Judge of the Living and the Dead

Yonsei University Church Easter Sunday (2021.4.4.)

Jesus is resurrected. Perhaps this great news of the resurrection of Jesus does not come as a shock to us because we are only doctrinally accepting the resurrection. If we experience the resurrection with the same emotion as those who first experienced it, our lives will be remarkably changed.

Since the resurrection is a mystery to us, and an event we cannot fully understand, no one can say that he has fully experienced, believes, or understood the resurrection. Each year, as we celebrate Easter, we peel off the shells of the mystery of the resurrection one by one, and gradually enter the mystery of the resurrection. We hope this Easter will give you a deeper understanding of the mystery of the resurrection.

Today’s scripture testify of the resurrection from a variety of perspectives. If you look at the words in the Epistle, Paul talks about the resurrection, which means that it reminds you of the gospel that has already been preached to you. He says that this is not the first time he hears the news and that he reminds us of the gospel that he has already heard and knows well. He tells the story of the life of Jesus, the cross and the resurrection, and says that Jesus appeared to many, and finally to himself, that he is now because of the resurrected Jesus.

The Gospels read today describe the resurrection experience from the perspective of Mary Magdalene. Just before today's reading, verse 9 says that Jesus' disciples still do not realize the truth that Jesus must rise from the dead. How could only the disciples do that? How can we understand that the dead are raised?

Even Mary could not imagine that Jesus would be resurrected. She said that the reason Mary visited her tomb was not to meet the risen Jesus, but to take care of the dead Jesus' body. She looked at verse 11 and she said that Mary went to her tomb. She went to the dead. And there was no body of Jesus. She still did not realize Mary and she asked the angels. Someone took our Lord. I don't know where he put the body of Jesus. Mary was looking for was not a living Jesus, but a body or an object. That's why she was waiting for something to be “taken” and “placed” somewhere. She saw Jesus standing a little later. She did not yet know that she was Jesus. She no longer looks for Jesus as an object, but sees the resurrected Jesus as a human being. She knew him to be the gardener. And she replied to Jesus, “Rabboni!” as Jesus called “Mary”. This title was the name Mary used to refer to Jesus in the lifetime of Jesus. It wasn't until she was Mary that when she was alive she knew that Jesus had lived again. However, this does not mean that Mary understood all the mysteries of her resurrection. Because when he tried to touch Jesus, Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” This means that the risen Jesus has come to God in a mysterious way that we do not understand and will come again. Through the resurrection, we learn that the boundary between life and death is broken, and the boundary between earth and heaven disappears.

The book of Acts we read testifies of the resurrection from another perspective. This time Peter testifies of the resurrection. I was so amazed to see God deliver salvation to Cornelius. And he is greatly moved by God's salvation and love, and he preaches the gospel of Christ to these Gentile families. The point was the resurrection. In verse 40, it says that God raised him on the third day and appeared to thousands of people. And, concluding his talk, he preaches: “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.”

Although we can engrave the meaning of the resurrection in many ways, it would be good to think about the meaning of the resurrection this year by focusing on this verse. When it comes to the resurrected Jesus, he is the Judge. However, he is not only the judge of the living but also the judge of the dead. In the reign of the risen Christ, there are not separate realms of life and death, but all of them are one. Heaven and earth are one. The key to the resurrection is that he rules the greatest realm that the people of this world can think of, even greater than that, the infinite realm.

If we believe in the resurrection, how will our lives specifically change? As we live, we live by considering the risen Christ as the supreme judge. Whose judgment do you live if you fear? Who do you want to be recognized by? Who do you live while listening to? Many live with respect for wealth, honor, and those who can give power, recognizing their authority, and being judged by them. However, the Bible tells us to live when we hear the voice of God, not the voices of such people. What is it like to live under the control of God? It is not an expedient, but a life that always lives up to the degree, a life that is always faithful, not a trick, a life that goes on a good path without compromise with evil, a life that lives on the right path rather than a false path. It is not a life of moderately compromised, but a life that is completely on the path of righteousness. To live with a pure heart without having two minds. This is the life we should take when we believe in Christ as the judge of the living and the dead.

We need great faith to live this life. What we feel with our skin in our daily lives judges us, and there are not only God but the risen Jesus, there are many powerful people who can influence our destiny. Such people have a close influence in our lives. But it is a great faith to think that God, not humans, judges our lives. There is no evidence other than faith. When the belief that Jesus is resurrected is certain, we come to believe that God has appointed Jesus Christ as the judge, both in the realm of life and in the realm of death.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the movie The Lord of the Rings. Recently, the film has been reopened in the theater. Movies are good, but Tolkien's original novels are better. There are many differences between fiction and film, but the most important difference is that the second chapter from the end of Chapter 3 of the book has been omitted from the film. The chapter is titled "Shirre's Recapture." The events that unfold there are what happens after the absolute ring is destroyed and the source of evil is conquered. When Frodo and the group returned to their hometown of Shire, all the villagers were trembling in fear and living a poor life. A man named the unknown chief brought his men into the village, pretending to help the villagers at first, then finally revealed his identity and took control of the village. The hobbits who resisted died or were imprisoned, some hobbits harassed their own people by playing the role of villains, and there were posters called rule books that were in control of the lives of the residents.

Frodo's group, who fought and defeated the terrifying forces of evil, did not fear the villains who took control of Shire at all. They knew the villains had no power. I knew that the forces of death had no power because evil was defeated in the cosmic confrontation of good and evil. I don't think it's absolutely necessary for the development of the novel, so why did Tolkien put it in the important part? Perhaps it is because our lives are similar to those of the Shire people. The situation in the town of Shire is similar to those in remote villages who still fear Japanese police because they have not heard the news even though the Emperor has declared surrender.

Jesus' resurrection proclaims that good and life have won the cosmic confrontation of good and evil, life and death. In other words, Jesus' resurrection proclaims that death was swallowed up by life. It may not be felt enough in our daily life, but from a cosmic point of view, the good is already dominating the whole universe.

Even if people who use shortcuts, follow lies, and seek evil seem successful in the small realm in which we live, it should not shake our hearts. What Jesus is telling us today is that Jesus is the judge of the living and the dead. Whether we are alive or dead, I hope that we will have the faith that Jesus Christ judges us, protects us, and that we will live our present life more powerfully.