The Meaning of the Resurrection Today

Pastor's Easter Message

​ Christians gathered throughout the world today are celebrating Holy Pascha, or the glorious feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
    Following the tumultuous events that unfolded over the prior few days, which culminated in the crucifixion and burial of Jesus of Nazareth, the Gospels tell us that is was a moment of wonderment and great awe for the small number of people that became the first witnesses of the resurrection that day.
     Yes, the encounter with the resurrected Lord, and the “proof positive” that he had indeed been raised back to life meant a lot to the people who experienced it: Mary Magdalene, the other Myrrh-bearing women who went to the tomb early on Sunday morning, Peter and John and the rest of the twelve and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
     A lot can be said, and has been said, about the Holy Resurrection of our Lord – historically, theologically and inspirationally.

    Today, as we are gathered together to celebrate the Resurrection Feast with joy, I wanted to take a moment to contemplate together what meaning the resurrection has for our personal lives today.

1. The resurrection shows us that we do not have to fight our battles alone. That our Lord battled against the very enemies of God is an understatement. Whether it was spiritual enemies – Satan and his demons! – or the physical enemies: his detractors with all their hostile behavior toward him, Jesus’s life was lived constantly in spiritual battle with one evil or another. He was even put to death by his enemies. In the same way, we are faced with many enemies. Even in this day and age, where there is so much emphasis placed on people’s “being kind” and “tolerant” (are they really, though?), it may seem we don’t have many physical enemies, but in reality we too have many spiritual enemies. In fact, we could even say that the same spiritual enemies and adverse situations that fought against Jesus, do so against us too. Perhaps, we aren’t under threat of being crucified, but in life we face the daily battle of adversity, of those who try to deter us from our faith in God and our Christ-centered lifestyle, and we also battle our own demons – those wounds and frailties brought about by our past traumas and painful experiences. The good news of the resurrection is that we understand that – like in Jesus’s case -- God has our battles under his control and in reality is fighting our battles for us! Jesus humbly submitted himself to the will of God the Father and placed his trust entirely in him… and the result was the victory of the resurrection and eternal life! Today, through his resurrection, we are invited to submit to God in humility and place our trust in him also. In doing this, we can be sure that God “has our back,” fighting our battles against all the enemies we face, and that we do not have to be afraid of any of them. This brings me to our next point.
2. The resurrection shows us that we do not have to be afraid of death. Through the grace of God, after facing one enemy after the other with courage, conviction and peace in his heart, the last enemy Jesus had to face was death, the bane of human existence since its beginning. Death itself is the ultimate enemy that mankind has to face. Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (I Corinthians 15:25-26). Until the resurrection of Jesus, mankind had never succeeded in finding a way to live forever. Through the example of Jesus’s resurrection, God shows us that we will all be resurrected on the Day of Judgment, when Jesus comes again in glory. Those who have repented of their sins and followed his commandments will inherit eternal life in his heavenly kingdom. Death and mortality no longer have to be fearful things for us. We know, through the testimony of Christ’s resurrection, that a better and more perfect life awaits us, a life that is lived, most importantly, in the presence of God. Our physical death and resurrection become simply a gate through which we pass to enter this life. The things we strive after and work for in this life – money, status, security, possessions – our aspirations, our desires and our anxieties, are all temporary and will surely pass away as we do. The truth is that these things pale in comparison to what we will receive in the kingdom life. Quoting the Prophet Isaiah, Saint Paul also wrote to the Corinthians, “That which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into man’s heart, God has prepared for his beloved ones.”
3. Finally, the Resurrection shows us that we do not have to worry too much about things in this life. The fact that we look forward to an eternal, more extraordinary life, filled with the things that we have neither seen nor even dreamed of, means that we don’t have to be so uptight about what goes on in our life now. Where we were educated, what kind of job we hold, how much money is in our bank accounts, what neighborhood we lived in, whether or not we have the perfect marriage or family life (who does, really?), whether we travelled, whether we realized all our dreams. In light of the resurrection, these things all become secondary to believers, as we are reminded that life doesn’t end at our last breath here in this world, but there is a whole lot more life awaiting us in the next. Jesus himself taught his disciples, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). In the same passage from the Gospel of Matthew he also says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? … indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:25, 32-33). Jesus worried very little about his circumstances in this life, but rather strove after the spiritual blessings of his Father’s kingdom. We should emulate him, trusting in God that he will take care of us in both this life and the next.

   Dearly beloved children of God, we all have the special privilege and honor of being comforted, inspired and instilled with joy today by the Holy Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    It is my prayer that the resurrection of Christ would today bear witness to us that God is on our side in spiritual battles, that he has defeated death and it no longer needs to be an object of fear and that we no longer need to be so concerned about what happens to us during this life.

    This Easter, let’s each and every one of us praise Jesus our Lord for his triumphant resurrection. May it bring peace to our world, strength to his Holy Church and salvation to our souls, to the glory of his holy name.  

Քրիստոս յարեաւ ի մեռելոց: Օրհնեալ է յարութիւնն Քրիստոսի:
Christ is risen from among the dead. Blessed is the resurrection of Christ.

Prayerfully,
Fr. Stephan Baljian
​Holy Pascha, April 2022

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