He Didn’t Stay Dead!

Somewhere I read the following story. A man was walking down a city street when he noticed in a store window a painting of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He stood transfixed looking at the painting for the longest time but then realized a little boy was standing beside him. He patted the little boy on the head and said, "Son, what does this mean?" The boy said, "Don’t you know? That Man on the cross is Jesus, and the woman crying is His mother Mary, and the men below are Roman soldiers. They killed Him." The man just smiled at the boy and started walking away. After a few seconds he heard the sound of footsteps running to him from behind. When he turned he saw it was the little boy. Almost out of breath, the lad fairly shouted, "Mister, Mister – I forgot to tell you – He didn’t stay dead."
Jesus died – but He didn’t stay dead – that’s the message the New Testament announces again and again! Now, the New Testament is silent as the tomb about the religious holiday of "Easter" with all the practices and ceremonies now packaged with it. Search and see – the early church, under the inspired guidance and teaching of the apostles, never singled out one Sunday per year over the other 51 to remember Jesus’ death and celebrate His resurrection. No, they did both every Sunday (see 1 Corinthians 11:23ff; Acts 20:7). To insist Easter is not found or authorized in the New Testament as a religious holiday to be celebrated in church with elaborate services and activities is considered weird by many people, and some equate it with not believing in Jesus’ resurrection. But that is simply not true. No genuine Christian or gospel preacher would ever say the New Testament is silent about the resurrection of Christ! Quite the contrary, for its pages and preaching are saturated with bold declarations that Jesus died – but didn’t stay dead! That claim began at the very tomb where Jesus was buried after His death on the cross. Matthew 28:1ff relates that some women came to the tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. Mark’s account says they came with spices "that they might anoint Him" (Mark 16:1). They fully expected to find Him in the tomb, still dead. Mark further tells they stressed over "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" (Mark 16:3). But Matthew writes that when they got there, an angel of the Lord had arrived and already rolled the huge stone away from the door – not in order to let Christ out, but to let the disciples in! And, as if to add an exclamation point, the angel sat on the stone (Matthew 28:2)! Oh that we would hear, not just with our ears but with our hearts, as the Lord’s angel announces for the very first time, but far from the last, in Matthew 28:6, that those who are looking to find Jesus in the tomb are looking in the wrong place! Hear it – "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." I remember the story about the boy whose pet bird fell into a can of varnish and drowned. The boy said, "It was a sad way to die, but he sure had a beautiful finish." For two thousand years disciples of Jesus have been preaching a similar message. Jesus died, but He didn’t stay dead! That’s the church’s story. God help us proclaim it, not one day a year, but every day.

    Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN