John 20 & Song of Songs

Interestingly, the Common Worship lectionary for this evening appoints Song of Songs 3:2-5 and John 20:11-18.

In addition, Mary finds Jesus in a spice filled garden.

As a woman searches for the man she loves in a garden perfumed with spices, we might think of the Song of Songs with the beloved seeking her lover, that picture of the relationship between the Lord and his people, Christ and the church.

cf. Song 1:3, 12; 3:6; 4:6, 10; 5:1, 13

Lifted!

I've just finished reading Sam Allberry's book on the resurrection, Lifted! (IVP), which was out this January. I must say I've thoroughly enjoyed it. It's been a very busy week with the Passion For Life Mission and at times I've been whacked out, but I've come back to Lifted! with enthusiasm and gone away encouraged.

Sam has a very lively engaging style. The book is packed with striking expressions, illustrations and anicdotes. Yet there is real theological substance here too.

In a way, the book is a series of mini-expositions and I would have liked a Scripture index so that I could more easily steal the headings!

The resurrection was at the heart of the apostolic preaching and it is often neglected today, sometimes from a wrong-headed desire to keep the cross central, when of course the cross and the resurrection belong together. One necessitates and explains the other. They are not rivals.

The biblical message of this book has the potential to be profoundly life changing. It is worth reflecting on the resurrection as God's affirmation of the physical and bodily, when Christianity is always in danger of being perverted into gnosticism. Or think of Jesus' resurrection body as the pattern both for our resurrection and what we might call the resurrection of the cosmos. This world will be transformed and renewed as Jesus' body was, so all that we do in this world matters.

Here are my jottings from the book:

The resurrection is more than the happy ending of the Easter Story

It’s not just the big tick after the big cross

“The resurrection changes everything. It guarantees our forgiveness, empowers us to change, and gives us a hope for the future and an urgent mission in

the present.”

(1) Assurance

The resurrection shows that Jesus’ payment for the sin of the world has been accepted by the Father.

The payment has been received with thanks.

The resurrection assures us that Jesus was who he claimed to be.

Acts 3:15

The resurrection “reveals and confirms his [Jesus’] four-fold identity: the Son of God, the Christ, the Saviour and the Author of life. The resurrection shows Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be.”

(a) Son of God

Ps 2:7

Rm 1:4

(b) The Christ

Acts 2:36 quoting Ps 110:1

(c) Saviour

Acts 5:30-31

(d) the author of life

Acts 3:15

Jn 11:25

The resurrection assures us of what Jesus has done

Rm 4:25

1 Cor 15:17

“the resurrection is the consequence and demonstration of our salvation because death is the consequence and demonstration of our sin.”

Death as the wages of sin Gen ; Rm 6:23

(2) Transformation

United with Christ

Spiritually raised now (Col 3:1), physically raised at Final Day (Rm 8:23)

Rm 4:17

God gives life & new life

1 Sam 2:6

Ez 37

Ps 16:10

Phil 2

God gives us resurrection life. “With it we enjoy a whole host of newness: new life, new perspective, new conduct, new power and new ambition. Resurrection life changes everything.”

New life

Eph 2:1-10

New perspective

Col 3:1-4

New conduct

Eph 5:8, 11-14

Colossians 3:5, 8–10

Acts 4:32–35

New power

Romans 8:9–11

Romans 6:5–14

New ambition

Phil 3:10-11

(3) Hope

Not wishful thinking / uncertain

Rm 5:5

1 Pt 1:3

Mistake 1: The mistake that the resurrection has already taken place (2 Tim 2:17-18)

(a) Wrong to think: We have it all now

Perfectionism, prosperity, health, wealth – believe it and receive it, name it and claim it – if you don’t the problem is your lack of faith

(b) Wrong to think: This is all there is

Mistake 2: There is no resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15:12)

1 Cor 15:14-19

Jesus is the first of many

“It is clear, then, that the basis of our hope as Christians is the resurrection of Jesus. As we look back at the basis of our hope, we are then able to look forward to what is the content of our hope: bodily resurrection in the future.”

