WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:09.500 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:15.280 redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.280 --> 00:00:22.640 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:35.120 Today's Gospel lesson is a reading from the Good News of the Gospel According to Mark, 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:40.439 chapter 16, verses 1 through 8, as printed in your liturgy. 00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:48.460 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, 00:00:48.460 --> 00:00:52.799 bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:57.700 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:01.520 they were on their way to the tomb, and they asked each other, 00:01:01.960 --> 00:01:04.900 Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb? 00:01:05.819 --> 00:01:10.840 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 00:01:12.140 --> 00:01:16.719 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:19.579 sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:22.319 Don't be alarmed, he said. 00:01:22.840 --> 00:01:26.079 You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. 00:01:27.219 --> 00:01:28.299 He has risen. 00:01:29.219 --> 00:01:30.140 He is not here. 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:32.480 See the place where they laid him. 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:35.680 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 00:01:36.019 --> 00:01:38.219 he is going ahead of you into Galilee. 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:41.780 There you will see him, just as he told you. 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:45.859 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. 00:01:45.859 --> 00:01:48.799 They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. 00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:51.599 This is the gospel of the Lord. 00:01:52.379 --> 00:01:54.140 Praise to you, O Christ. 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:56.840 Happy Easter, Christ Church. 00:01:57.299 --> 00:02:02.039 It's very good to see you today, and we want to just begin with this question. 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:07.319 What actually happened that first Easter Sunday? 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:12.680 And since Christmastime, we've been exploring one of the four gospels, 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:14.900 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 00:02:15.099 --> 00:02:18.460 And Mark's gospel is the earliest of those four. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:23.360 It was written about 65 A.D., and it's the shortest of those four. 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:25.900 You can read it in about 65 minutes or so. 00:02:26.620 --> 00:02:33.420 And Mark opens his work, presenting his thesis in the opening line, 00:02:33.419 --> 00:02:39.780 where he says this is the beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. 00:02:40.739 --> 00:02:44.239 And we've been exploring these past months, over 16 chapters, 00:02:44.459 --> 00:02:49.919 the way that Mark gives compelling evidence to support his thesis statement 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:53.519 that Jesus is God's King and God's Son. 00:02:53.619 --> 00:02:58.959 And so now we come to Mark 16, which is his closing argument and his climactic evidence. 00:02:58.960 --> 00:03:06.620 And he says that on Easter Sunday morning, these female followers of Jesus saw that his tomb was empty, 00:03:07.260 --> 00:03:10.719 and they heard this promise of reunion with Jesus. 00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:14.640 Two pieces of historical evidence. 00:03:14.860 --> 00:03:18.060 First of all, that Jesus' body was no longer in his tomb. 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:22.439 And secondly, that Jesus would go and appear to his disciples, 00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:27.960 and that they would have eyewitness encounters with the resurrected and living Jesus. 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:35.639 Now, it's important to state the obvious up front today that people in Jesus' time and place, 00:03:36.180 --> 00:03:41.900 they knew what we know, which is that our bodies, once they die, they stay dead. 00:03:41.900 --> 00:03:50.740 That when our time is up, either through age or sickness or accident or crucifixion, 00:03:50.900 --> 00:03:52.500 we do not live again. 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:57.360 And all of our relationships, all of our projects come to an end. 00:03:58.219 --> 00:04:02.640 And that truth was not discovered 300 years ago in the age of the Enlightenment. 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:05.700 It's been known since time immemorial. 00:04:05.699 --> 00:04:13.439 In the first century, both pagans and Jews were sober-minded that death was the end. 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:18.639 And yet, these first Christians, these first eyewitnesses to the resurrection, 00:04:19.599 --> 00:04:21.399 they affirmed two things. 00:04:21.500 --> 00:04:26.079 They affirmed that on the one hand, we live in a world where the dead stay dead. 00:04:27.159 --> 00:04:31.360 And yet, on the other hand, paradoxically, they affirmed that one human being 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:36.319 has broken through death and gone out the other side into a new life 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:39.680 and has launched a new creation and a new age. 00:04:40.620 --> 00:04:44.280 And so I just want to acknowledge up front, this is extremely odd. 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:45.420 Right? 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:47.460 This is an outlandish event. 00:04:47.580 --> 00:04:49.780 It's unimagined and unheard of. 00:04:49.819 --> 00:04:54.040 In fact, it's so unlikely and so improbable that it's astonishing this story 00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:56.000 was ever even told in the first place. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:00.959 It's that one person in the middle of history, in the middle of the night, 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:06.540 walked out of his grave alive with this transphysical, indestructible body 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:07.759 that can never die again. 00:05:08.040 --> 00:05:08.980 That's nuts. 00:05:09.779 --> 00:05:10.860 That's just bananas. 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:12.060 That's crazy. 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:14.560 But what if it's true? 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:20.240 What if this revolutionary, nonconformist vision of the world 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:22.579 and way of living in the world, 00:05:22.579 --> 00:05:25.659 in this tired old world where the dead stay dead, 00:05:25.819 --> 00:05:27.439 what if this is true? 00:05:28.219 --> 00:05:30.319 And I want to just explore this for a moment, 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:34.120 talking through this text about truth to the women, 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:36.379 grace to Peter, 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:39.060 and mission to the world. 00:05:39.699 --> 00:05:41.240 Truth to the women, grace to Peter, 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:43.279 and mission to the world. 00:05:43.379 --> 00:05:45.419 First of all, truth to the women. 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:47.599 Look at verse 1 of our text. 00:05:48.439 --> 00:05:50.419 It says that when the Sabbath was over, 00:05:50.420 --> 00:05:53.060 Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome, 00:05:53.180 --> 00:05:56.860 bought spices so that they might go anoint Jesus' body. 00:05:57.980 --> 00:06:01.819 On the one hand, we know for certain that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:04.680 It's one of the most secure facts in the history of the world. 00:06:05.700 --> 00:06:06.680 And yet, on the other hand, 00:06:06.759 --> 00:06:11.160 we know that literally thousands of Jews were crucified 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:14.200 within 50 years on either side of Jesus. 00:06:14.520 --> 00:06:15.520 And on this very day, 00:06:15.620 --> 00:06:19.780 two others had been crucified right beside Jesus. 00:06:19.779 --> 00:06:22.199 So what is it that made Jesus special? 00:06:23.159 --> 00:06:26.239 Why do people all over the world tell the story of his death 00:06:26.239 --> 00:06:29.099 rather than the story of any of these others? 