“But God raised him from the dead…because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” – Acts 2:24
Jesus had just ascended to heaven. So what were the Apostles to do?
Just what Jesus told them to do: Proclaim His death & resurrection.
And what happened when they did that?
Well, with the Word of God came the promised Holy Spirit and faith was made.
That’s the meaning of Pentecost. It’s the the time in-between His Ascension and when he is coming again, when the Holy Spirit comes as the One who re-presents Christ to us.
The fact is, the Holy Spirit has one job & this is it.
This 1 job is pointed out clearly in John’s gospel (in chapters 14, 15, & 16). The Holy Spirit re-presents Christ to create faith which saves us in spite of ourselves.
Specifically, saving faith in Jesus the One, whom as our Sermon text said, God raised from the dead because He was stronger than death.
Now most religions, and even most Christians, will say that faith is a choice; an act of the human will. But as the events of that first Pentecost day clearly show, faith is a gift given by God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
As we confess as Lutheran Christians, the Holy Spirit makes faith when & where He wills through the Word of the Gospel; by giving people Christ.
This truth, however, does not sit well with the old sinner that is still lurking within us.
At heart, as decedents of Adam & Eve, we are all born rebels against God & desire, like them, to take the place of God. This is to say, we’d prefer to have our fate, our future destiny, entirely in our control.
And the stronger & more successful we are too in this world, the more zealous we are to protect ourselves & the little autonomous kingdoms of self-righteousness that we’ve carved out for ourselves from crumbling in the face of God’s grace given in Christ.
We can find several famous illustrations of this throughout history too that prove this, of course.
But some of these illustrations are more obvious & enlightening of this fact than others.
I am sure that all of you right now who follow the news are familiar with the fighting going on in the Holy Land right now between the Israeli Jews & the, mainly, Muslim Palestinians. And you may also know that it’s been going on for centuries too. The Christians also pop up in it there occasionally too.
And, the Jews & Muslims know too that Christians believe that Jesus was God’s Messiah and that He also promised that He would someday return.
Well, this is an event that, for as much fighting as Jews & Muslims do, they are actually united on. Because both their religions are based on good works, neither are too excited by the prospect of Jesus coming back here.
There was one particular Muslim ruler who was particularly eager to prevent Jesus from returning. He was named Suleiman the Great.
He was the ruler of the Turkish empire in the early 1500’s. Part of his land was the Holy City, Jerusalem, which, by that time in world history, was a sacred place for all 3 western religions (Islam, Judaism, & Christianity).
In the city itself, the most holy site for all of them was the famous Temple Mount. To enter this sacred area, one needed to pass through gates located on the sides of the hill. But one in particular interested Suleiman.
It’s called the Golden Gate & it’s on the east side of the Temple Mount and, according to Christian tradition, it’s through this where Jesus the Messiah will enter the Holy City when he comes to establish the New Jerusalem.
This was, of course, something that the powerful Muslim ruler didn’t want. As such, in 1514, Suleiman had the gate sealed in an effort to prevent Jesus from entering through it. And, for insurance, a cemetery was placed around the gate since it was believed that the Messiah wouldn’t go there.
My friends, given the miraculous events that all of today’s texts witness to, somehow I don’t think stone walls & dry bones are much of a deterrent.
At least not for the Jesus I know.
According to the Gospel that Peter preached by the power of the Holy Spirit that first Pentecost day, 3 days after sinners like us put Him in a cemetery, in a sealed tomb, Jesus brushed the stone aside & re-entered life.
In His resurrection, in His own body, Christ Jesus very clearly showed us that no barrier will hold Him & no cemetery is off limits to Him. Simply put, He will allow nothing – as Paul said in Romans – nothing in all heaven or earth – to ever separate or keep the love of God from you, His chosen child.
You, my fellow Christian, know what the truth is: Jesus is not a man like us.
And, even though humanity did its absolute worst to Him, treating Him like so much trash, humiliating Him, making Him suffer, and killing Him like a criminal on the cross, Jesus didn’t rise from the tomb & act like one of us.
He didn’t come back as a vengeful conqueror, bent on destroying us. Yes, of course, He came out as conqueror. But it was death that lay vanquished at Jesus’ feet & thus the great barrier of sin that stood between us & God was no more.
Truly, a new age & kingdom in Christ had come into being.
The Good News for you today is that God’s kingdom has come here to you.
It has come in your hearing of Jesus’ words of forgiveness, in your hearing of these Gospel promises given for you this very moment, & it’ll come soon as well to you as you receive Him in Communion. Yes, thanks be to God!
Truly my friends, Old Suleiman had no clue, eh, who he was dealing with where our Messiah is concerned. The truth is Christ Jesus will break down every dividing wall, empty every cemetery, and on that last great & glorious day, He will establish the New Jerusalem – with gates wide open – where all the promises of God will find their fulfillment in Him for you.
Amen.
Bethany Lutheran Church, Covington MI 