Rm 8:11

Look at nature nature:

(i) put death in, get life out

1 Cor 15:36

(ii) what you get out wasn’t what you put in

1 Cor 15:37-38

(iii) God is, of course, able to give things the appropriate kinds of bodies

1 Cor 15:39-41

Look at the risen Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:49

Philippians 3:21

Continuity & discontinuity with Jesus pre-resurection body

1 Corinthians 15:42–44

Perishable, dishonourable, weak, natural bodies will be transformed

Resurrection hope for creation

Frustration & Promise

Rm 8:19-22

Discontinuity

Rev 21:1, 5

Isaiah 65:17

Isaiah 11:6–9

Continuity

“God says, ‘I will make all things new’, not ‘I will make all new things’.”

Genesis 9:11

Matthew 19:28

Persevere

1 Corinthians 15:58

(4) Mission

Acts 17:30-31

The exaltation of Jesus

Phil 2:5-11

The reality of judgement

Rm 1:3-4

Daniel 12:2

John 11:25

Acts 4:1-2

The necessity of mission

Mt 28:19-20

Change & Alms

I'm reading and so far very much enjoying Sam Allbery's book on the significance of the resurrection, Lifted! experiencing the resurrection life (IVP, 2010). I plan to plagarise it on Sunday evening.

Sam has a lively sense of humour and an engaging turn of phrase.

I liked this on the beggar in Acts 3:

But on this day he didn’t get change, but changed. He asked Peter for alms but received legs!

Regeneration / Ressurection Illustration

Another idea from camp, this time stolen from DJ:

In the film Shrek, Princess Fiona kisses Shrek on their wedding day and is transformed into a troll, just like him. She is given a new life and a new relationship - and made like Shrek.

Similarly, the Christian believer is given new life and a new relationship at his regeneration and resurrection and is made like the Lord Jesus.

Not bad, eh?

Historicity of the Resurrection

Some quotes plundered from the interweb on the evidence for the resurrection:

Thomas Arnold, headmaster of Rugby school and Regius Professor of Modern History at

Oxford University, wrote: "I have been used for many years to study the history of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them; and

I know of no fact in the history of people which is proved by better and fuller

evidence… to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign that God has

given us, that Christ died and rose from the dead." (quoted in Michael Green, The Day Death Died, IVP, Leicester, 1987, p.15)

In the 1930s a journalist, Frank Morison, was convinced that miracles did not

happen though he admired the character of Jesus, and set out to write a book disproving the resurrection. When he studied the evidence, he wrote his book: "Who Moved the Stone?" and with great honesty entitled the first chapter: "The Book that Refused to be Written." (Michael Green, Man Alive, IVF, London, 1967, pp.54-55)

Lord Darling, formerly Lord Chief Justice of England, wrote: "The crux of the

problem of whether Jesus was or was not what he proclaimed Himself to be, must

surely depend on the truth or otherwise of the resurrection. On that greatest point

we are not merely asked to have faith. In its favour as a living truth there exists such

overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no

intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in the verdict that the resurrection

story is true." (quoted in Michael Green, The Day Death Died, IVP, Leicester, 1987, p.15)

Sir Edward Clarke, a High Court Judge, said: "As a lawyer I have made a prolonged

study of the evidence for the events of Easter Day. To me the evidence is conclusive,

and over and over again in the High Court I have secured the verdict on evidence

not nearly so compelling. As a lawyer I accept the Gospel evidence unreservedly as

the testimony of truthful people to facts that they were able to substantiate."

Bishop Westcott, one of England's greatest New Testament scholars, said: "It is not too much to say that there is no single historical incident better or more

variously attested than the resurrection of Christ." (quoted in Michael Green, The Day Death Died, IVP, Leicester, 1987, p37)

The Significance of the Resurrection

In our central mid-week Bible Study yesterday we treid to consider the significance of the resurrection. Here are the jottings from my handout:

§ A neglected subject?

- the centrality of the cross (cf. 1 Cor 15:3-4; Acts 4:2, 33)

- busy defending the empty tomb

Past Event

§ Evidence that Jesus was who he claimed to be

§ Shows there is life beyond the grave (1 Cor 15:12)

§ Shows that Jesus’ God is the living and true God

§ Shows God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice – his death was effective

§ Death defeated (Rom 6:9; 1 Cor 15:54-57; Acts 2:24)

§ Jesus’ vindication / justification and ours (Rom 4:25)

§ Jesus is enthroned as Lord of all (Acts 2:32,36)

§ Jesus is the Son of God in power (Rom 1:4)

§ A man on the throne of the universe – New Adam (Ps 8; 1 Cor 15:44b-49)

§ The New Creation / New Age has begun

- Firstborn from among the dead (Col 1:18)

- Firstfruits (1 Cor 15:20, 23)

Present Effects

§ Jesus is alive – we can know him personally

He is with us (Mt 28:20)

§ Jesus our permanent High Priest lives to intercede for us (Heb 7:24-25; Rom 8:34)

§ We have new birth into a living hope through the resurrection (1 Pet 1:3)

§ We are made alive and raised with Christ (Eph 2:5-6; Col 2:12-13; 3:1-3; Rom 6:4-5; 8:11)

§ The power of the resurrection is at work in us (Eph 1:19-20; Phil 3:10-11)

§ Our labour in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor 15:58)

Future Hope

§ We will be raised (1 Cor 6:14; 1 Thess 4:14)

§ Jesus will judge all people (Acts 17:31; 10:40-42)

§ We will receive transformed physical bodies (Phil 3:21; 1 Cor 15:42-54)

§ Hope for creation / physicality (Rom 8:18-22)

The Difference the Risen Jesus Makes

My Easter Sunday sermon on John 20 can be listened to here.

The headings are:

Mary Magdalene: Bewilderment (vv1-2) and tears (v11, 13, 15) to testimony (v18)

Disciples: Fear (v19) to peace (v19, v21, v26) and joy (v20)

Thomas: Unbelief (v25) to worship (v28)

The Meaning of the Resurrection of the Son of God

In his 800 page The Resurrection of the Son of God (London, SPCK, 2003), N. T. Wright concludes that for the New Testament writers, the resurrection of the Son of God means that he is the Messiah, the Lord of the World and God the Son.

(1) Messiah

“The first level of a ‘son of god’ understanding of Jesus’ resurrection can therefore be summarized as follows. Jesus is Israel’s Messiah. In him, the creator’s covenant plan, to deal with sin and death that has so radically infected his world, has reached its long-awaited and decisive fulfilment.” (p728)

(2) Lord

“This then is the second level of meaning. The resurrection constitutes Jesus as the world’s true sovereign, the ‘son of god’ who claims absolute allegiance from everyone and everything within creation. He is the start of the creator’s new world: its pilot project, indeed its pilot.” (p731)

(3) God

“… the fact that this Jesus had been raised by this god… drew from the early Christians the breathtaking belief that Jesus was the ‘son of god’, the unique ‘Son’ of this God, as opposed to any other… … he was the personal embodiment and revelation of the one true god.” (p731)

“The resurrection … declares that Jesus really is God’s Son… in the sense that he is the one in whom the living God, Israel’s God, has become personally present in the world, has become one of the human creatures that were made from the beginning in the image of the same God.” (p733)

“… this resurrection [of this ‘son of God’] … was the public announcement, by the one true God, that this Jesus really was, and had always been, his son in this full, self-revealing, self-embodying sense.” (p734)

Tomb & Womb

I trust all my readers read, mark, learn and inwardly digest Revd Dr Peter Leithart's blog, so you already will have seen this one-liner from Rosenstock-Huessy, but I wanted to remember it:

If the tomb of Jesus is not the womb of the Christian era, we had better forget his whole story as a fairy tale.