Aaron Massey

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The resurrection of Jesus allows you to live in light of death.

Years ago, I had the sober experience of being a pallbearer for a friend whose mom died.  The time came for each row to pay their last respects. A gentleman in front of me scuttled by the casket as his eyes abstained from the body—receiving the strange feeling only a corpse can induce.

“I can’t look at a dead person. It freaks me out.”

It’s normal to shun our heads from the pale lifeless, but we will not live well by ignoring our own fate.

Death is unavoidable. But we try to live as if it won’t happen.

Based on his resurrection, Jesus offers a way of life that allows us to view death for what it is…tragic, ugly, dreadful, and overcome.

The resurrection teaches that death does not have to annihilate the possibility of future enjoyment. So life before death doesn’t have to be all that we want.

Happy circumstances and pleasurable feelings do not have to be the sole pursuit of our lives. Time doesn’t end when we walk through the door of death. So ease and popularity do not have to be your chief aim.

Besides, circumstances and pleasurable feelings are elusive. It’s rather frustrating. The target moves just before the arrow of our desire pierces the bulls-eye of satisfaction.

By thinking that death has the final say, we tend to make this life as convenient and desirable as possible. Sometimes, this means ignoring the wishes or needs of others. It could also mean amassing as much silver as possible or achieving as much control as we can.

At other times, this means we get mad when we don’t get what we want—especially at those who don’t do what we expect from them…and our expectations are always reasonable…

From the resurrection, we learn that this life is not able to give us all we want or even all we need. It’s broken. And we eventually die—life will be gone in this life. The resurrection began the fixing process, and it involves more than duct tape. Now we can have the freedom to live in light of death.

By embracing the resurrection life, we can shift our FOMO (fear of missing out on all that we can get out of life) into confidence in Jesus to do what he has promised us—give us abundant life that lasts forever.

The good life then becomes redefined from pursuing self-indulgence to serving others and enjoying God. Jesus exalted this meaning through his own resurrection, which was not for his own sake, but for your enjoyment—now and in the world to come.

Thanks,

Aaron

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“What are we going to do now?” The unwelcome question when plans unhinge. When this happens, we are forced to think more than we want and make difficult decisions we would rather ignore.

It also forces us to discover new options and ideas previously unforeseen.

God mentioned his intention of resurrection when a mundane life that ended in death seemed to be the only option on the menu.

Half a millennium before Jesus, God’s people were on the precipice of nonexistence. Israel and Judah ignored God and chose to bless themselves rather than bless the world as God intended.

God frequently reminded them of their purpose, but they neglected knowledge because it wasn’t convenient or immediately gratifying. So God prospered another nation to overtake them, Babylon. The once independent people of God became foreigners in an alien country who worshiped statues that don’t breathe.

Though many turned from God at this time, some remained faithful. They asked, “How can we now receive God’s blessing?” and “How are we to bless the world?” They didn’t believe they had the resources needed to fulfill their purpose.

Jeremiah, a God-sent spokesman at the time of Judah’s exile to Babylon, sent a timely message that clarified God’s intention for his people. Those wondering what to do now were told what to do.

God said to make houses, plant gardens, and serve Babylon because if Babylon prospers so too will the exiled people of God in Babylon. A radical turn in God’s plan for his people…and for the world.

The nation once separated and self-sustaining was now intermingled among people who didn’t know or care about the God that created the world.

So the blessing of God’s people became dependent upon the blessing of those who were not God’s people. Some caught on quickly as they realized that they may not be “blessed” even if they followed God whole-heartedly. They would die without the blessing—without God fulfilling his promise.

Only decades after Jeremiah, Daniel received a new word from God.

Daniel grew up in Babylon, served as government official, prospered the Babylonian nation by his wisdom, and followed God whole-heartedly in the midst of people who didn’t know him. The young Jew extracted from his homeland did what God told them to do.

The pertinent question becomes, “But what happens to the faithful who do not inherit God’s blessing in this life?”

God told Daniel there will come a resurrection, that death does not have the final authority, and that God’s people will inherit the blessing when his power is revealed by raising them from the dead.

Daniel 12:2 says, “And many sleeping in the dust of the ground will rise: some to everlasting life and some to everlasting disgrace and contempt.”

When Daniel received this revelation, a new way of thinking developed as a vague object in a thick fog.

When Jesus resurrected, the fog was cleared and the way made known.

 

Thanks for Reading,

Aaron

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“You came back!” Sadly, the homeless man was surprised. It was 12am.

I finished rolling silverware at the end of my shift, so my manager and I were getting ready to close down.

