Wait for It

The Resurrection account is trustworthy in part because it reveals Jesus’ disciples acting very humanly as they waited to understand what it all meant.

They argued about who would sit by Him when He began his rule. They couldn’t grasp where or why He was going “to prepare a place.” During His trial, they deserted and denied Him. After the Resurrection, they huddled in fear in the upper room. Thomas doubted while he waited to see for himself.

Give them this: They held out until it all became clear. Well, all except Judas. He missed the point and the big event. The remaining disciples may have been as troubled as Judas and their own sin no less worthy of personal angst. But they waited, and beheld the defining, magnificent moment of the ages. Though the One known as “God with Us” suffered and died, His tomb was empty! He walked, ate, and mingled with them. Dorothy Sayers writes, “They had misunderstood practically everything Christ had ever said to them, but no matter: the things made sense at last, and the meaning was far beyond anything they had dreamed. They had expected a walk-over, and they beheld a victory; they had expected an earthly Messiah, and they beheld the Soul of Eternity.”

Jesus’ Resurrection has been such a defining point in history and humanity’s self-perception that academics and philosophers have been trying to disprove it ever since. They have taken up the challenge laid down by Paul, although he probably didn’t intend it to be. He writes, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless” (1 Cor. 15:14, 17). Without the Resurrection, Christianity collapses. Make no mistake. The empty tomb is evidence of a literal, physical, bodily resurrection. That changes everything! A metaphorical resurrection is for a powerless religion that offers nothing to wait for.

Many still question the authenticity of the Biblical record and the uncommon events it describes. Much is written on the convincing evidence of the Resurrection, if a seeker dares look into it. Professor Sir Norman Anderson summarizes, “Even apart from the Resurrection, there are excellent and convincing reasons for believing that He was ‘God manifest in the flesh.’ Is it, then, so incredible that such a One should rise from the dead? It would have been far more incredible if He had not.”

Even if you don’t understand it all, the truth is worth waiting for. Thomas found reasons to wait. Judas didn’t. What keeps you from joining in the expectation of a resurrected life? There’s no need to check your logic or intelligence at the door to join the wait for eternity and the Lord’s return. “For Your salvation I wait, O Lord” (Gen. 1:18).