“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’” (Luke 24:1-6a)
In the 21st century we Christians are constantly reminded by the Word of God and the teachings of the church of the significance and reality of the resurrection of Jesus. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead means our sins are forgiven. We know that we have a God who gives us faith, peace, comfort, and joy. He provides meaning and purpose for our lives, something all humans seek in themselves, other people, and in the cultural institutions of our world.
Yet because of those very cultural institutions, there are millions of people alive today who do not understand the resurrection of Jesus and what it means. Many just dismiss it as a fairy tale akin to Santa Claus and the Easter bunny. Our cultural systems dismiss the resurrection of Christ as a myth that merely reflects the hope of rebirth embodied in the season of Spring. So in the spirit of multiculturalism and pluralism these social systems dismiss the scriptures as merely the struggles of a group of people trying to make sense out of the unjust and chaotic world.
Yet the truth is that in the Word of God, we have the testimony of many reliable eyewitnesses that proclaim to us that Jesus did rise from the grave. Their testimonies form the basis of our faith. These men and women had no reason to lie nor could they fabricate such a story. They had never heard of anyone rising from the dead. The closest they had experienced were the three people Jesus raised from the dead. But Jesus raising Himself from the grave was something they could not even conceive. The miracle of Jesus’ resurrection was so totally beyond their understanding that the women who were the first to hear it did not know what to make of it. Neither could the disciples. They had no idea that Jesus was going to do what He did even though He had told them. So we can understand why they were confused. They needed someone to explain to them what had happened and why.
The good news is that we do have that explanation given in the gospels. Our faithful response to those words forms the testimony that we are to present to others that they too might believe, repent, and receive the mercy and forgiveness of a loving God. The truth and meaning that all men seek is found in Jesus, the Word of God, and in His Church.