My manager gave the young man and his girlfriend some tacos (El Chico tacos!) and took off. They had tattoos on their faces, wore hippy clothing, and traveled the country by hopping on trains. Before I left, they asked if I would be willing to give them some cash or go to the Wal-Mart across the street and pick up some milk.

I didn’t want to give them cash so I went to the store. When I approached with the bag of groceries, he exclaimed, “You came back!” Evidently, not many would return. They quickly downed the milk.

At the time, I was a college student who scarcely comprehended the importance of keeping our word. Midnight, in an empty parking lot behind a restaurant, I understood its value. People judge and trust us in accordance to how we keep our word. And we should do the same with God.

The resurrection of Jesus is important to Paul because it reveals God’s “yes” to his promises. At least four hundred years before Jesus, God spoke through people like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Malachi. God promised he would return and restore Israel—and through them, the world.

Paul believed the resurrection was such a big deal because it was the supreme evidence that God’s “yes” to bless the world and restore his people began in Jesus.

God kept his word even though it wasn’t exactly like they anticipated. Some disbelieved and said it can’t be true because God didn’t say “yes” in the way they wanted. Paul replies, “Actually, Jesus’ resurrection, coming by the power of the Spirit, proves that he is God’s sent one.”

And it gets better.

Paul says any today can receive that same Spirit by which Jesus resurrected. He says that any who believes can receive the Spirit along with a renewed life as a down-payment previewing our participation in the transformed world with a transformed body.

God’s faithfulness, revealed in Jesus, is important to Paul because it is God’s way of bringing a piece of the future judgment, future world, and future blessings into the present time. Shocking.

God is not hiding, silent, ambivalent, or capricious. He has spoken plainly. He is not pushy. And he does what he says.

He made the new way clear, revealing that the normal course of life cannot give what we really want nor does it last.  The new way will last forever. He promises.

 

Thanks for Reading,

Aaron

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“I do.” In our most important decisions in life, we have only a vague idea of what we are getting into. Marriage, work, and education are all life-changing events, but we never realize just how significant they will be until after we’ve made the commitment and lived through it.

“Lord, is now the time…” In the beginning of Acts, Jesus’ followers ask the resurrected Jesus about what will happen. They don’t fully understand what they have gotten into or what Jesus plans.

They expect to initiate political dominion, but Jesus has planned spiritual expansion. Jesus says he will give them power, but not political power. They will have God’s power to carry the invitation of God’s kingdom to all people.

After Jesus’ resurrection, his followers carried his message to the ends of the world inviting all to embrace a vibrant relationship with the living God. People will receive life as God intended.

This life is only possible because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.  The very power that raised Jesus from the dead enters into any who will accept it.

This power is freely given because of Jesus’ resurrection. This power is guaranteed because of his resurrection. This power is God’s Spirit—giving people a new way to think and relieving them from a life dominated by selfish and competitive desires.

So in Acts, people from Asia, Africa, and Europe believe the message about Jesus, receive the Spirit, and engage a new life.

They said they were “dead” before receiving this kind of life.

God became active in a way he never has. Sending an exodus of millions of people out of Egypt and parting a large body of water is a former thing God tells us to forget.

He has decisively worked in and through Jesus. The resurrection shouts it. And the resurrection hope is now spreading to all.

The messenger Paul, in Acts, is the primary figure in the last half of the book. Luke, the author, describes Paul’s journeys all across the world. Luke even joined him on some of them.

At times, Paul’s message about Jesus disrupted order in the city, threatened political powers, and hurt businesses. So they arrested him, beat him, and kept him in either prison or house arrest.

During public hearings, Paul describes the reason for his imprisonment as: his belief in the resurrection of the dead and its relevance for the life we currently live.

The resurrection reveals that:

• Death does not have the last word
• Each will give an account for their life
• Any can receive the Spirit and begin living in the way God intended
• People who receive the Spirit now are pardoned of their mistakes
• People who receive the Spirit now are promised a resurrected body in the world to come

God will do for the many what he has revealed in Jesus. The message is still spreading, lives are still changing, and the resurrection is still relevant. No matter how far we are from Jerusalem or distant in history, God is present and active. The resurrection settles it.

 

Thanks for Reading,

Aaron

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I heard a story, just the other day, about the Fijian professional golfer, Vijay Singh, who would deny requests to speak with reporters. He wasn’t interested in the media so he remained silent and absent.

One reporter became angry and wrote at least one antagonistic story attacking Vijay’s character. Like the domino effect, other stories came out defaming Vijay filling the void created by his indifference. Some were probably true—no one is perfect—others were probably spurious.

Warren, telling me the story, had several encounters with Vijay and spoke with others who knew him. They said Vijay remembered people’s names, asked about their families, and showed a sincere interest in their lives.

