Hope of Resurrection

Do you find it so incredibly impossible that God raises people from the dead?  We do wonder, especially when weepily staring at a beloved loved one in the face and he or she happens to be laid out in a coffin, lifeless.  Oh our imagination may trick us into seeing the chest rise and fall because we so deeply and dearly wish to see a resurrection right there and then but these things mostly don't happen, no matter how much we pray or plead for it to happen.

Paul posed that question to his listeners as if it was a foregone conclusion that it could and does indeed happen though; implying, why were these hearers  finding it so unbelievably fantastical?  He asked,

"Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead" (Acts 26:8 NIV)?

Of course He does!  Don't you know!?

This audience needed only to review their history.  Abraham, their father whom the Jews, Pharisees and Sadducees alike, venerated, also believed in resurrection.  God had promised him that through Isaac, his seed would be reckoned (Genesis 21:12).  Hebrews 11:19 implicitly  tells us of Abraham's belief and thought that is exactly what he thought God would do for Isaac when  God had told him to sacrifice him.  Abraham was  willing to go through with it.

David,  in his Psalm (16:8-11), declared that God would not,

"abandon me to the grave..." (v 10)

and  that he would experience,

"eternal pleasures at   [God's] right hand" (v 11)

in God's presence.

Both Elijah and Elisha raised  a precious only son from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-23 and 2 Kings 4:30-37); one for the Zarephath woman  and the second instance, a Shuenamite widow.  Jesus Himself had raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44).  At the  time, the  Jewish religious leaders couldn't refute what had happened and even conspired to kill Lazarus.  How wicked these hearts!  Maybe even some of them were now Paul's current accusers!

Paul raised Eutychus from the dead almost without blinking an eye or pause in his farewell speech (Acts 20:7-12).  If it wasn't such a serious matter and moment, it would almost be comical; although I don't know if Paul had a sense of humor or not.

With all this "in the face" evidence, about raising the dead, why was it so beyond belief that Jesus' resurrection was authentic or even possible?  If the members of the Sanhedrin "swallowed" this marvelous feat of God, and admitted to it, how blessed they would have been.  

Sadly,  politics and  positions of power prevented such possiblity for most of them; at least in their minds.  Yet, it did not change the fact of Jesus' resurrection one iota.  This galled these leaders.  Their own prophecies and history in regard to Jesus accused them and  made them furious.  They hit out at Paul, making him pay for it.

Paul was equal to it and continued to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ and all the hope of our future resurrection.  The seeds of this hope had been planted in Paul's heart on the road to Damascus and he couldn't stop telling it to one and all.

This was his theme he preached and proclaimed to the Pharisees and Saducees, and any and all within earshot, "Listen up," Paul was saying,

 "...the resurrection of Jesus was the beginning and the heart of the gospel" (SPM*).

The suffering Messiah and the resurrection of Jesus  Christ were inseparable phenomenon and therefore taught by the early church Christians*.  We do well to continue these themes in our life and times and not only at Easter.

This too, gives us the hope of seeing our beloved loved ones again in that much happier place and with our risen  Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in glory, in time to come.  When

"...we believe that Jesus died and  rose again and so we  believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him...For the Lord Himself will come...and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them...to meet the Lord...we will  be with the Lord forever" 

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV).

Isn't this encouraging?  We mourn but have the comfort of this hope of resurrection because Jesus rose from the dead and He's alive forevermore.

Praise the Lord.  Sing Hallelujah!

He's alive and I'm forgiven, heaven's gate is opened wide.  This gospel is Good News!

                                           ~ERC  November 2021~

Based on Acts 26:1-32 NIV/GoodNews.

Sing, How Great Thou Art...When Christ Shalt Come, wth George Beverly Shea.

Reference:

*SPM  A Study Guide to the Acts of the Apostles, Bible Knowledge; Goh Kim Guat; c2005; Issachar Sdn Bhd.