00:06:30.219 --> 00:06:32.779 There were dozens of messianic movements 00:06:32.779 --> 00:06:36.959 in the years before and after Jesus' death. 00:06:37.159 --> 00:06:39.019 But in all of those cases, 00:06:39.859 --> 00:06:41.559 where people claimed to be the Messiah, 00:06:42.219 --> 00:06:43.299 the leader would be killed, 00:06:43.919 --> 00:06:45.500 the movement would collapse, 00:06:45.919 --> 00:06:48.579 everybody would go home because that's just game over. 00:06:48.579 --> 00:06:52.199 But not this time. 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:55.319 This movement, it didn't collapse. 00:06:55.539 --> 00:06:56.740 It, in fact, exploded. 00:06:57.699 --> 00:06:59.500 And it transcended cultures 00:06:59.500 --> 00:07:01.139 and it transformed the Roman Empire. 00:07:01.259 --> 00:07:02.099 So we want to ask the question, 00:07:02.219 --> 00:07:03.579 what made the difference? 00:07:04.419 --> 00:07:05.539 Well, the New Testament says 00:07:05.539 --> 00:07:07.459 that the difference was the tomb was empty 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:08.979 and Jesus appeared to many people. 00:07:10.039 --> 00:07:11.339 The skeptics look at that and they say, 00:07:11.419 --> 00:07:12.319 well, that's just fantasy. 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:13.819 That's a legend. 00:07:13.980 --> 00:07:17.439 We actually don't know that history. 00:07:17.699 --> 00:07:20.480 We can't really get back to those original events. 00:07:20.659 --> 00:07:23.279 And so I want to just respond to that 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:26.920 by pointing out a few strange details in our narrative. 00:07:26.920 --> 00:07:29.740 And I want you to notice, first of all, 00:07:29.780 --> 00:07:32.860 that no one was expecting Jesus' resurrection. 00:07:34.360 --> 00:07:35.600 No one was expecting this. 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:36.360 Look at verse 2. 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:39.120 It says that very early on the first day of the week, 00:07:39.200 --> 00:07:40.160 just after sunrise, 00:07:40.280 --> 00:07:41.660 they were on their way to the tomb 00:07:41.660 --> 00:07:43.180 and they asked each other, 00:07:43.259 --> 00:07:46.560 who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb? 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:48.340 Now this is extremely odd 00:07:48.340 --> 00:07:50.920 because Jesus has told them three times. 00:07:51.780 --> 00:07:53.560 We looked at this in the past few weeks. 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:56.899 It's in Mark chapter 8, Mark chapter 9, and Mark chapter 10. 00:07:57.620 --> 00:07:58.600 Jesus told them, 00:07:58.740 --> 00:07:59.819 I'm going to be killed 00:07:59.819 --> 00:08:02.579 and then after three days, I'm going to rise again. 00:08:02.860 --> 00:08:05.060 After three days, I'm going to rise again. 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:07.980 After three days, I'm going to rise again. 00:08:08.100 --> 00:08:09.980 Well, it's the third day. 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:13.480 And there are no male disciples here. 00:08:14.540 --> 00:08:16.879 And the female disciples, what have they gone to do? 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:18.840 They've gone to anoint a corpse. 00:08:19.879 --> 00:08:21.899 And the question that they're asking themselves 00:08:21.899 --> 00:08:25.779 is not who's excited to witness a resurrection today. 00:08:26.599 --> 00:08:28.000 The question they're asking is 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:29.919 who is going to roll away the stone? 00:08:31.139 --> 00:08:32.399 They're not prepared. 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:34.860 They're not expecting to find what they found. 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:37.480 Why doesn't at least one disciple say, 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:39.939 hey, isn't it the third day? 00:08:41.620 --> 00:08:44.240 Didn't Jesus say something to us about, 00:08:44.340 --> 00:08:46.559 I mean, shouldn't we at least go check and see? 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:50.299 If Mark is writing a legend, 00:08:50.419 --> 00:08:51.939 if he's making this story up, 00:08:51.979 --> 00:08:54.899 he would have surely depicted pious disciples saying, 00:08:55.079 --> 00:08:56.899 ah, yes, it's all unfolding 00:08:56.899 --> 00:08:59.679 exactly as Jesus told us three times at least 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:00.819 that it was going to unfold. 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:03.539 But no, no one, none of these Jews 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:07.519 are expecting a resurrection of one person 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:08.399 in the middle of history. 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:10.119 It's just inconceivable to them. 00:09:11.699 --> 00:09:12.579 That's strange. 00:09:12.580 --> 00:09:16.879 Another strange detail are the names of these witnesses 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:17.800 in verse one. 00:09:17.940 --> 00:09:22.220 Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:25.300 Why does Mark give us the detail of these names? 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:27.840 And again, he does it three times. 00:09:27.980 --> 00:09:30.900 In chapter 15, verse 40 at the crucifixion, 00:09:31.300 --> 00:09:34.759 he does it again in chapter 15, verse 47 at the burial, 00:09:35.040 --> 00:09:36.820 and he does it again here on Easter morning 00:09:36.820 --> 00:09:38.259 in chapter 16, verse one. 00:09:38.400 --> 00:09:40.000 Three times, the names of these women. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:43.279 Now, you're probably aware that in the first century, 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:46.899 people gave very little credibility 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:50.000 to a woman's testimony in a court of law. 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:51.620 In fact, a woman's testimony was ranked 00:09:51.620 --> 00:09:53.940 at the level of slaves and criminals. 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:56.259 And I'm sorry, ladies, I didn't make that up. 00:09:56.360 --> 00:09:58.139 That's just how it was back in the day. 00:09:59.940 --> 00:10:01.399 So if you're writing a legend, 00:10:02.539 --> 00:10:04.059 and you're making this story up, 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:06.940 why wouldn't you include witnesses 00:10:06.940 --> 00:10:08.460 that people thought were credible? 00:10:08.460 --> 00:10:11.200 But the reason is, 00:10:11.280 --> 00:10:13.920 because of the norms of ancient historiography, 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:17.720 people valued the oral histories 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:19.700 of still-living eyewitnesses, 00:10:19.800 --> 00:10:22.080 so that when you would go and sit down 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:23.759 and record your written history 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:25.080 with their oral testimony, 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:26.480 you would cite their names, 00:10:26.540 --> 00:10:27.879 like we do in footnotes today. 00:10:27.980 --> 00:10:28.879 You would cite their names 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:31.280 so that people, your first readers, 00:10:31.379 --> 00:10:33.300 could go and cross-examine 00:10:33.300 --> 00:10:35.139 and corroborate your message. 00:10:35.139 --> 00:10:37.840 And the reason that Mark has given us 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:39.319 the names not of men, 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:41.019 but of these women, 00:10:41.699 --> 00:10:43.159 is because they were, in fact, 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:45.319 the first ones inside the empty tomb. 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:46.939 They were the first ones to hear the message. 00:10:47.059 --> 00:10:49.759 They were the first ones to actually see Jesus 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:52.139 and touch his body. 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:53.860 And Mark is telling his first readers, 00:10:54.299 --> 00:10:55.319 go talk to these women. 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:58.740 Go validate with them whether or not it's true. 00:10:58.740 --> 00:11:01.019 Now, I don't know about you, 00:11:01.139 --> 00:11:04.200 but for me, I'm very grateful to be part of a movement 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:06.120 that elevates women. 