If anyone is silent, our interpretations are rarely positive. Our suspicion turns to disdain as we fill in the gaps, interpret the scenarios, and imagine the stories. It is the same with God—his seeming absence makes us think he is not there or doesn’t care.

In the Gospel of John, John is emphasizing that God is not silent. John displays that God has publically communicated himself to the world revealing his character and intentions. In Jesus, we see what God is like.

In Jesus, we see God’s glory. In other words, we learn what is most important for us to learn about God. Just as a reporter wants to hear Vijay talk about golf instead of how much he likes pepperoni pizza, we need to hear from God what he is like and what he has planned for us.

We don’t need God to tell us about his purposes for life on Mars nor do we need to hear what he was doing in eternity past before the earth was. Though, that would be pretty fascinating.

We need to know who he is and what he has planned for us. To say Jesus reveals God’s glory is to say Jesus reveals what humans need most from God.

The coolest part is that Jesus not only reveals knowledge about God, but pleas for us to actually experience God.

Jesus’ last words to his followers show that he wants us to experience peace and joy only he can give. Jesus intends for us to experience life that lasts beyond death. Not only this, he intends for us to have a very specific mission for our life before we die. Peace, joy, purpose, and life—we are all searching for them.

Jesus gives all. In other words, God is the kind of god that gives us what we gravely need rather than require from us what he wants without regard of what we want. He is the kind of God that thinks about us, knows us, and acts on his promises.

Don’t think you’re left out. He hasn’t forgotten about you. He cares about you. The resurrection is proof.

 

Thanks for Reading,

Aaron

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“Life happens at the table.” Have you ever heard this quote? I am not sure where it originates, but I’ve heard many say it. It’s true. At the table, strangers become friends, girlfriends become fiancés, enemies find peace, businesses become partners, and families come closer.

And for the most part, life simply stops. Life’s demands cease as this basic need draws us together. We eat. We talk. We laugh. We cry. We connect. We show that life is more than doing—it’s about being. At the table, we simply “be” together.

But not all tables are good. As you know, spending time with people around the table is not always joyful. People disagree, argue, and lie. We all need tables to give us life—not take it. And it is this kind of life-giving table that Jesus has built and invited us to join.

In the Gospel record of Luke, Jesus’ resurrection sends an open invitation to sit at his table. Just before he died, he gave his followers a meal to have in order to remember the purpose of his death and the surety of his promise.

He suffered an unjust death from Rome in order to pay the penalty we owe. From the injustice of governments to excessive arguing at the table—the world screams it isn’t as it should be. There is a nature in each one of us contributing to its corruption. We earn judgment. We owe God. Jesus paid the penalty and received what we earn.

He also resurrected. God’s table isn’t smashed to pieces. In fact, Jesus’ resurrection foreshadows a table bigger than any can imagine. Of course, it is wood—Jesus was a carpenter. All of the plates will be aligned, coffee will be endless, food will taste better than we’ve ever had, and spills will not stain your clothes.

Luke wrote his account in order to relay Jesus’ teaching about his kingdom and the new world he will one day create. As a sign of the coming kingdom, Jesus left the meal to foreshadow the coming feast that will inaugurate the new world. I know. This is weird and too movie-like, but if he is resurrected, then it is the greatest and truest story ever told.

Luke also writes his biography of Jesus in order to show that the Christian way is not something newly contrived in Jesus. Jesus is connected to history. Jesus was foretold long before he came.

God told the nation Israel he would send them a “Christ” (the Anointed One). When God saved Israel from Egypt, he told them they would live like kings and serve as priests. God was making them the middlemen between heaven and earth. He was going to bless the world through ancient Israel if they followed his way. They didn’t.

After Israel forsook the blessing, God promised to send the Christ to restore Israel and her vocation. Ancient Israel lost its prosperity, land, and God’s presence. In Jesus’ time, there were sects of Israelites believing the Christ would come and rescue them in this way or that. Though they disagreed how it would come, they all anticipated restoration.

They wanted freedom from Roman oppression. They wanted prosperity. They wanted their land. They wanted the Anointed one, the promised king.

Jesus brought them restoration in a way different from their anticipation(s). God fulfilled his promises according to his word—they simply misunderstood how it would happen. Some opened their mind, sat at Jesus’ table, and developed a relationship with the host.

Many rejected Jesus because he wasn’t who they wanted him to be. We do this with people all the time, but relationships simply don’t work that way. We have to have an open heart to truly know someone. If not, we fit them into our own constructed box of who we think they are or want them to be.

Since God is so different from us, we have to learn from him who he actually is. In Jesus, this knowledge is freely available. And that is what Luke is saying. God has made himself known and invited all to his table. Your seat is waiting.

 

Thanks for Reading,

Aaron