Monday 09 March 2015

Psalm: Psalm 119:113-128

Background

As we move through Lent we now have a week of texts from Paul'sfirst letter to the Church in Corinth that are all focused on deathand resurrection.

When Peter says Paul is difficult to understand (2Peter 3:16) maybe he is thinking about texts like this. Intoday's passage Paul lays out pretty much every possiblecombination of belief in resurrection of Jesus and of others. It iseasy to get lost in that long list, so can we simplify it?

Paul is certain Jesus is raised from the dead. Paul is certainthat the dead are raised from the dead. He is certain that thesesupport each other, that it is not possible to believe one but notthe other.

Paul says that if either of these is not true (which means bothas they support each other) then all Christians, their teaching,their faith and their lives are all in vain and they should all bepitied.

Then Paul summarises saying that it is all ok for Christians,for their teaching, their faith and their lives because in factboth are true. Jesus has been raised and there is resurrection forthe dead.

In his book Mere Christianity, C S Lewis said of Jesus,"You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son ofGod, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for afool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fallat his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with anypatronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He hasnot left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Centuries earlier Paul is citing the resurrection as Jesus notgiving us the option of seeing him as a great human teacher.

To Ponder

• Which do you feel is more important? The resurrection of Jesusor the death of Jesus on the cross. Why?

• What does resurrection mean for you today?

• Do you express a hope in Jesus beyond this life? How andwhy?