“…God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. “
Acts 10:40
We are in the season of Easter, Eastertide. It’s a fifty day season beginning with Easter Sunday and ending with Pentecost Sunday. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit, as told in the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. Jesus spent forty days appearing to his disciples after he rose from the dead and then ascended to God. Then about ten days later the followers of Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit as they gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem.
One of the many Easter season traditions is reading the Acts of the Apostles. The Orthodox Church has the practice of reading a portion of Acts each day through the season of Easter. Christian communities that use a list of Bible readings for Sundays, may read a text from Acts each Sunday of the Easter Season. The readings conclude on Pentecost Sunday with the reading of the giving of the Spirit in Acts chapter 2.
The book of Acts is the story of the early Christian communities and some of their leaders, living in the midst of the Roman Empire. The story is told from the point of view of the Resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Hoy Spirit. The resurrection of Jesus is spoken of right through the book, over twenty times.
The book of Acts is understood to be a continuation of the Gospel of Luke. Luke introduces Acts with these words, “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.” (Acts 1:1-2) Luke was continuing his story about what Jesus continued to do, only this time through the disciples and Christian communities.
Luke goes on immediately to tell the story of the resurrection appearances of Jesus to his disciples, “After his suffering, (a summary at least of Jesus’ crucifixion, death and burial), he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. (See Luke 24) He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Here, Jesus sets the agenda for his disciples. They would speak about the kingdom of God from the perspective of the risen Lord Jesus in the equipping of the Holy Spirit.
When I read through Acts with a focus on the times someone referred to Jesus’ resurrection, I was struck by the difficult situations people like Peter and Paul found themselves in. They faced religious
leaders of all kinds in Jerusalem and around the Empire. They faced civic officials and hostile crowds that wanted to kill them. They faced arrest and imprisonment. They were taken to court on the charge of speaking about Jesus and his resurrection. They spoke to kings and their courts. Why were they so bold? They were convinced that Jesus was alive, as Luke put it, “he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.” (Acts 1:3)
As I reflect on Jesus, risen from the dead, reigning at the right hand of God and pouring out his Spirit to equip people in service, I find myself pondering the possibility that the resurrection is actually motivation to work towards a life of service that like Jesus’ life, benefits all people. Us working to create an economics of caring for people. Putting in the effort to welcome all kinds of people. Being committed to a politics that values everyone and is committed to the common good. For fifty days we have a chance to wonder about the significance of Jesus being alive. It’s much more than knowing there is life after death. As it was for the early Christians, it is motivation, even energy, to serve, while we have breath. He is Risen! Hallelujah! He is risen indeed!