1 – 5; I John 1: 1 – 2: 2; Luke 24: 36b – 48
“Class, it’s a pleasure to do theology!”
You’ve heard me use that wonderful line with which one of my seminary professors began each class session….
Well, let’s do some theological work, reflecting on the reality of the resurrection, Jesus’ resurrection not only in spirit, but physically as well, with a body that could be touched, that could be seen, that could eat, as we read it this morning in Luke, chapter 24.
And, as we begin our “class session” this morning, I might say that the title of this “lecture” would be “He is ours, and we are His, forever”. The subtitle might be “The Incarnation is forever”.
So, let’s begin…..
We note that Luke takes great pains to ensure that we understand that when Jesus arose from the tomb, He arose with his physical body intact. Read the text with me, as we see that Luke records the event, writing down Jesus’ words, “Look at my hands and my feet, see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
Then, Jesus goes on to say ask if the disciples have anything to eat, and when He is offered some broiled fish, He takes it and eats it in front of them.
(This account is quite similar in some respects to the account we read in John, chapter 20, where Jesus also shows His hands and His feet to the disciples. He also invites Doubting Thomas to touch Him on the encounter that took place a week after Easter Sunday.)
There are several threads in the resurrection account, all of which bolster the argument for the reality of the resurrection. Among those threads are these:
- Jesus had a burial place: recall that victims of crucifixion were usually thrown on the ground near where they had died, their bodies being left for dogs and wild animals to devour. But Jesus had a known burial place, a place which could be identified, a place which could be secured;
- Jesus had a large stone placed over the entrance to His tomb. It was guarded to prevent theft of the body. The large stone also prevented anyone from leaving the tomb. So the removal of that large stone, in spite of the guard which had been placed there, makes the empty tomb all the more sure as an act of God, not of any human.
Now we come to the resurrected Jesus Himself. Notice again that Jesus has flesh and bones, can eat, and invites the disciples to touch Him.
Jesus has arisen with his human, physical body intact!
But, notice this critical difference: the mark of the nails and the mark of the spear wound are still visible, but have lost their ability to kill. Death has been nullified forever!
You see, dear class, the Incarnation is forever!
But, we need to back up just a little, and do some theological work in understanding the Incarnation:
At Jesus’ conception, the divine, eternal Word (later to be known as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity) came, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and took up our humanity through the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Thus, God’s very self is forever united with our humanity, though the two natures, though united, are not confused. (See the statement of the Council of Chalcedon, 451 AD, which explains this mystery to us….their statement is recorded in the back of your Book of Common Prayer, 1979, page 864.)
But some early members of the Church couldn’t accept the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, His resurrection not only in spirit, but also in body. So, they came up with some schemes to try to rationalize the resurrection. We would do well to record two of those schemes here:
Docetists: This group, whose name comes from the Greek verb “to seem”, claimed that Jesus only “seemed” to be human, but that He wasn’t really fully, physically human.
Gnostics: Another major challenge to orthodox belief was the one that this group presented: For the Gnostics said that all physical reality is evil, and isn’t really “real” in the first place (but is an illusion) and since Jesus was holy, He couldn’t have had a real, physical body. Jesus’ physical reality was only an illusion, therefore.
The Church responded by declaring both of these positions to be heresy. For both positions cut directly across the clear intent of texts such as the ones we have before us today.
Recall with me, as we look again at the text before us today, as we read the words of the writer of the First Letter of John, who says, “That which we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched…). Here is physical reality, indeed. This text is right in line with our Gospel reading for today, and with the intent and words of John, chapter 20.
So, if the Incarnation is forever, if Jesus arose from the grave with His physical, human body completely intact, then what are the implications of the “foreverness” (if I can coin a word) of the Incarnation?
For a thought about that, let’s reflect on the events of Good Friday, from the larger-than-life perspective of the battle between God and the forces of evil which sought to destroy Jesus on that day.
Here, we see that the Cross is nothing more than an attempt by all of those forces of evil to separate the human and the divine.
It’s as if Jesus was the “bait” for Satan.
And that is exactly the way the third century theologian Origen explains it…He says that Satan saw in Jesus just another victim to claim. And so Satan reached out to claim yet another human being, whom he saw as his own possession.
But, in reaching out to claim Jesus as He hung on the cross, Satan over-reached his grasp. For just as a fish will bite onto the bait on the hook, thinking that the bait is simply its next meal, so Satan is caught once he attempts to take the bait, for the power of the eternal God is also present in the human Jesus.
Satan is therefore damned by his own exceeding of his power.
And, we, who claim the benefits of the Cross by faith, are also sheltered with Christ in His victory over Satan. That’s why we can say, at the graveside, “O death, where is thy sting, O grave, where is thy victory?”
For, you see, when we become “Christ’s own forever” (in our baptismal rite), we are forever claimed by Christ in Holy Baptism, and are protected from Satan’s reach.
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Now, one final note needs to be included before we end our “lecture” today….
Not only does Jesus Christ shelter us from the power of evil, and from evil’s ultimate power to remove us forever from the presence of God, but our Lord Jesus Christ also brings us into the interior life of God, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit interrelate and interreact with one another in perfect love. For that is the way theologians often describe the relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as an interrelationship of perfect love.
And so, Jesus can say (as we read often in the Fourth Gospel), “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”
You see, Jesus Christ ushers us into the interior life of God. And because of His Incarnation, we are now allowed access into that life of God.
The Incarnation is forever!
The victory of our Lord Jesus Christ sanctifies our human existence, saves us from the power of the evil one, and ushers us into the interior life of God.
For your victory, for your sheltering power, and for showing us the way to the Father, we give you thanks and praise, dear Lord Jesus Christ.
AMEN.
