Without the resurrection, the death of Jesus Christ would have been the greatest failure in history. Considered from a purely human point of view, the crucifixion is the failure of the way of truth and justice, the defeat of the way of love and compassion, the collapse of the way of peace and non-violence which Jesus stood for. The shameful death of Jesus on the cross was for many of his contemporaries the defeat of the just one and the suppression of the peaceful revolution launched by the man of Galilee.
The death of Jesus Christ for those who operate only along the parameters of this world, will mean that the values behind the Sermon on the mount are an impossibility, and that the ethics of the Beatitudes are an absurdity. Yes when looked at from a purely human perspective, the event of Golgotha appears to confirm the notion that might is right, and that the humble, the meek, the pure of heart, and the peace maker, have no place on this side of heaven. For those who are wise only in the ways of this world, the death of Jesus the Just One means the re-affirmation of the status-quo of power and domination, manipulation and exploitation, violence and death. With the death of Jesus Christ, the dream of freedom, peace and prosperity is aborted, and the world is back to square one!
But the story of Jesus did not terminate at Calvary. The Christian life would have been the most ridiculous experiment in human history, if no other side of Calvary emerged. As St. Paul puts it before the Corinthians: "if our hope in Christ were for this world alone, then of all creatures we are to be most pitied" (ICor.15:19). Without the re-assuring event of the resurrection human life would be an endless tunnel of darkness and despair. Without the good news of the resurrection the most profound longing of the human being for lasting love and live will be extinguished forever. If the event of Easter Sunday did not take place, or if it was a fraud, then the ultimate hunger of the human heart will not be satisfied, and life would be one cruel, agonising misadventure.
True, if the only perfect person that ever lived was overcome by the wicked and crushed by death, then how can the rest of us escape? And what hope of reprieve have we who today are persecuted, exploited, abused, maligned and oppressed? If indeed all our love, our hopes, our dreams and our aspirations ended in the grave, if death destroyed them forever, what meaning is there in life? What callous God would put such love and longing for freedom, peace and prosperity into the human heart only to extinguish them abruptly and cruelly?
The good news however is that the Christ story did not end with the cross. There is a dramatic twist in the unfolding of events that sets the records straight. The good news is that God has effected a break-through with the resurrection. He has brought about the complete victory of life over death and the triumph of love over hate. And this is the point of departure for the Christian faith. The resurrection is for the Christian the lense through which the entire life and teaching of Christ is to be viewed and appreciated.
The resurrection points to the new creation that the Apostle Paul talks about; when death is swallowed up in victory; when perishable nature puts on immortality and imperishability. The resurrection is a fatal assault on hatred and death. Using the perspective of the resurrection Christians not only understand that God can put back life and breath unto dry bones, but also that all things work together to God's advantage, and to the advantage of God's children, even the most shameful or the most embarrassing. With the resurrection of Jesus Christ the triumph of evil in the world and in our individual lives is shown to be only a mirage.
The resurrection is a powerful testimony to the truth that for believers, the pains and agonies of the moment shall pass away. At Easter therefore the Christian can look intently at the cross of Christ, and at the momentary crosses of his own life, and say courageously, with faith and hope: "This too shall pass away!" Today the Christian who is sick can look intently at the risen Lord and at his or her sickness and say with faith: "This too shall pass away!" Today the Christian suffering loneliness, rejection, persecution and abandonment can look intently at the risen Lord and at his or her embarrassing condition and say with confidence: "This too shall pass away!" Today the poor Christian, the unemployed Christian, the Christian experiencing failure in business and social life can look intently at the risen Lord and at and at his or her ugly situation and say with lively hope: "This too shall pass away!"
Today the Christian who is bearing the burden of an unfaithful spouse, an abusive husband or a nagging wife, the Christian who is carrying the cross of childlessness or bearing the burden of problem children can look intently at the risen Lord and at his or her terrible condition and say with full trust in God: "This too shall pass away!" Today the Christian who has been beaten and humiliated by an oppressive economic and political system, the Christian who hungers for truth and thirsts for justice in our land, but who has been harassed, persecuted, calumniated and branded traitors, dissidents and detractors, can look intently at the risen Lord and at his or her predicament and say with confidence: "This too shall pass away!" All these diminishments have themselves become diminished in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ is risen believers who are in trouble can henceforth console themselves that a miracle is possible, that all is not lost, that there is another side beyond calvary, that the court jesters of this world shall not have the last laugh, that the agents of darkness shall not prevail for ever, and yes, that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is in charge. He did it before. He will do it again. He is the guarantee of our ultimate victory.
