Death and Resurrection – Luke 24:23-35
A natural disaster strikes, there is a random act of violence, and a loved one dies; with each headline, with each death– we are reminded of the fragility of life, of our own mortality, and that life takes place in a dangerous world. A world that is often more like a warzone than a garden. Death is all around us, but Jesus’ conquering of death is an invitation to a new way of life.
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
We live the entirety of our lives caught between beauty and brokenness, good and evil, life and death. It is the tension between life and death, where two disciples’ have a surprising encounter in Luke 24.
A Dangerous World of Death & Tyrants
“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” – Luke 24:13-21
The Emmaus-bound disciples go on to describe the events of the weekend. We live in a dangerous world; one that is often more like a warzone than a garden.
“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26)
A STORY OF SUFFERING & GLORY
We do not have any record of what Jesus said to the Emmaus-bound disciples, but we have the Scriptures that are the prequel to the Jesus story. Without the details, it's a fragmented story.
So if we have any hope in understanding the phrase– “He descended to the dead, on the third day he rose again.” – we must look to the same scriptures and recreate the story Jesus told his disciples–
The Creation
The Fall
“Sin in is an unwillingness to trust that what God wants is our deepest happiness.” – Saint Ignatius
What God deems sin is not bad because it is forbidden; it is forbidden because it is bad. The fallout of our choice to do what is right in our own eyes is exactly as God predicted in Genesis 2–
“you will die” (Genesis 2:17).
“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
Genesis 4-11 tells the story of people choosing to do what is right in their own eyes, and the devastating consequences on themselves, those around them, and creation as a whole.
The Nation of Israel.
Israel fails to trust that what God desired for them was simply the good life. From Exodus to Judges from First Samuel to Second Kings– time and time again, the Israelites go about things their own way– doing what was right in their own eyes – and the fallout is pain, suffering, violence, and death.
The Suffering Servant
At one point the Nation of Israel is split in two– the nation to the south a smoldering ruin– its people taken into captivity. The northern nation suffering under corrupt rulers and unholy alliances.
“The servant grew up before God— a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand… But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed.”– Isaiah 53:1,5-6 (MSG)
OF BROKEN BREAD & BURNING HEARTS.
”And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight” –Luke 24:31
On the third day, he rose again.
He was dead, but now he is alive.
And in resurrection Death is defeated.
Upon the realization that Jesus was back from the dead, the disciples exclaim–
“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” –Luke 24:32–33
Our task is to practice resurrection– to bear witness to the preciousness of life and the sacredness of connection.
We practice resurrection with long walks with good friends. We practice resurrection by checking in on a friend and asking – “what’s been going on?” We practice resurrection by reading, pondering, and teaching the Story of Jesus. We practice resurrection by sitting at a dinner table with people we don’t know.
They are as ordinary as bread and cup– but they point to something stronger than death itself.
