Ha!
It seems downright silly to even ask it like that, though, as I sort through my questions about the role of Jesus' resurrection in our lives, that's how the discussion feels.
As Easter approached, I was looking for songs to play in church on Easter Sunday morning and was surprised at the lack of songs pertaining to Jesus' Resurrection. There are tons about the Cross, but significantly less about the Resurrection. Why is that? Is this a recent development, a by-product of our western version of Christianity? Is that a healthy balance? Is there nothing for me to be concerned about, i.e. are this observation and subsequent questioning a waste of time?
I don't think so.
I guess what motivates this question for me is the curiosity about the role of the Resurrection in our lives, in terms of "victorious Christian living" as some might say. The way the church in general has portrayed the Cross for me can be summed up like this:
"You are a sinner with a deceitfully wicked heart, dead in your sin and an enemy of God. But! God loves you, so He sacrificed His Son Jesus on the Cross. By doing that, His wrath towards sin and His love for us meet in perfect union on this great symbol of the lengths that God will go to rescue us. Now, you are a sinner saved by grace."
And so we hang our head, feel bad for making Jesus have to die in our place and do our best to sin less (to feel less guilty and somehow to reciprocate back to God what He gave to us). And for almost all of my Christian life, the Resurrection has been an after-thought to the gospel. Like, "Oh, P.S. In addition to the gospel, Jesus DID come back to life, FYI. That sort of proves He is God or something... Not completely sure, but I figure it's important to throw that in there, too. But anyway, back to the Cross and how much Jesus suffered for you..."
I almost feel as though we have a slightly unhealthy focus on the Cross. I say, "we", but realistically, I can only honestly speak for myself—though I've noticed similar practice and belief among other Christians I've interacted with over the years. When I focus on the Cross, I see the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus. It makes me feel bad for my sin "that held Him there". Realistically, it creates some motivation out of guilt or shame, for causing that suffering. Not necessarily a bad reaction, though it is inadequate and misleading for finding and living the abundant life that Jesus offers us. It creates a mentality that my relationship with God is defined by His mercy and my sin. I am the sinner and He is the merciful King. And, on that statement alone, I can't disagree! But I think it is inadequate. And I think the inadequacy comes as a failure on our part, the Churches part and my part to understand the amazing role of the Resurrection of Jesus. Unfortunately, I am only beginning to scratch the surface in this area, so I won't be able to wax eloquent about the spiritual wonders that will emerge once we focus on the Resurrection. I do see, though, that there is LIFE in the Resurrection. The Cross brought the necessary death. And the Resurrection, then, brings the necessary life. And I think, from my own experience, the reason why most Christians aren't that joyful or hope-filled is because we have under-appreciated the Resurrection. I'm not talking about denying or diminishing the power of the blood and cross of Jesus Christ at all. It is completely necessary and volumes of spiritual literature have been written expounding all that God has done for us through the cross. But I've started reading through the book of Acts and I'm finding that the early church preached about the Resurrection! There was something life-giving about that reality. And so I want to take the time to give the Resurrection its proper place in my theology and life. I have the sneaking suspicion that Jesus has given us a lot of spiritual blessing and freedom and life and authority for living victoriously within the Resurrection.
Honestly, it feels weird to question this. Questioning the Cross in general makes it feel like I'm in danger of heresy or beginning a cult. So that's why I want to understand Scripture and the early church. Someone spoke awhile back and made the comment that the early church writings didn't even mention the cross at all for 400 years after Jesus' death. The cross was just a normal, commonplace death for criminals. I'm not sure of the source of this, so I can't hang my hat on it—though it does make me quite curious if it's true. Again, I have no desire to diminish the role of the Cross in the gospel message, but I wonder if the gospel would feel more like good news to people if the Resurrection actually is crucial to understanding the new life we have in Christ. So that's my current quest, I suppose.
Also, let me throw it out there that I am aware that my understanding of the Cross could also need to be challenged and expanded. I can't argue with that. But I've been in the "christian bubble" since I was 10 years old and I don't think there's a lot of new perspectives on the Cross that I'm missing. So, by God's Spirit at work in me, I hope to understand the Cross in a more true way, but I'm also going to intentionally pursue understanding the Resurrection, because, after almost 20 years in Christendom, I can't really tell you much about how it impacts our lives, except for being a proof that Jesus was God. There are some vague other thoughts, too, but nothing that I've really studied and meditated on enough to where it has become something I deeply believe.
I mean, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life"... He never said, "I am the cross and the death"... you know? =)
Resurrection: 1
Cross: 0
I kid, I kid. Don't stone me!
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