He is risen!
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Maybe you worshiped somewhere on Easter Sunday where you heard this exchange between the worship leader or pastor and the congregation. It is a greeting between Christian believers dating back hundreds of years. Some scholars suggest it may have been a greeting that was birthed from Luke 24, when the women arrived at the tomb of Jesus with their embalming spices and were greeted by two angels with these words: “He is not here but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee.” You know the rest of the story.
As we heard on Easter, the resurrection changes everything. But sometime soon, maybe even today or tomorrow, you and I will face new and old challenges. There will be diagnoses, financial uncertainties, lies will be told, injustices will be seen and repeated, and there will be other evidence that rattles us. Some of these may cause non-believers to believe that the gospel is full of good practices, but there must have been no real resurrection of Jesus or else things would be much different or better than they are now.
So, what about the kingdom of God? Before Jesus gave up his life on the cross for us, there were some Pharisees who asked him a good question. Maybe it is a question some struggle with even today: “When will the Kingdom of God come?”
When the religious leadership posed the question, they had certain things on their minds. Like all of us in some way, we often ask our questions with preconceived ideas. Some Pharisees wanted nothing to do with Jesus and could not get on board with the idea that he was sent by God or else there would be clear signs of change. Many of them believed he would finally put Rome in its proper place and reestablish Israel as the visible and powerful nation of God. With these changes, they believed real justice would be seen everywhere.
Towards the end of the earthly ministry of Jesus, the Pharisees and others had seen Jesus perform unexplainable signs and wonders. He had healed sick people, given sight to blind people, provided food for hungry people, encouraged many with parables that spoke of how things should and would be. He had even raised Lazarus from the dead. If we had seen those things, maybe we would have been encouraged and committed to following Jesus and joining his kingdom, but like the Pharisees, we might have been puzzled that there were signs, but many things were still broken.
Today we might need to reconsider the answer Jesus gave to the Pharisees. I am confident that the words of Jesus were one hundred percent true before his death and that they are one hundred percent true and reliable today. Here is the answer Jesus gave to the Pharisees and gives to us as well, concerning when the Kingdom of God will come:
Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
With his resurrection, Jesus conquered death and the enemy’s grip on us now and forever. But as we live in this season of the kingdom of God being here but not yet fully visible, we can and must walk in resurrection confidence concerning the day Jesus will return and put all things in their proper place of restoration and renewal.
As children of the resurrection, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and must continue to spread the good news of Jesus and give witness to the world of the victory we have in Christ. We have been given the assignment of spreading the kingdom of God through how we live and act differently than the people and systems of the world. The kingdom of God is evident every time we show the love of Christ to someone in need. Every time we work for justice and offer mercy. Every time we live in ways that demonstrate that we are not controlled by our possessions nor our whims. These actions give testimony to the current and active kingdom of God spreading now as we wait for Christ’s return.
So don’t wait until next Easter to acknowledge that Christ is risen. Yes, he rose more than 2000 years ago, but he is still risen. He is risen indeed. May our lives give testimony to someone today of the present and active kingdom of God, even as we wait for the day where every eye will see and every knee will bow and declare Jesus is Lord!
Father, thank you for the resurrection. May your kingdom be evident in how our lives reflect both our confidence in the resurrection and transformation through the Holy Spirit. May your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Luke 17:20-21 NLT
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
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