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“Get behind me, Satan.”

Peter heard these words from his teacher, Jesus. Peter devoted himself to Jesus and his teachings, but he resisted Jesus when he predicted his own death and resurrection.

Jesus’ death and resurrection was central in his plan, but his followers would not accept it.

Peter and the others believed Jesus was the Christ whom God sent to instruct and lead his people. But Peter chastised and corrected his own teacher when he heard Jesus say of himself that all the Jewish leaders would reject and kill him.

Even as Jesus promised his rejection and death would not bind his fate—by also promising he would rise from the dead three days later—Peter would not accept it.

Jesus’ prediction of his resurrection required Peter to change his hope. Peter’s firm resolution that Jesus’ prediction would not come about clashed with Jesus’ divine resolution that it certainly would.

Then Jesus called him the devil to make his point clear: those who don’t accept this reject God and side with Satan.

Then Jesus followed his rebuke with a swift word for all who would choose to follow him allowing any to change their hope as Peter had to change his.

 * * *

Jesus wanted to redefine the hopes of those who wanted to follow him just as he sought to redefine Peter’s.

After correcting Peter in front of the twelve disciples, Jesus said, “Everyone, come here. If anyone wants to follow me, let that person deny himself or herself and even carry one’s own cross. Then follow me.”

To carry a cross meant to submit to Roman subjection and lose one’s life. It meant death.

Many Jews at this time wanted God to bless them and establish the Jewish nation before they died. They believed God would accomplish this through the Christ.

But Jesus corrected them. He promised that God would do amazing things through him saying that one day he would come with glory from the father and with the angels. But this wouldn’t happen soon or first.

First, Jesus and many of his followers must incur loss, pain, and hardship. They must deny themselves a life.

But this is perfectly reasonable according to divine logic.

What does it profit people to gain the world, but lose their souls? Nothing.

With this question Jesus’ asks, he indicates that there is a life after death, that gaining him in that life is better than gaining the whole world in this life, and that gaining the world does not mean we experience what it means to live.

Peter had to change his hopes the difficult way: by standing corrected in front of Jesus and his followers.

Thankfully, Jesus didn’t quiet after rebuking Peter and offered to all the possibility to change our hopes to follow him and, one day, receive life in his presence of glory.

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Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised,” while others said, “He is Elijah,” or “He is the prophet.”

But when the ruler of Galilee, Herod, heard of Jesus’ miracles, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised!” Herod thought John—whom he killed—returned. Perhaps Herod believed John’s return meant he would retribute vengeance upon him.

How did John die?

Herod’s daughter-in-law, Herodias, danced in front of Herod at his birthday party. Her dance compelled him to offer her anything she wanted. “I want John’s head on a plate,” she said.

He complied.

Herod originally imprisoned John for speaking against him. But he did not kill John because he believed God was with him. The young Herodias’ rhythms swayed Herod’s inclinations.

This passage contains an important note about Jesus’ resurrection due to what is missing in the people’s claim about John’s identity.

* * *

Interestingly, the people who believed God raised John did not claim him as their Christ. They claimed him to be only Elijah or some other prophet from God.

The Jews during Jesus’ period longed for God to send the Christ to restore God’s blessing upon their city, Jerusalem, and to extirpate their enemies—like the Romans.

People did not expect the Christ to die and resurrect from the dead. We can see this in their response to the idea that John came back to life.

They did not claim John to be the resurrected Christ because they did not anticipate a Christ who needed resurrection.

* * *

Herod and others believed God raised John from the dead before they realized it was Jesus.

Even though God did something like this before when Elijah raised the Shunammite widow’s son, they did not think God consistently raised the dead.

Again—when they believed God raised John from the dead, they did not claim him to be the Christ.

But when Jesus resurrected, his followers preached that he is the Christ whom God has sent. And some did not believe even when Jesus showed his resurrected self to hundreds of people.

This is relevant because it indicates that the first century Christians did not claim that Jesus resurrected in order to prove him to be the kind of Christ for which they’ve all been waiting.

Most Jews did not expect God to raise his Christ from the dead before Jesus resurrected. We see this in the reaction of the people who believed God raised John.

So Christians would not have made up the idea that God resurrected to prove that he is from God. Fabricating that Jesus rose from the dead would not have helped them prove that he is the Jewish Christ.

They not only explained to people that Jesus resurrected, but also how his resurrection correlates with his identity as the Christ.

Perhaps, then, early Jesus followers preached Jesus’ resurrection not merely to prove that he is the Christ, but because it actually happened.

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“Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother him.”

Jarius’ friends said she died so he had no further need to ask Jesus to heal her. Evidently, they believed Jesus could heal sick people, but they didn’t think he could raise dead people.

Jesus and the others still went to Jarius’ house where Jesus said, “She isn’t dead. She’s asleep.”

They laughed at him.

Jesus paid no attention to Jarius’ incredulous friends. He simply wanted Jarius to believe in him. Jesus would soon bring to life a dead daughter in front of those who didn’t think he could do it.

* * *

But I want to first note something interesting that happens between Jarius’ initial plea to Jesus and the arrival of Jarius’ friends to tell him his daughter already died.

Mark interrupts the Jarius scene to depict the actions of a diseased woman. She believed she could be healed by touching Jesus.

She fought the crowd and touched him. The disease left her.

Jesus responded, “Your faith has made you well.” The faith of the diseased woman healed her, but Jarius nor his friends or family had faith in Jesus.

They didn’t believe he could heal the girl who was just twelve years old. Once the girl’s breath ceased from her lungs, so did their hope of her restoration.

* * *

After arriving to Jarius’ house, Jesus took James, John, Jarius, and Jarius’ wife with him to the room of the dead girl. He said, “Talitha Koum,” which means “young girl, arise.”

The dead girl did not resurrect in the sense that Jesus resurrected and received his new body. Jesus resuscitated her in her old body.

She arose and walked around. Jesus told the astonished parents to feed her and keep quiet about this miracle.

The faith of the diseased woman compelled her to seek restoration in Jesus, but Jesus’ compassion for Jarius, and his daughter, compelled him to heal her.

Jesus displayed his power over death before his resurrection.

He displayed this power so that people would believe he is who he says he is, come to him, and receive restoration.

He displayed his power over death not only to comfort those who already believe in him, but also to create belief in those who do not now do so.

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With tear-drops flowing down his face, Gustav said to his daughter, “Remember us.” Maria never saw him again.

In the recent history-based movie Woman in Gold, Maria Altmann challenges the Austrian government to receive back the famous painting, with the same title, stolen from her family by the Nazis.

She makes this decision toward the end of her life and refuses to accept Austria’s rejection to give her back the coveted painting.

As the story progresses, the movie flashes back to scenes when she was growing up with her family in Austria. One of the last flashbacks takes us to her last conversation with her dying father who is asking her to take a chance and escape Nazism as her Jewish parents stand at the edge of death.

He asks the recently wedded Maria to do one thing when she finds asylum. “Remember us.”

It will make you cry.

That single phrase, being one of the most meaningful events of her life, explains her entire motivation throughout the story. Austria was choosing to forget, but she will not let them.

At the end of the movie, we received this clarity behind her government-fighting desire. It turns out this scene never happened, but my point remains.

The resurrection narratives in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John function in the same way. The authors give us a close-up view to Jesus’ actions and allow us to be a fly-on-the-wall listening to conversations. And these conversations did happen.

But the real meaning of all that Jesus said and did, including his death, is not revealed until the end—his resurrection.

The event of the resurrection provides meaning to the events of Jesus’ life.

Christianity is based in human history—God acted and we perceive.

So what happened matters. And we must know what happened.

Christianity is not ultimately a feeling of security, a way to gain success in relationships, or wise guidelines for our financial decisions. Though it produces these things.

Furthermore, it is not enough to accept that there is a God who created the world. Nor is it enough to accept that Jesus was a good man, wise man, or moral example.

