Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said,
“Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:26–28
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 Corinthians 15:3–8
If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
1 Corinthians 15:17
The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
1 Corinthians 15:42–44
Ephesians 4:7–13
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”
(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:7–13
To call the resurrection of Jesus “groundbreaking” is an understatement. It changed everything. It is the basis of our faith. There is debate in the church about whether the resurrection was a physical event. The Gospel stories make it very clear that it was physical (John 20:27; 21:9, 15; Luke 24:30, 40–43), but with some very big differences – Jesus would suddenly disappear, or appear in their midst though the doors were locked. Paul addresses this in our passage from 1 Corinthians 15 above: the resurrection body is a spiritual body not a natural body – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t physical. Quantum physicists are discovering that physicality and spirituality belong to the same continuum, so perhaps we might see the resurrection body as a
fulfilled body, one which has reached its full potential.
The resurrection was a wonderful event that revolutionized the whole cosmos, but it was not complete until Jesus had ascended to the Father and poured out the Spirit on us at Pentecost. In ascending to the Father and being absorbed into the Godhead, Jesus became not remote but universally accessible. In the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost he became not just accessible but fully present in our lives.
These three linked mysteries are central to the Christian faith and make it
possible for us to actually, personally, experience the living Jesus literally present with us in our hearts in everyday life, in all his power and joy.
God of life and power, we marvel at the mystery that you have come to live with us – actually inhabit us – in the Holy Spirit, the presence of Jesus. May his indwelling of our hearts day by day work the miracle of grace within us, filling us with his joy and kindness, transforming us into the likeness of his loving face, setting us free from all that warps and diminishes us, and bringing us into the fullness of abundant life. Thank you, Father, for this mind-boggling gift of salvation; may we prove worthy of what you have entrusted to us, in Jesus’ holy name; Amen.