The resurrection is the greatest of all the miracles of God. Easter is therefore a time for Christians to expect miracles. It is a time to expect a dramatic turn, both in the common tragedies of our human existence, and in the tragic stories of the individual believers' lives. Easter is a season of hope, and a season of expectation of deliverance. Easter is the time to look out for the other side of Calvary, when this side is full of betrayal, agony, misery, rejection, abandonment and hopelessness. Christians are the harbingers of hope. They are those who must bear the olive branch and announce to a hopeless world and a hopeless country as they grapples with the powers of darkness on all fronts, that the Redeemer liveth.
Christians must tell the truth to the discouraged, disillusioned, distressed and despairing people of our country and other lands that in the grand contest of good and evil, the Just One has come off victorious, and so he will not allow evil to continue its reign for too long. Christians must be convinced of the fact and must indeed pass on the message to the world that what we have today in the form of widespread economic depression, political crises, promiscuity, social injustice, systemic corruption, monumental falsehood, and the unprecedented level of crime and violence, are like the last desperate attempts of the prince of darkness to cling to power. The good news must be announced to the men and women of the world that these tribulations will pass away very shortly, and like the hero of the Resurrection, the victims of the evil empire who persevere in faith today shall have the last laugh.
This hope is fundamental to the Christian life and vocation. Hope is the assurance of blessings not yet seen. It is the theological virtue which sustains the Christian through the pain of the moment, and eventually delivers him or her unto the promised joy and happiness. Hope is at work when the Christian knows that all claims and appearances notwithstanding, light will outshine darkness, truth conquer falsehood, and good will overcome evil. Hope is perhaps the only saving grace for the present generation in our country and in the world over. As violence becomes more and more the norm in our society, and as the fraudulent exploiters and callous manipulators become the heroes and heroines in our day, we must listen attentively to the echoes that come from the other side of Calvary, saying that time has run out for the powers of darkness.
With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, hope has been restored for humanity. Thus the remnant faithful in our land and in other lands need not despair if they understand the logic of the dawn. The few just and peace-loving individuals in this country and in other troubled lands need not despair, if they comprehend the mystery of the cross. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, but who today are being crushed by the powerful rod of the oppressor, need not despair if they understand that soon, very soon, there will not only be the reign of life, love and truth, but also that there will be hearing for the aggrieved, redress for the oppressed, and judgement for the godless. Yes, on the other side of Calvary, which is really the homeland of all Christians, the poor shall be blessed, the meek shall inherit the earth, justice and peace shall embrace, and truth shall be at home.
Our celebration of the resurrection challenges all who suffer today to look into the future with hope in the Lord of miracles, the one who is able to provide water from rock, and put back flesh on dry bones. The resurrection challenges all who have lost out in the world of politics and power, and who are therefore consigned to the margins of society, to look at Jesus with hope that "this too shall pass away." The resurrection challenges believers who are presently undergoing the humiliation of the prince of darkness and his agents, to find strength and consolation in the Risen Lord, the great healer and provider who invites to himself all who have laboured and are overburdened (Mt.11:28-30).
Nigerian Christians must take up these challenges and light the torch of the resurrection for our country men and women who are beaten, abused and humiliated, and who are on the verge of despair. We must stand up and make a renewed commitment to a life of truth and justice. Amidst the whirlwind of corruption, manipulation and oppression in our society, we must struggle to keep the torch burning. In an environment of widespread fatigue, apathy, and despondency, we must struggle to keep the dream of a just and peaceful society alive.
Amidst the reign of falsehood that taxes even the most resilient in our land, we must hold on to the promise of liberation which the resurrection proclaims. Amidst the fraudulent power-play that defines the Nigerian politics, when visionaries and dreamers are driven underground, we must hold on to the promise of a radical transformation in fortune which the resurrection proclaims. And as we witness in our country today the triumph of mediocrity, the survival of the fittest and the alienation of the meek and humble, Christians must hold on to their hope in the joy that comes after fear!
Jesus had warned his disciples that in the world those who stand up for truth and justice shall be persecuted, they shall face all sorts of trouble, because the devil is the prince of this world. But in John 16:33 he says "do not be afraid, for I have overcome the world.” He goes ahead to say in Luke 22:28 that "when all these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.”
Truth is immortal. Truth is inviolable. Truth is resilient. Truth can never be permanently suppressed. Those on the side of truth shall eventually overcome. Therefore as often as truth is crucified, so often shall it rise up again. Persecutors of truth always end up being confounded and humiliated by the obstinacy of truth. Those who attempt to seal up or suppress truth often discover in truth a potent explosive which is less dangerous when exposed and contended with than when sealed up or set aside. Truth is a child of freedom and it remains free in spite of all pretensions to cage or imprison it. And like truth itself, the bearer of truth is a child of freedom. All those who are on the side of truth are children of freedom. They shall remain free in spite of the efforts of the enemies of truth to use all the instruments of coercion to imprison, banish, proscribe or silence them. Yes, truth crucified shall rise again!