THE RESURRECTION POWER
A classic scene that has to exist in most action movies is one where the main character suddenly finds himself in an impossible situation like facing an army of bloodthirsty wild animals cornering him or the ground caving in below him as an earthquake rips through the land. And when escape appears impossible, rescue takes place unexpectedly in the form of a weapon that comes to life or a plane that takes him away just in the nick of time. The position of weakness and desperation is changed instantaneously to one of power and triumph.
Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, is similar in many ways, instantaneously transforming man from weakness to one of incomparable power. Paul writes in the Bible,
—–and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:19-23)
When we hear of near death experiences (NDE), they are remarkable as those who experience them were considered physically dead, yet they come back to life and they recount experiences of their souls having gone through experiences in heaven very similar to what is described in the Bible. We also see multiple examples in the medical world of people being revived from coma. It is important to recognize that the resurrection of Christ was very different from either of these. Every person who experiences a medical revival or a NDE goes on to physically die later in life. However in resurrection, we see Jesus being raised from the dead with a new resurrection body, never to die again. The nature of this resurrection body is elaborated on elsewhere.
The reason why the resurrection trumps all else and is described as one of incomparable power is because the only way to be resurrected is to overcome the curse of sin and death. Death is much more than physical dying- it is an eternal separation from God and his light. It is being eternally enveloped by and drowned in darkness, which is the absence of God. Death is a consequence of sin, which has been incorporated into man’s nature on account of the original sin. Physical death is just a manifestation of that eternal reality. While Jesus was sinless, he took on the sins of the whole world and in doing so embraced death. And it is only the incomparable power of God being exhibited through the incomparable vehicle of Christ that makes resurrection possible. It is a power that transcends the physical dimension and goes right to the core of the spiritual eternal reality where life has been stained and diminished by sin. It is a power that condemns and executes sin and darkness and so eliminates the threat of death.
Like a vehicle that miraculously appears to rescue you when the ground caves beneath you, is the resurrection power of Christ that has been made available to man, because nothing in all reality supersedes it. This power seats us with Christ in the heavenly realms above all authority. Belief in Christ is like getting into the rescue vehicle, and for those who do, death no longer is a threat. Resurrection becomes a reality for man. And that incomparable power begins to exert its influence in our earthly lives, helping us to overcome the power of sin and darkness and accomplish the impossible.