It is certainly possible to have those understandings of Jesus by perceiving his life. But it is not the complete story or the main idea of what the early writers want you to know.

The early writers want you to know the Jesus who is the Jesus that created the world and resurrected from the dead. The authors want you to know that Jesus illustrates the person and works of God in the world. They want you to know Jesus is God.

With patience and perseverance, we must get the history right.

Some specific passages detailing the events surrounding the resurrection are:

• Matthew 27:57–66
• Matthew 28:1–20
• Mark 15:42–47
• Mark 16:1–8
• Luke 23:50–56
• Luke 24:1–53
• John 19:38–42
• John 20:1–31
• John 21:1–25
• Acts 1:1–11
• 1 Corinthians 15:3–11

They contain history. In this Resurrection History series, we will peruse the events contained in these verses along with others.

Our eyes will become the perspective of the author and their writings will become our telescope to see across the space of history.

Just as Maria’s dad asked her to remember them so too do the ancient writings bid you and me. They compel us to remember.

So we will remember together.

Thanks,

Aaron

“Hey! I want to get your opinion on something….”

It was about 6:30 in the evening and I was rushing to get back to the church because we were having a lock-in. I just walked into Little Caesars around the corner for the church’s youth and that night’s helpers. As I paid for all the boxes of pizza, the teenage cashier asked what was going on so that I needed so much food.

I told him our church is having a lock-in and that we are kicking-off the night with some pizza. Once he learned that I was with the church, his face turned serious and curious simultaneously and he asked, “So what do you think about horoscopes?”

It caught me off-guard, but I subdued my haste to answer his question. I told him that there are very important truths we can learn about God and this world through what has been created—including the sky.

Then I told him that the earth and the sky, as helpful as they seem for teaching us what we need to know, are insufficient for teaching us about God and the real meaning of life. So we need God’s thoughts about himself and this world instead of our interpretation from what has been made.

He listened intently and took in what I was saying. The conversation ended as he went back to work.

With more time, I would have taken him to the resurrection of Jesus.

In life, voices bombard us, such as horoscopes or good-intentioned friends, bidding us to take their advice or to go this way instead of that. The voices come whether we want them or not. Some are helpful and others—not so much.

The curly-haired, lanky teenager in the steamy Little Caesars tried to find a voice of direction in horoscopes. He simply wanted a bit of insight for his path so he asked if I thought they were helpful. He sought for wisdom.

Other times, the so-called “voices of wisdom” are not sought after but shower and even allure us into following such-and-such a path.

In the midst of life’s flurry, we will miss the most important voices if we aren’t careful. The sobering part is this: the voices will softly, but powerfully change your thinking and actions whether you recognize it or not.

For better or worse, the voices speaking into our lives influence us—those we intentionally listen to and those to which we don’t.

So it is vitally important to remember the resurrection and to live in light of it. The invitation to receive this voice of resurrection is called the “word of life” by Paul in the New Testament. He says to hold fast to this word of life because it is the testimony of God’s acts and words in and through Jesus for your sake.

In the word of life, God interprets himself and the world. So if the resurrection is indeed true, then we are called to seek that voice behind it and listen to it—to let that voice have influence in our thoughts, feelings, and decisions.

Last Wednesday, I was speaking with a bronze sculptor and artist whose art is in every state and about sixty countries. We were talking about the word of life and he said, “It is a light for your way.” And he jerked his left arm and forcefully pointed straight down at my feet. So I glanced down.

He continued saying, “God’s word of life is not 100 yards ahead of you; it is right in front of you showing where you should go.”

If the resurrection is true, then there is a God.  And the God behind the resurrection is not merely showing off at a distance, but he is extending the voice of life to your path for today. In it, we find guidance, strength, hope, and truth. The voice is always speaking so don’t forget to listen.

Thanks,

Aaron

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“Dude, I could sit here for hours and just stare out into the sun set.”

I just met him sitting on the patio of the Starbucks just off  I-35 in Temple, Texas. He had little money and I had the time chat with him before heading back to the evening events at church.

He was on his way north from Austin after having the time of his life celebrating four-twenty at the largest(?) pot-smoking gathering in the state. He came south, from Missouri I think, because he lost his job (he crashed a tractor into the only pole in the field because he was high while driving it). I think it had been months since he had a job. Now that he was out of money, it was time to head north to get back to it.

We discussed topics like the purpose of life and how convenient it is having a TV in your car.

He told me that he was very good at relaxing and could just sit for hours and watch the sun set in complete tranquility. Our conversation was over; I gave him a Bible and some money…he was definitely more excited about the money, but appreciative for both.

I didn’t ask him this question, but I wonder what he believed about the value of work.

What do you believe about work?

I am guessing he used work to make enough money to do what he wanted when he wasn’t working, but he didn’t find any real meaning in the actual work itself. In other words, “work” is merely a necessary evil for a different good.

What do you think?

Is work meaningful and something good in itself or is it something we simply have to do in order to do something else when we aren’t working?

Can we learn anything about work from Jesus’ resurrection? Yep.

The resurrection indeed teaches us we can relax because God is in control (so we don’t have to depend on weed for help). But it also teaches us that our work is meaningful…for the exact same reason: God is in control.

By resurrecting from the dead, Jesus affirmed that this world can get better because he will make it better. This “better-ness” happens when human lives are improved, convenienced, or increase in “flourishing.” So work is valuable as a service to humanity.

There is real significance in meeting others’ needs and making their lives more convenient than it was prior.

In light of the resurrection, we should now understand work as something that is meant to serve other humans. Jesus resurrected to serve us in order that we may flourish and become a “serving-people.”

Work is the means of creating corporate human flourishing. Work is not something that occurs only when you sweat, make money, or do something you don’t want to do. Work happens when what you do serves others—whether you make money or not.

Furthermore, the resurrection means that Jesus values the earth and how humans use it. God meant for humans to flourish in the earth as the earth flourishes. Furthermore, God wants humans to make the earth flourish in order to enhance human flourishing.

In the resurrection, we see that a physical earth is still part of God’s plan which he will produce anew one day through Jesus.

Also, those who choose to follow Jesus and embrace his promises receive the responsibility and privilege to make sure others experience flourishing. We have been at the forefront of receiving the benefit of Jesus’ work so that, now, we can be at the forefront of working on behalf of others.

True flourishing will happen only when you experience God’s love for you and accept his work for you.

He did the ultimate work by dying for your evil ways so that you can live forever with him in a new creation. He resurrected so you can receive power to live as if you are already in God’s new creation—this means power in order to forsake selfishness for selflessness, harshness for kindness, and your own wisdom for God’s wisdom.

Therefore, our work receives meaning if we understand it in light of the resurrection. The resurrection allows us to rightly understand work.

There is danger in valuing work too much so that it becomes our life and valuing work too little so that it is merely for the purpose of making money.

By valuing our work too much, we begin to feel like work is the only reason for which we exist and we will lose our sense of purpose in life if our work is taken away from us.  Plus we kill other areas in order to keep our work life alive.

By valuing our work too little, we will show up to work without enthusiasm and lack diligence in our responsibilities. We will not view our work as meaningful for others, but only as an enemy causing us to spend our time in ways we do not wish.

So it is important to understand work as:

1) something created by God for humans to bless other humans

2) something done by God, through Jesus, so he can bless you—so you can experience true flourishing.

One day, Jesus will finish what he began and complete the new creation. Work will be completely meaningful always serving others and never dull or monotonous.

But remember that even today your work has meaning. There will be times when it is dreadful and boring. There will be times when our work treats us poorly and times when work is the greatest.

Just know that your very life itself can be a work of foretaste—a foretaste of true flourishing for those who long for it, but have not truly experienced it. So be encouraged. This truth is as true as the resurrection. And if Jesus truly resurrected, then you can get to work.

Thanks,

Aaron