New Old Title [The Resurrection of Jesus]

 

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE

READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Job 19:23-27

• 1 Corinthians 5:6-8

• St. Mark 16:1-8

To all of you, baptized into the death and resurrection of the true Son of God: Grace, Mercy, and Peace are secure for you from God our Father, through our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Crucified of God!

 

Who speaks to us, even today, and we have been given ears to hear:

“Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, The Crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

 

St. Mark in his gospel, along with St. Matthew, gives a new title to Jesus, which is really an old title, an eternal title. When they say, “You seek Jesus, who was crucified”, it can be heard as, “You seek Jesus, The Crucified.” As it is given by the angels at the tomb, “The Crucified” is how Jesus is addressed in eternity. This is important, because it is not only how the Apostles find Him (see my hands and side), but how we find Him even today.
 
This title now is the heading over all of His work since the beginning. As in, we now read back into the Old Testament, what the New has revealed to us.
Some examples: In the Beginning, the Crucified created the heavens and the earth. The Crucified said to Noah, I will establish my covenant with you (Gen 6:18). Then the Crucified appeared to Abraham and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Crucified, who had appeared to him. (Gen 12:7)
 
Jacob said, “I have seen the Crucified face to face, and yet my life has been delivered” (Gen 32:30).
Samuel declared, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of The Crucified rushed upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam 16:13).
And the Word of the Crucified came to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea and all to Whom the Son chose to reveal Himself to.
 
Why is it so important to Jesus that He receive this new title when He had so many others that we love to put on t-shirts and buttons. Crucified is low on that list. But it is high on heaven’s list. How backwards. That is why its important, because the world’s honor is not God’s honor. The world’s glory, is not God’s Glory.
 
We have already experienced the world’s glory in titling Jesus the King of the Jews and hanging it over His suffering and crucified head. Thinking they got rid of Him, they did God’s will in offering the Paschal Lamb, Whom God so freely gave us. The Crucified’s blood now marks our door, faith points to it, death passes over, and satan cannot harm us.
 
Repent. In wishing to be refreshing and relevant to the world, we jettison the titles, the gifts, and words, that do not change from God. We wish to cast away the bonds of history that titles such as “lutheran” give us. We desire to burst the cords of denomination and history hoping that, this time, the change we make is God pleasing and we burst at the seams with attendees.
 
We exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator (Rom 1:25). For the first thing to go in our new titles is “Crucified”. No crucifix passes through those doors. The only corpus in those rooms are people, front and center and focused. No Jesus dwells in the midst, in image or statue, because we are so holy that we don’t even have pictures of God, as He commanded.
 
Judas hoped for the same things. St Peter even tried to alter Christ’s title, but was rebuked. 
If Christ is not the Crucified, then you stumble with the Jews and live in foolishness with the gentiles (1 Cor 1:23). “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14).
 
Today, we are children of Light, once again, by Christ’s words of Absolution, and we walk around in the Light that was before the Beginning. We do not stumble. We are not foolish, but wise in God’s Foolish Work of Salvation through His Crucified. We rise to new life daily, drowning our Old Adam so that the New, Crucified Adam can emerge.

This, Dr. Luther wished to convey to us in his hymn, which we just sung. We the Offender, Christ the Offended. We the Sinner, Christ the Sinless.
 

In the Great Exchange, Death is deathless, the Sinner is Sinless, and the Offender is Righteous. Forever. Done. No changing God’s mind.

In this Unchangeableness, we keep the Easter feast this day and every year. We keep all the little Easters, that are the rest of the Sundays of the year, every Sunday. Non-stop, unashamed of labels, history, or alleged irrelevance. 

 

Nothing is more relevant to a dying, sinful world than our public celebration today. Nothing is more refreshing than to have the Crucified among us, communing with us, saving us.

 

Of Easter, St. John Chrysostom from the 4th century, says:

 

If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast.

If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord.

If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense.

If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward.

If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast.

If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived therefore.

If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing.

If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; he gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour.

And he shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one he gives, and upon the other he bestows gifts.

And he both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering.

Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second.

You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day.

Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast.

The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.

Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness.

 

Let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave.

Let no one fear death, for the Savior's death has set us free.

He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it.

By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive.

He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered Thee in the lower regions.

It was embittered, for it was abolished.

It was embittered, for it was mocked.

It was embittered, for it was slain.

It was embittered, for it was overthrown.

It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains.

It took a body, and met God face to face.

It took earth, and encountered Heaven.

It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory?

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown.

Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen.

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice.

Christ is risen, and life reigns.

Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.

For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages.

Forever and ever.

Amen.

Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!