I Believe in Resurrection

 

Luke 21:1-10

 

You probably do not remember the name Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin. During his day he was as powerful a man as there was on earth. A Russian Communist leader he took part in the Bolshevik Revolution 1917, was editor of the Soviet newspaper Pravda (which by the way means truth), and was a full member of the Politburo. His works on economics and political science are still read today. There is a story told about a journey he took from Moscow to Kiev in 1930 to address a huge assembly on the subject of atheism. Addressing the crowd he aimed his heavy artillery at Christianity hurling insult, argument, and proof against it.

An hour later he was finished. He looked out at what seemed to be the smoldering ashes of men's faith. "Are there any questions?" Bukharin demanded. Deafening silence filled the auditorium but then one man approached the platform and mounted the lectern standing near the communist leader. He surveyed the crowd first to the left then to the right. Finally he shouted the ancient greeting known well in the Russian Orthodox Church: "CHRIST IS RISEN!" En masse the crowd arose as one man and the response came crashing like the sound of thunder: "HE IS RISEN INDEED!"

 

Today is Easter and I don’t know how you feel about seeing an empty tomb. People have difficulty in believing about resurrection.  I understand it is difficult concept to believe. But let me give you my reasons why I believe that Jesus was raised from the death.

 

1- I believe it, because someone told me about it. Of course one can say how reliable is this? We read in the bible that there were disciples, there were women, there eyewitnesses who saw the resurrected Jesus.

 

Usually we learn information by receiving from some sources. Teachers, books, resources are our sources for knowledge.

I remember I was a child when we heard that for the first time man was walking on the moon. We saw it on TV. I remember that there were many who did not believe it. They said this was another Hollywood studio tricks. I was not on the moon to tell these people if it really happened or not. But we trusted that the media and the NASA were not lying to us. So, either you believe it or not.

When Vartan Mamigonian died in Avaryar battle field, I was not there to prove if this story was true. There were people, there were historian, and today there are books and written documents. So we receive it and we deicide to believe it or not.

2000 years ago Jesus was resurrected. We read in four gospels about it. Today I am reading from Luke.                                                                                  “While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen!” (4-6)

Then we read  “when they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all others.” (9) We read they had difficulty to believe. Peter went to see and saw that the tomb was empty. He was confused  to use exact words: “wondering to himself what had happened.” (12)

We were not there. You were not there. But there were people who saw it and experience it. It was written in the Bible and we have it today in our hands. I believe in resurrection because I was told by the people who knew Jesus.  Now either you trust this witnessing, or you don’t.

 

We will continue in English