(6) He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
(6) οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε, ἠγέρθη γὰρ καθὼς εἶπεν· δεῦτε ἴδετε τὸν τόπον ὅπου ἔκειτο.
It seems a bit odd to talk about this in the middle of winter. This is of course a great Easter passage. Yet this is where I find myself in my reading today.
What a great truth to meditate upon! This is what Christianity is all about. All other faiths either worship or revere someone who is dead. Christians worship someone who is still alive. Jesus claimed to be God and then proved it by being raised from the dead (i.e. the sign of Jonah).
The word ἠγέρθη is in the aorist passive indicative. I don't want to make too big of a deal out of the aorist, but the passive suggests that this is something that happened to Him. I'm not quite sure what to make of this theologically, but I do find it kind of interesting. The point is that He is risen indeed and that is something about which those who follow Him can rejoice.
What does this truth do for you? Do you realize that the resurrection is historical fact that must be reckoned with? We cannot ignore it and pretend it didn't happen. The evidence is simply too compelling to ignore. I cannot prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt, but I do believe that it is the best explanation for the facts. The point of this truth is that the Christian faith is based on truth, not feelings. It is not about what it does for us. It is not about how it makes us feel. Those are important elements to living the Christian life, but ultimately the faith is based on the truth of the resurrection. A miracle occurred on that first Easter morning. How firm a foundation that gives us!
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