Monday, April 28

Christ Without Limits

Rev. Tim Travers

Reading

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.
1 Corinthians 15:3-7 (NIV)

Reflection

I’ve always been intrigued by this Scripture passage. It seems the Apostle Paul highlights some central points of Christian belief. Among these core tenets of the faith, according to Paul: Christ died for our sins; he was buried; he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures prophesied; he appeared to Cephas and the twelve disciples; and he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters “at the same time.”

Much of this reminds me of what would later become some of the main tenets expressed in The Apostles’ Creed, which we proclaim together in worship each week at Acts 2. We’re not alone—millions of Christians around the world also attest to the truth of that creed.

This leads me to the first thing that strikes me about Paul’s words to the Corinthians: he was affirming beliefs that would remain central to our faith two millennia later. The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is timeless. We will never somehow “outgrow” our need for the power of that message.

The next thing I notice is that Paul felt a need to present some of the eyewitness proof of Jesus’ resurrection. I imagine that even some faithful followers in Corinth (and elsewhere) might have struggled to believe something that sounded so impossible, especially if they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes. Furthermore, we can bet that many others—those who were not believers—would have ridiculed such beliefs as fantastic and misguided.

Consider this: there were more than 500 eyewitnesses. Wow! I think that would stand up as truly compelling evidence in any court of law. It also got me wondering whether all those 500+ people saw Jesus at the same time in one place—or whether Jesus appeared simultaneously in multiple locations. Regardless, I have no reason to doubt the truth of it.

Jesus was apparently so different after the resurrection that even someone like Mary Magdalene, who had spent much time with him and was very close to him, didn’t recognize the resurrected Jesus—at least not until he spoke her name in a way that she knew it was him. It seems that Jesus, in resurrected form, no longer had the limits we associate with humanity. He had received a new body—one that was different and permanent. No wonder he had the ability to appear to so many of his followers! He wasn’t bound by having to be in only one place at a time.

I think back to the account of Jesus raising his friend Lazarus from the dead. Jesus had arrived four days after Lazarus had been laid in the tomb. When Jesus first received news that Lazarus was seriously ill, he chose to stay where he was a little longer and tend to other needs. At that point, Jesus had to decide what needed his attention first.

Have you ever felt pulled in multiple directions because people in various situations all needed your urgent help? I imagine that’s how Jesus felt when he heard about Lazarus’ illness. By contrast, the resurrected Christ was able to be there for multiple people—all at once!

Perhaps that’s why the resurrected Christ assured us he would give us the gift of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power. We know that we—with our human bodies, our less-than-perfect intentions, and our tendency to get fatigued—could never be there for everyone all the time. That’s why I take heart in knowing that the Holy Spirit is at work in me and in all Christian believers around the world. There is much more power at work through the Holy Spirit than I can even imagine. Consequently, I put my trust in the power of God, not in myself.

Bottom line? I’m okay with the fact that I’m living a life of faith as a person who has limits—because I serve a resurrected Christ who is limitless.

Prayer
Almighty and Loving God, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for the peace and healing that come to us when we realize that the presence and power of the risen Christ in the world are not limited by the amount of work we can get done, even though we love being engaged in such holy work. We know that the risen Christ is without limits, and it is he who reigns. Amen.