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:09.519 Has anybody in the history of the world 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:11.759 done more to humanize and dignify 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:14.740 and empower women than Jesus Christ? 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:17.879 Where are the men in this story? 00:11:19.019 --> 00:11:20.440 They're cowering in fear. 00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:23.480 They're afraid that somebody's gonna find out 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:24.659 they're followers of Jesus 00:11:24.659 --> 00:11:26.440 and they might be the next to be crucified. 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:28.140 But here are these fearless women 00:11:28.140 --> 00:11:30.380 and they go to the tomb 00:11:30.380 --> 00:11:32.320 and they ask this question, 00:11:32.800 --> 00:11:35.500 who is gonna roll the stone away? 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:37.720 And then in verse four, it says, 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:38.860 but when they looked up, 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:40.800 they saw that the stone, 00:11:40.920 --> 00:11:41.920 which was very large, 00:11:41.980 --> 00:11:42.820 had been rolled away. 00:11:43.300 --> 00:11:44.460 And as they entered the tomb, 00:11:44.860 --> 00:11:46.840 they saw a young man dressed in a white robe 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:48.080 sitting on the right side 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:49.440 and they were alarmed. 00:11:50.060 --> 00:11:50.700 Now, again, 00:11:51.520 --> 00:11:53.720 if Mark is making up this story, 00:11:53.880 --> 00:11:55.200 shouldn't these women be dancing? 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:58.480 Shouldn't they be singing and clapping 00:11:58.480 --> 00:11:59.960 and shouting and doing something 00:11:59.960 --> 00:12:01.360 way more positive 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:03.440 than what it is he tells us they're doing? 00:12:03.520 --> 00:12:04.520 How does he describe them? 00:12:04.560 --> 00:12:04.879 He says, 00:12:05.460 --> 00:12:07.180 they're terrified. 00:12:09.160 --> 00:12:10.160 These women are doing 00:12:10.160 --> 00:12:12.320 what everybody else in the Bible does 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:13.080 when they realize 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:15.040 that they're in the presence of the living God. 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:18.060 It says that they're deeply alarmed 00:12:18.059 --> 00:12:20.199 and that their distress 00:12:20.199 --> 00:12:21.879 is profound 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:23.279 and intense. 00:12:25.419 --> 00:12:26.099 And Jesus, 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:27.459 knowing that this would be the case, 00:12:27.559 --> 00:12:28.759 he gave them a message 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:30.239 through his messenger. 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:31.219 And what does he say 00:12:31.219 --> 00:12:32.719 to them in verse six? 00:12:34.139 --> 00:12:35.959 Do not be alarmed. 00:12:37.219 --> 00:12:38.459 Do not be alarmed. 00:12:38.500 --> 00:12:38.839 He said, 00:12:38.899 --> 00:12:40.859 you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene 00:12:40.859 --> 00:12:41.639 who was crucified. 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:43.159 He has risen. 00:12:43.699 --> 00:12:44.799 He is not here. 00:12:45.339 --> 00:12:46.719 See the place where they laid him, 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:47.220 but go. 00:12:48.160 --> 00:12:49.540 Tell his disciples and Peter, 00:12:49.620 --> 00:12:51.120 he's going ahead of you into Galilee. 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:52.180 There you will see him 00:12:52.180 --> 00:12:54.420 just as he told you. 00:12:57.340 --> 00:12:58.220 What a moment. 00:12:59.820 --> 00:13:00.700 They're realizing 00:13:00.700 --> 00:13:03.420 as their minds are kind of being blown, 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:04.620 like Jesus, 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:06.100 in Jesus, 00:13:06.300 --> 00:13:06.600 death 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:08.960 has somehow been reversed. 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:11.980 that somehow death 00:13:11.980 --> 00:13:13.879 has just been undone, 00:13:14.019 --> 00:13:15.920 that death is now working backwards 00:13:15.920 --> 00:13:17.259 on itself, 00:13:17.379 --> 00:13:18.980 that Jesus somehow, 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:20.080 inexplicably, 00:13:20.300 --> 00:13:21.600 went through death 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:22.379 and he went out 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:24.019 into a newly embodied life, 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:25.220 out beyond death, 00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:26.840 where death can never touch you again. 00:13:28.660 --> 00:13:29.920 One of the stories 00:13:29.920 --> 00:13:31.460 I've been following this year 00:13:31.460 --> 00:13:32.660 with great interest 00:13:32.660 --> 00:13:35.379 is the story of Molly Worthen, 00:13:35.379 --> 00:13:36.779 who's a journalist 00:13:36.779 --> 00:13:38.519 and a professor of history 00:13:38.519 --> 00:13:40.600 at the University of North Carolina 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:41.419 at Chapel Hill. 00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:43.439 She did her studies at Yale 00:13:43.439 --> 00:13:44.960 and is now a teacher at UNC. 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:47.000 Over this past decade, 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:48.980 she's pursued this career 00:13:48.980 --> 00:13:51.299 researching the religious 00:13:51.299 --> 00:13:52.439 and intellectual history 00:13:52.439 --> 00:13:53.279 of North America. 00:13:54.379 --> 00:13:55.500 You may have read her. 00:13:55.559 --> 00:13:56.740 She's a regular contributor 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:57.639 to the New York Times, 00:13:57.759 --> 00:13:58.200 the Atlantic, 00:13:58.399 --> 00:13:59.039 the New Yorker. 00:13:59.940 --> 00:14:00.919 But Molly's story 00:14:00.919 --> 00:14:03.100 took a really interesting turn 00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:05.080 over the past couple years. 00:14:06.180 --> 00:14:08.420 Having described herself 00:14:08.420 --> 00:14:09.600 as an agnostic 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:10.500 for most of her life, 00:14:10.560 --> 00:14:11.519 she says that she was 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:12.480 a vaguely unhappy 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:13.639 but lazy agnostic. 00:14:14.700 --> 00:14:15.700 In 2022, 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:17.300 she converted to Christianity. 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:20.279 And the way it happened 00:14:20.279 --> 00:14:21.480 was she was researching 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:23.000 an article about a pastor 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:23.899 and his church 00:14:23.899 --> 00:14:25.740 and became friends 00:14:25.740 --> 00:14:26.340 with the pastor 00:14:26.340 --> 00:14:28.200 and started asking questions. 00:14:28.340 --> 00:14:28.940 And she said, 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:29.360 she said, 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:30.440 why should we take 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:32.540 any of these resurrection accounts 00:14:32.539 --> 00:14:33.519 seriously? 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:35.679 And she was surprised 00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:37.240 to get these long, 00:14:37.559 --> 00:14:38.059 detailed, 00:14:38.259 --> 00:14:39.279 well-resourced, 00:14:39.459 --> 00:14:40.379 footnoted responses 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:41.279 from this pastor 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:43.399 who was taking every question 00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:44.299 that she asked 00:14:44.299 --> 00:14:46.299 with extreme seriousness 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:48.039 and giving her homework. 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.120 And so she went and read 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:51.299 Richard Baucom's 00:14:51.299 --> 00:14:52.719 Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:53.839 And then she went and read 00:14:53.839 --> 00:14:55.039 N.T. Wright's 00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:56.639 The Resurrection of the Son of God, 00:14:56.699 --> 00:14:58.839 a really 800-page romp, 00:14:59.019 --> 00:14:59.179 you know, 00:14:59.219 --> 00:15:00.019 just a tome. 00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:03.779 She read Craig Blomberg's 00:15:03.779 --> 00:15:05.059 The Historical Reliability 00:15:05.059 --> 00:15:06.319 of the New Testament. 00:15:06.620 --> 00:15:08.059 And in one of her interviews 00:15:08.059 --> 00:15:09.699 about her conversion, 00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:12.120 she just masterfully summarizes 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:14.559 the argument of N.T. Wright's book. 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:15.600 And then she says this 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:16.199 in this interview. 00:15:16.299 --> 00:15:16.600 She says, 00:15:16.740 --> 00:15:17.819 he, Wright, 00:15:17.899 --> 00:15:18.720 who's a historian, 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:20.819 a New Testament scholar, 00:15:20.820 --> 00:15:23.200 he persuaded me 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:24.920 that attempts 00:15:24.920 --> 00:15:26.620 by post-Enlightenment scholars 00:15:26.620 --> 00:15:28.660 to mythologize 00:15:28.660 --> 00:15:30.260 these resurrection stories, 00:15:30.980 --> 00:15:32.180 to read them as later 00:15:32.180 --> 00:15:33.080 Christian beliefs 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:34.420 imposed on the past, 00:15:35.040 --> 00:15:36.240 to say that the witnesses 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:37.020 and the gospels 00:15:37.020 --> 00:15:38.460 engaged in wish fulfillment 00:15:38.460 --> 00:15:39.620 based on dreams 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:41.120 or special feelings 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:41.879 they had about 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:43.260 their experiences of Jesus, 00:15:43.740 --> 00:15:45.440 all of this 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:46.580 is what C.S. Lewis 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:48.360 called chronological snobbery. 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:50.940 It doesn't take seriously 00:15:50.940 --> 00:15:52.279 the sophisticated way 00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:53.659 in which first century 00:15:53.659 --> 00:15:54.399 Jewish people 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:55.659 navigated their world 00:15:55.659 --> 00:15:57.279 and their worldviews. 00:15:57.879 --> 00:15:59.600 I felt personally indicted 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:00.700 as a historian. 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:01.919 I had always thought of myself 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:02.919 as very committed 00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:03.720 to taking 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:05.779 historical subjects seriously. 00:16:06.060 --> 00:16:07.120 This is the whole reason 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:08.340 I do this for a living. 00:16:09.300 --> 00:16:09.620 She said, 00:16:09.740 --> 00:16:10.740 but reading N.T. Wright 00:16:10.740 --> 00:16:11.539 made me realize 00:16:11.539 --> 00:16:12.360 I'd been engaging 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:12.980 in a kind 00:16:12.980 --> 00:16:14.899 of chronological snobbery. 00:16:16.180 --> 00:16:16.700 And she says, 00:16:16.779 --> 00:16:17.340 also she says, 00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:18.060 it turns out 00:16:18.060 --> 00:16:18.740 that there's a lot 00:16:18.740 --> 00:16:19.460 more interesting, 00:16:19.680 --> 00:16:20.139 provocative, 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:21.019 and compelling 00:16:21.019 --> 00:16:21.879 historical evidence 00:16:21.879 --> 00:16:23.920 around that set of events 00:16:23.920 --> 00:16:26.080 than I had ever realized before. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:28.060 And so from there 00:16:28.060 --> 00:16:29.680 she began to open-mindedly 00:16:29.680 --> 00:16:31.519 and rigorously 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:32.879 investigate the evidence 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:33.700 and just follow 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:34.480 where it led 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:36.920 and let it challenge 00:16:36.920 --> 00:16:38.160 her worldview. 00:16:38.420 --> 00:16:38.820 And she says, 00:16:38.899 --> 00:16:39.300 eventually, 00:16:39.720 --> 00:16:41.600 I took that crucial step 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:43.820 of being vulnerable, 00:16:44.900 --> 00:16:45.759 of putting myself 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:46.679 at risk 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:47.700 and I entered 00:16:47.700 --> 00:16:48.759 into a relationship 00:16:48.759 --> 00:16:50.100 with the resurrected 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:52.080 and living Jesus. 00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:54.299 And now, 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:55.319 what's amazing to me 00:16:55.319 --> 00:16:56.720 is that this historian 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:58.259 is adding her witness 00:16:58.259 --> 00:17:00.100 to those original 00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:01.600 eyewitnesses, 00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:02.500 those beloved women 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:03.179 on that first 00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:04.900 Easter Sunday morning. 00:17:05.019 --> 00:17:05.759 And so I would just 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:06.640 encourage you 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:08.440 to take a little time 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:11.160 to look Molly up 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:11.619 on Google, 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:12.460 Molly Worthen, 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:13.839 her conversion story, 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:15.500 especially if you 00:17:15.500 --> 00:17:16.480 describe yourself 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:17.779 as a vaguely unhappy 00:17:17.779 --> 00:17:19.079 but lazy agnostic 00:17:19.079 --> 00:17:20.259 like she was, 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:22.079 but who may also 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:22.799 be curious 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:24.119 and maybe even serious 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:25.019 about these 00:17:25.019 --> 00:17:26.240 historical questions. 00:17:27.139 --> 00:17:27.899 And I just want to 00:17:27.899 --> 00:17:29.039 provoke you today 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:29.879 to think about 00:17:29.879 --> 00:17:31.079 the truth 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:32.199 that was given 00:17:32.199 --> 00:17:33.659 to these women 00:17:33.659 --> 00:17:34.799 of all people. 00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:37.039 Truth to the women. 00:17:38.619 --> 00:17:39.699 But I also want to talk 00:17:39.699 --> 00:17:40.720 about grace to Peter. 00:17:41.939 --> 00:17:42.679 Grace to Peter. 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:43.160 And I want to, 00:17:43.220 --> 00:17:43.960 I'll get to Peter 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:44.920 but I need to first 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:45.799 clarify something. 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:47.080 If you look at verse 6, 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:49.920 it's translated, 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:51.700 he has risen, 00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:52.640 but the Greek, 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:53.820 the original Greek text 00:17:53.820 --> 00:17:55.220 actually doesn't say that. 00:17:55.299 --> 00:17:56.000 It's a little bit 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:57.600 of an inaccurate translation 00:17:57.600 --> 00:17:58.820 because the verb 00:17:58.820 --> 00:18:00.560 is in the passive form 00:18:00.560 --> 00:18:01.340 and it doesn't say, 00:18:01.799 --> 00:18:03.920 it's not he has risen 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:06.220 but he has been raised. 00:18:06.840 --> 00:18:08.840 He has been raised. 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:10.440 Now why does that matter? 00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:11.380 Well, number one, 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:13.640 he has risen suggests 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:14.640 that Jesus entered 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:15.700 into this new life 00:18:15.700 --> 00:18:17.000 of resurrection 00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:17.820 on his own 00:18:17.820 --> 00:18:19.000 and this was kind of 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:19.720 like the ultimate 00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:21.420 do-it-yourself project 00:18:21.420 --> 00:18:22.200 and Jesus kind of 00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:23.240 pulled himself up 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:23.960 by his own 00:18:23.960 --> 00:18:25.559 metaphysical bootstraps 00:18:25.559 --> 00:18:26.140 as it were. 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:28.240 But the biblical testimony 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:28.920 is not 00:18:28.920 --> 00:18:31.000 that the human corpse 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:31.480 of Jesus 00:18:31.480 --> 00:18:32.120 was able 00:18:32.120 --> 00:18:33.440 just to individualistically 00:18:34.120 --> 00:18:35.700 defeat the power of death 00:18:35.700 --> 00:18:37.180 and come out of the tomb. 00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:38.920 but rather the Bible teaches 00:18:38.920 --> 00:18:40.019 that Jesus 00:18:40.019 --> 00:18:41.600 has been raised. 00:18:42.600 --> 00:18:44.259 That Jesus was raised 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:45.140 by God the Father 00:18:45.140 --> 00:18:46.200 through the agency 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:47.440 of God the Holy Spirit 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:48.740 who's the giver of life. 00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:50.340 And the reason 00:18:50.340 --> 00:18:51.140 this is important 00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:52.940 is that the Apostle Paul 00:18:52.940 --> 00:18:55.380 uses the same verb form 00:18:55.380 --> 00:18:56.660 in his great epistle 00:18:56.660 --> 00:18:58.480 to the heart of the empire, 00:18:58.700 --> 00:19:00.140 his epistle to the Romans, 00:19:00.820 --> 00:19:01.420 where he says 00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:02.680 in Romans 4.25, 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:04.860 he, Jesus, 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:06.820 was delivered over 00:19:06.820 --> 00:19:08.080 to death for our sins 00:19:08.080 --> 00:19:09.840 and he was raised 00:19:09.840 --> 00:19:10.500 to life 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:11.820 for our justification. 00:19:13.120 --> 00:19:14.180 He was delivered 00:19:14.180 --> 00:19:14.759 over to death 00:19:14.759 --> 00:19:15.340 for our sins 00:19:15.340 --> 00:19:16.519 and he was raised 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:17.240 to life 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:18.820 for our justification. 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:21.200 What does it mean 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:21.660 to be 00:19:21.660 --> 00:19:23.220 that Jesus was raised 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:23.720 to life 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:24.580 for our justification? 00:19:26.019 --> 00:19:26.740 Well, I want us 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:27.600 to think a little bit more 00:19:27.600 --> 00:19:29.279 about this in verse 7 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:30.440 where the message 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:31.759 is this, 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:32.519 but go, 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:34.480 tell his disciples 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:35.420 and Peter 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:37.180 he is going ahead of you 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:37.779 into Galilee. 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:38.740 There you will see him 00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:40.619 just as he told you. 00:19:41.879 --> 00:19:42.480 And it's interesting 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:44.099 of all four of Mark's Gospels 00:19:44.099 --> 00:19:46.180 or of all four of the Gospels, 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:47.000 Mark's Gospel 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:48.299 is the only one 00:19:48.299 --> 00:19:49.240 that adds these words 00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:50.859 and Peter. 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:54.099 So if Peter's hearing 00:19:54.099 --> 00:19:54.680 this message 00:19:54.680 --> 00:19:55.599 that Jesus wants 00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:57.259 to see all of you disciples, 00:19:58.259 --> 00:19:59.379 what's Peter thinking 00:19:59.379 --> 00:20:00.079 in this moment? 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:02.179 He's probably thinking 00:20:02.179 --> 00:20:02.619 to himself, 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:02.859 well, 00:20:03.740 --> 00:20:03.899 yeah, 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:05.199 Jesus can't possibly 00:20:05.199 --> 00:20:06.339 include me. 00:20:07.699 --> 00:20:07.980 Right? 00:20:08.399 --> 00:20:09.460 Maybe all the other disciples 00:20:09.460 --> 00:20:10.159 but not me, 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:11.259 especially after all 00:20:11.259 --> 00:20:12.359 that I've done. 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:14.240 Backstabbing, 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:14.879 coward, 00:20:15.079 --> 00:20:15.539 and failure 00:20:15.539 --> 00:20:17.579 that I so obviously was. 00:20:18.899 --> 00:20:20.139 But what's the message 00:20:20.139 --> 00:20:20.919 of the resurrection 00:20:20.919 --> 00:20:21.500 of Jesus 00:20:21.500 --> 00:20:22.419 to Peter? 00:20:22.519 --> 00:20:22.819 He says, 00:20:22.919 --> 00:20:23.559 tell my disciples, 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:24.740 particularly Peter, 00:20:24.740 --> 00:20:26.380 that I look forward 00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:27.720 to be reunited with him. 00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:29.539 Back at ground zero, 00:20:29.700 --> 00:20:30.819 back at the Sea of Galilee, 00:20:30.940 --> 00:20:32.460 back at that fishing spot 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:33.579 where I first called him 00:20:33.579 --> 00:20:35.000 to come follow me. 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:36.140 Go tell Peter 00:20:36.140 --> 00:20:37.859 that I want to see him. 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:39.640 The resurrected Jesus 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:42.440 is inviting Peter especially, 00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:45.059 moral failure that he is, 00:20:45.220 --> 00:20:47.380 spiritual failure that he is, 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:48.539 to come and experience 00:20:48.539 --> 00:20:50.299 the grace of forgiveness. 00:20:50.299 --> 00:20:52.720 And that's what 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:53.879 the Apostle Paul means 00:20:53.879 --> 00:20:54.399 when he says, 00:20:54.579 --> 00:20:55.419 Jesus was delivered 00:20:55.419 --> 00:20:56.039 over to death 00:20:56.039 --> 00:20:56.680 for our sins 00:20:56.680 --> 00:20:58.019 and he was raised to life 00:20:58.019 --> 00:20:59.379 for our justification. 00:20:59.700 --> 00:21:00.980 That the resurrected Jesus 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:02.879 has infinite grace 00:21:02.879 --> 00:21:05.619 to take the worst sinners 00:21:05.619 --> 00:21:06.839 like Peter 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:08.680 and make them into 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:10.240 the greatest saints. 00:21:11.379 --> 00:21:12.440 And I want you to consider 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:13.619 the impact that this had 00:21:13.619 --> 00:21:15.000 on Peter's life. 00:21:15.099 --> 00:21:17.599 We know that Mark, 00:21:17.700 --> 00:21:18.819 the author of this gospel, 00:21:18.819 --> 00:21:20.919 became the secretary 00:21:20.919 --> 00:21:23.619 and the translator of Peter. 00:21:24.579 --> 00:21:25.939 One ancient source tells us 00:21:25.939 --> 00:21:27.240 that Mark wrote accurately 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:29.240 all that Peter remembered, 00:21:29.379 --> 00:21:30.720 which means that in this gospel 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:31.960 we basically have 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:34.119 the memoirs of Peter. 00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:37.200 And you can imagine Mark 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:38.179 interviewing Peter 00:21:38.179 --> 00:21:40.419 as his core and primary witness. 00:21:41.539 --> 00:21:42.679 And you can imagine Peter 00:21:42.679 --> 00:21:43.519 responding back 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:45.000 and recalling the story 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:46.279 of how all the disciples 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:48.279 had been faithless to Jesus, 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:49.899 had been disloyal to Jesus, 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:51.099 how all the disciples 00:21:51.099 --> 00:21:52.399 had abandoned Jesus 00:21:52.399 --> 00:21:54.339 in his hour of greatest need. 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:55.500 And then Peter gets 00:21:55.500 --> 00:21:56.799 to that climactic moment 00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:57.920 and he reveals 00:21:57.920 --> 00:21:59.779 his own horrible failure. 00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:01.279 He said, 00:22:01.379 --> 00:22:03.379 I not only denied Jesus one time, 00:22:04.359 --> 00:22:05.859 I don't only denied him two times, 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:08.099 I denied Jesus three times. 00:22:09.339 --> 00:22:09.879 And again, 00:22:09.940 --> 00:22:10.759 if this is a legend 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:12.059 and you're making this story up, 00:22:12.139 --> 00:22:12.980 why would you write 00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:13.599 that the leader 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:14.460 of this new movement 00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:15.960 is a colossal failure? 00:22:15.960 --> 00:22:16.100 Peter. 00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:20.340 But Peter shares with Mark 00:22:20.340 --> 00:22:21.680 and he shares with us 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:23.880 and he shares with the whole world 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:25.440 his terrible guilt 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:28.720 and his most shameful moment. 00:22:30.180 --> 00:22:30.840 Now what is it 00:22:30.840 --> 00:22:32.480 that got Peter to that point? 00:22:33.460 --> 00:22:35.019 What got Peter to the point 00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:36.380 where he no longer 00:22:36.380 --> 00:22:37.759 had anything to fear? 00:22:38.620 --> 00:22:40.440 He had nothing to hide, 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:41.700 he had nothing to lose. 00:22:41.700 --> 00:22:43.759 It was that Peter realized 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:45.940 Jesus was raised to life 00:22:45.940 --> 00:22:47.220 for my justification. 00:22:50.059 --> 00:22:51.100 Think about that. 00:22:52.080 --> 00:22:53.420 After all of his failures, 00:22:53.580 --> 00:22:54.900 how could Peter know 00:22:54.900 --> 00:22:57.460 that he had been made right with God? 00:22:58.740 --> 00:23:00.019 How could Peter know 00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:01.759 that his grievous sins 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:03.019 had been forgiven? 00:23:03.259 --> 00:23:05.000 How could Peter ever approach 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:06.660 God in prayer again 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:07.340 with confidence? 00:23:08.580 --> 00:23:10.220 And how could Peter face death 00:23:10.220 --> 00:23:10.960 without fear? 00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:12.160 And how could he think 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:14.420 about the coming judgment 00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:16.480 without a sense of despair 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:17.640 and alarm? 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:21.039 It's because the resurrection 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:22.019 of Jesus 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:24.339 is the proclamation 00:23:24.339 --> 00:23:26.420 that God the Father 00:23:26.420 --> 00:23:27.539 has been fully 00:23:27.539 --> 00:23:28.980 and completely satisfied 00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:30.559 with the work 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:32.660 that his son did on his cross. 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:34.700 That the son of God 00:23:34.700 --> 00:23:36.600 bore the full punishment 00:23:36.600 --> 00:23:37.799 for Peter's sins. 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:39.059 He bore the full punishment 00:23:39.059 --> 00:23:40.339 for our sins 00:23:40.339 --> 00:23:41.579 and his atoning work 00:23:41.579 --> 00:23:42.960 there was effective 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:43.740 and God the Father 00:23:43.740 --> 00:23:45.720 was so fully satisfied 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:46.339 with Jesus 00:23:46.339 --> 00:23:48.099 that he raised Jesus. 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:49.679 He has been raised 00:23:49.679 --> 00:23:51.940 for our justification. 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:55.099 It's not only that God 00:23:55.099 --> 00:23:56.440 vindicated the innocence 00:23:56.440 --> 00:23:57.259 of his son 00:23:57.259 --> 00:23:58.919 by removing the power 00:23:58.919 --> 00:23:59.879 of death over him, 00:23:59.960 --> 00:24:02.000 but he also vindicated us. 00:24:03.379 --> 00:24:04.659 He also caused us 00:24:04.659 --> 00:24:05.279 to be forgiven. 00:24:05.419 --> 00:24:06.259 He caused us 00:24:06.259 --> 00:24:07.119 to be put right. 00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:07.879 He caused us 00:24:07.879 --> 00:24:09.279 to be justified. 00:24:10.699 --> 00:24:11.199 Friends, 00:24:11.299 --> 00:24:12.000 do you know 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:14.979 that your greatest failures, 00:24:16.379 --> 00:24:17.439 the worst things 00:24:17.439 --> 00:24:18.539 you've ever done, 00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:20.099 that you'd be horrified 00:24:20.099 --> 00:24:21.139 for anybody in this room 00:24:21.139 --> 00:24:21.659 to know, 00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:23.899 your greatest guilt, 00:24:24.919 --> 00:24:27.199 your most shameful moments 00:24:27.199 --> 00:24:29.079 were carried 00:24:29.079 --> 00:24:29.759 on the shoulders 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:30.399 of Jesus 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:32.660 and they were nailed 00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:33.740 to his cross 00:24:33.740 --> 00:24:35.620 and there it was all 00:24:35.620 --> 00:24:37.380 paid in full. 00:24:38.340 --> 00:24:39.759 That is what the apostle 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:40.940 means when he says 00:24:40.940 --> 00:24:42.400 he was delivered over 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:43.620 to death for our sins 00:24:43.620 --> 00:24:45.040 yet he was raised 00:24:45.040 --> 00:24:45.780 to life 00:24:45.780 --> 00:24:47.700 for our justification. 00:24:49.160 --> 00:24:50.340 And that's why Peter 00:24:50.340 --> 00:24:52.019 hears these words, 00:24:52.140 --> 00:24:52.700 but go, 00:24:53.240 --> 00:24:54.000 tell the disciples 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:54.940 and Peter, 00:24:55.519 --> 00:24:57.380 I'm going ahead of you 00:24:57.380 --> 00:24:59.320 and I can't wait 00:24:59.320 --> 00:25:00.360 to see you again. 00:25:02.540 --> 00:25:03.520 Truth to the women, 00:25:05.120 --> 00:25:05.980 grace to Peter. 00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:08.040 And I want to end 00:25:08.040 --> 00:25:09.040 just talking a little bit 00:25:09.040 --> 00:25:10.500 about mission to the world. 00:25:11.700 --> 00:25:12.700 The mission to the world. 00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:16.360 Notice how the story ends. 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:18.600 My youngest son 00:25:18.600 --> 00:25:19.720 read this story this morning 00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:20.080 and he's like, 00:25:20.460 --> 00:25:20.720 really, 00:25:20.820 --> 00:25:21.620 is that how it ends? 00:25:23.020 --> 00:25:23.640 Verse 8, 00:25:23.640 --> 00:25:25.340 trembling and bewildered, 00:25:26.460 --> 00:25:27.420 the women went out 00:25:27.420 --> 00:25:28.540 and fled from the tomb. 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:30.440 They said nothing to anyone 00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:32.180 because they were afraid. 00:25:33.360 --> 00:25:35.280 That is the most downbeat, 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:37.520 anticlimactic, 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:39.180 literary ending ever. 00:25:39.540 --> 00:25:41.500 And I wish that I had time 00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:42.540 to explain to you 00:25:42.540 --> 00:25:43.520 why that's the case 00:25:43.520 --> 00:25:44.420 and if you come to coffee 00:25:44.420 --> 00:25:45.700 I'll explain it to you 00:25:45.700 --> 00:25:46.620 if you're interested. 00:25:47.860 --> 00:25:49.700 But it took these women 00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:50.700 just a minute 00:25:50.700 --> 00:25:53.580 to kind of get over their shock 00:25:53.579 --> 00:25:54.759 and get their bearings 00:25:54.759 --> 00:25:55.899 and let this message 00:25:55.899 --> 00:25:57.019 sink in. 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:58.179 But the rest of the New Testament 00:25:58.179 --> 00:25:59.059 tells us that 00:25:59.059 --> 00:26:00.179 they did in fact 00:26:00.179 --> 00:26:01.559 go deliver these words. 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:03.919 And that the disciples 00:26:03.919 --> 00:26:06.159 and Peter did see him 00:26:06.159 --> 00:26:06.980 both in Jerusalem 00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:08.000 and in Galilee 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:08.759 over the period 00:26:08.759 --> 00:26:10.419 of the next 40 days. 00:26:10.619 --> 00:26:12.299 And this answers for us 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:13.079 some critical 00:26:13.079 --> 00:26:14.599 historical questions. 00:26:15.819 --> 00:26:17.379 Like why did Christianity 00:26:17.379 --> 00:26:18.939 begin in the first place? 00:26:20.059 --> 00:26:21.099 And why did it take 00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:22.019 the shape that it did? 00:26:22.019 --> 00:26:24.059 Why did Christianity 00:26:24.059 --> 00:26:25.440 emerge so rapidly 00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:26.859 and with such power 00:26:26.859 --> 00:26:28.160 and with the explosion 00:26:28.160 --> 00:26:30.980 of a full-blown worldview 00:26:30.980 --> 00:26:32.319 literally overnight 00:26:32.319 --> 00:26:33.319 and out of nowhere? 00:26:34.460 --> 00:26:36.460 By far the best explanation 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:37.639 for those questions 00:26:37.639 --> 00:26:39.019 is that the tomb was empty. 00:26:40.139 --> 00:26:41.039 And that the disciples 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:42.940 and Peter went and saw Jesus 00:26:42.940 --> 00:26:44.139 and they heard Jesus 00:26:44.139 --> 00:26:44.799 and they touched 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:45.779 the body of Jesus 00:26:45.779 --> 00:26:46.480 and they knew 00:26:46.480 --> 00:26:48.539 that Jesus was alive. 00:26:48.539 --> 00:26:49.399 And these encounters 00:26:49.399 --> 00:26:50.159 with Jesus 00:26:50.159 --> 00:26:52.319 changed them profoundly. 00:26:53.940 --> 00:26:55.019 They went from being 00:26:55.019 --> 00:26:56.659 fearful men 00:26:56.659 --> 00:26:58.220 and women 00:26:58.220 --> 00:27:01.200 locked behind closed doors 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:02.359 afraid that they would be 00:27:02.359 --> 00:27:03.399 the next to be crucified 00:27:03.399 --> 00:27:05.779 to in a very short time 00:27:05.779 --> 00:27:06.799 boldly claiming 00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:09.000 that Jesus had been bodily 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:10.440 raised from the dead. 00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:12.299 And when they went 00:27:12.299 --> 00:27:13.720 and they saw Jesus 00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:15.000 who had gone ahead of them 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:15.839 into Galilee 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:16.980 can you imagine 00:27:16.980 --> 00:27:18.000 what those conversations 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:18.599 were like? 00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:20.720 I think Jesus 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:22.679 was basically reminding them 00:27:22.679 --> 00:27:23.299 of everything 00:27:23.299 --> 00:27:24.459 he had taught them 00:27:24.459 --> 00:27:26.019 prior to that moment. 00:27:26.659 --> 00:27:27.500 And I'm sure 00:27:27.500 --> 00:27:28.559 that he took them back 00:27:28.559 --> 00:27:29.539 to these great words 00:27:29.539 --> 00:27:30.639 in Mark chapter 13 00:27:30.639 --> 00:27:31.359 which he's already 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:32.059 spoken to them. 00:27:32.119 --> 00:27:33.879 I'm sure he spoke them again. 00:27:33.980 --> 00:27:35.359 It says in Mark chapter 13 00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:36.000 verse 9 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:37.899 he tells his disciples 00:27:37.900 --> 00:27:39.420 on account of me 00:27:39.420 --> 00:27:40.759 you will stand 00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:41.460 before governors 00:27:41.460 --> 00:27:42.259 and kings 00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:44.080 as witnesses to them 00:27:44.080 --> 00:27:44.960 and this gospel 00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:46.400 must be proclaimed 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:47.920 to all the nations. 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:50.420 They probably needed 00:27:50.420 --> 00:27:51.380 to hear that again 00:27:51.380 --> 00:27:52.440 when they met 00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:53.240 the risen Jesus. 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:54.780 On account of me 00:27:54.780 --> 00:27:55.600 you're going to stand 00:27:55.600 --> 00:27:56.320 before governors 00:27:56.320 --> 00:27:56.880 and kings 00:27:56.880 --> 00:27:58.060 as witnesses to them 00:27:58.060 --> 00:27:59.120 and this gospel 00:27:59.120 --> 00:28:00.040 must be proclaimed 00:28:00.040 --> 00:28:01.400 to all the nations. 00:28:03.080 --> 00:28:04.580 This is the foundational 00:28:04.580 --> 00:28:05.580 mission 00:28:05.580 --> 00:28:07.740 of the church. 00:28:08.900 --> 00:28:10.860 The primary task 00:28:10.860 --> 00:28:12.600 and the primary focus 00:28:12.600 --> 00:28:13.560 of the church 00:28:13.560 --> 00:28:14.680 is this exact 00:28:14.680 --> 00:28:16.120 statement of Jesus 00:28:16.120 --> 00:28:17.380 that we are to proclaim 00:28:17.380 --> 00:28:18.759 his good news 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:20.620 to all the nations. 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:22.940 That our job 00:28:22.940 --> 00:28:24.880 is to bear witness 00:28:24.880 --> 00:28:25.540 to Jesus 00:28:25.540 --> 00:28:26.519 to his person 00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:27.160 and his work 00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:28.140 to his incarnation 00:28:28.140 --> 00:28:29.259 his crucifixion 00:28:29.259 --> 00:28:30.259 his resurrection 00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:31.960 and they got that 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:32.620 loud and clear 00:28:32.620 --> 00:28:33.380 because Peter 00:28:33.380 --> 00:28:34.880 in a very short time 00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:36.740 was totally transformed 00:28:36.740 --> 00:28:37.680 and he goes out 00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:38.759 on the day of Pentecost 00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:40.060 where he preaches 00:28:40.060 --> 00:28:41.519 the first Christian sermon 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:42.019 and he says 00:28:42.019 --> 00:28:42.940 in Acts chapter 2 00:28:42.940 --> 00:28:43.980 God 00:28:43.980 --> 00:28:44.940 to this crowd 00:28:44.940 --> 00:28:46.360 of unbelieving people 00:28:46.360 --> 00:28:46.840 he says 00:28:46.840 --> 00:28:48.519 God raised Jesus 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:49.299 from the dead 00:28:49.299 --> 00:28:51.240 freeing him 00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:52.019 from the agony 00:28:52.019 --> 00:28:52.640 of death 00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:53.920 because it was impossible 00:28:53.920 --> 00:28:54.519 for death 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:55.340 to keep its hold 00:28:55.340 --> 00:28:55.840 on him. 00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:57.500 God has made 00:28:57.500 --> 00:28:58.019 this Jesus 00:28:58.019 --> 00:28:59.019 whom you crucified 00:28:59.019 --> 00:28:59.820 both Lord 00:28:59.820 --> 00:29:00.580 and Messiah 00:29:00.580 --> 00:29:01.900 repent 00:29:01.900 --> 00:29:02.860 and be baptized 00:29:02.860 --> 00:29:03.980 every one of you 00:29:03.980 --> 00:29:04.480 in the name 00:29:04.480 --> 00:29:05.299 of Jesus Christ 00:29:05.299 --> 00:29:05.980 for the forgiveness 00:29:05.980 --> 00:29:06.759 of your sins 00:29:06.759 --> 00:29:08.139 and you will receive 00:29:08.139 --> 00:29:08.720 the gift 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:10.119 of the Holy Spirit. 00:29:11.539 --> 00:29:12.519 The Apostle Paul 00:29:12.519 --> 00:29:13.259 who had his own 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:14.220 dramatic encounter 00:29:14.220 --> 00:29:15.039 with the resurrected 00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:15.919 Jesus 00:29:15.919 --> 00:29:17.339 he writes this 00:29:17.339 --> 00:29:18.000 in his letter 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:18.940 to the heart 00:29:18.940 --> 00:29:19.500 of the empire 00:29:19.500 --> 00:29:20.599 in Romans 10 9 00:29:20.599 --> 00:29:22.000 he says 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:22.639 if you confess 00:29:22.639 --> 00:29:23.319 with your mouth 00:29:23.319 --> 00:29:25.180 that Jesus is Lord 00:29:25.180 --> 00:29:26.259 and believe in your heart 00:29:26.259 --> 00:29:27.159 that God raised him 00:29:27.159 --> 00:29:27.799 from the dead 00:29:27.799 --> 00:29:29.919 you will be saved. 00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:32.840 when I think about 00:29:32.840 --> 00:29:36.019 the permanently changed 00:29:36.019 --> 00:29:37.840 lives of these eyewitnesses 00:29:37.840 --> 00:29:39.500 when I think about 00:29:39.500 --> 00:29:40.779 the provocative passion 00:29:40.779 --> 00:29:41.740 with which they 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:43.480 went on to continue 00:29:43.480 --> 00:29:44.279 and extend 00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:45.460 the mission of Jesus 00:29:45.460 --> 00:29:47.360 when I think about 00:29:47.360 --> 00:29:48.080 the ways that they 00:29:48.080 --> 00:29:49.180 embraced poverty 00:29:49.180 --> 00:29:50.039 and prison 00:29:50.039 --> 00:29:51.420 and painful death 00:29:51.420 --> 00:29:52.960 in order to proclaim 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:53.480 the gospel 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:54.180 would they really 00:29:54.180 --> 00:29:55.340 have died for a lie? 00:29:55.480 --> 00:29:55.980 Would they really 00:29:55.980 --> 00:29:57.680 have given their lives 00:29:57.680 --> 00:29:58.519 for a legend? 00:29:59.920 --> 00:30:01.519 The French mathematician 00:30:01.519 --> 00:30:02.700 and philosopher 00:30:02.700 --> 00:30:03.220 Pascal 00:30:03.220 --> 00:30:03.740 he said 00:30:03.740 --> 00:30:05.180 I believe those witnesses 00:30:05.180 --> 00:30:06.560 that get their throats cut 00:30:06.560 --> 00:30:10.880 the only reason 00:30:10.880 --> 00:30:11.740 that you would call 00:30:11.740 --> 00:30:12.840 all the nations 00:30:12.840 --> 00:30:14.080 of the world 00:30:14.080 --> 00:30:15.759 to repent 00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:16.440 and be baptized 00:30:16.440 --> 00:30:17.240 the only reason 00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:18.160 you would go out 00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:19.180 and you would tell people 00:30:19.180 --> 00:30:20.320 at the heart of the empire 00:30:20.320 --> 00:30:21.039 that they needed 00:30:21.039 --> 00:30:21.820 to confess 00:30:21.820 --> 00:30:23.240 and to believe 00:30:23.240 --> 00:30:25.259 is if your message 00:30:25.259 --> 00:30:26.420 is worth dying for 00:30:26.420 --> 00:30:26.960 and therefore 00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:27.900 very much worth 00:30:27.900 --> 00:30:28.660 living for 00:30:28.660 --> 00:30:30.940 and so if you're here 00:30:30.940 --> 00:30:31.740 today and you say 00:30:31.740 --> 00:30:33.000 yes I'm one of those 00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:33.300 people 00:30:33.300 --> 00:30:35.700 I would have never 00:30:35.700 --> 00:30:36.180 thought 00:30:36.180 --> 00:30:37.519 that I'd be one 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:38.140 of those people 00:30:38.140 --> 00:30:39.860 who confesses 00:30:39.860 --> 00:30:40.700 with my mouth 00:30:40.700 --> 00:30:42.480 that Jesus is Lord 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:43.160 and who believes 00:30:43.160 --> 00:30:43.800 in my heart 00:30:43.800 --> 00:30:44.960 that God raised him 00:30:44.960 --> 00:30:45.400 from the dead 00:30:45.400 --> 00:30:46.220 but here I am 00:30:46.220 --> 00:30:46.600 somehow 00:30:46.600 --> 00:30:47.540 I don't know how 00:30:47.540 --> 00:30:49.640 what am I supposed 00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:50.300 to do now? 00:30:51.800 --> 00:30:52.660 Well I just want to 00:30:52.660 --> 00:30:53.720 I just want to 00:30:53.720 --> 00:30:54.220 encourage you 00:30:54.220 --> 00:30:55.160 we need to get on 00:30:55.160 --> 00:30:55.700 with the mission 00:30:55.700 --> 00:30:56.819 that Jesus gave us 00:30:56.819 --> 00:30:58.559 and the mission 00:30:58.559 --> 00:30:59.160 he gave us 00:30:59.160 --> 00:30:59.880 is very clear 00:30:59.880 --> 00:31:01.100 these are his exact words 00:31:01.100 --> 00:31:01.940 the gospel 00:31:01.940 --> 00:31:02.940 must be proclaimed 00:31:02.940 --> 00:31:04.519 to all the nations 00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:06.539 and friends 00:31:06.539 --> 00:31:07.340 that's not something 00:31:07.340 --> 00:31:08.180 that we go out 00:31:08.180 --> 00:31:09.660 and we do on our own 00:31:09.660 --> 00:31:10.900 with our own effort 00:31:10.900 --> 00:31:11.980 and our own resources 00:31:11.980 --> 00:31:13.620 it's a mission 00:31:13.620 --> 00:31:14.440 that's to be done 00:31:14.440 --> 00:31:15.819 with the presence 00:31:15.819 --> 00:31:16.580 and the power 00:31:16.580 --> 00:31:17.759 of the resurrected 00:31:17.759 --> 00:31:19.160 and living Lord 00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:21.299 that just as Jesus 00:31:21.299 --> 00:31:22.080 goes ahead 00:31:22.080 --> 00:31:22.920 of his disciples 00:31:22.920 --> 00:31:23.920 into Galilee 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:25.779 that's been his pattern 00:31:25.779 --> 00:31:26.420 with his church 00:31:26.420 --> 00:31:27.759 throughout the ages 00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:28.880 he goes before 00:31:28.880 --> 00:31:29.800 his people 00:31:29.800 --> 00:31:30.700 so that wherever 00:31:30.700 --> 00:31:31.840 we go 00:31:31.840 --> 00:31:32.600 we actually find 00:31:32.600 --> 00:31:33.039 that Jesus 00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:33.980 has already been there 00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:34.800 before us 00:31:34.800 --> 00:31:36.259 he got there 00:31:36.259 --> 00:31:37.320 ahead of us somehow 00:31:37.320 --> 00:31:39.920 Jesus doesn't follow 00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:40.860 the mission of the church 00:31:40.860 --> 00:31:41.740 Jesus leads 00:31:41.740 --> 00:31:42.900 the mission of the church 00:31:42.900 --> 00:31:45.000 and so my question 00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:45.660 for you today 00:31:45.660 --> 00:31:47.700 is do you trust 00:31:47.700 --> 00:31:49.960 do we trust 00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:51.500 that Jesus 00:31:51.500 --> 00:31:53.000 has gone ahead of us 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:54.759 into 2024 00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:55.619 and beyond 00:31:55.619 --> 00:31:56.660 do we trust 00:31:56.660 --> 00:31:57.779 and believe 00:31:57.779 --> 00:31:59.000 that Jesus 00:31:59.000 --> 00:31:59.839 is out there 00:31:59.839 --> 00:32:00.519 in Berkeley 00:32:00.519 --> 00:32:01.559 and Oakland 00:32:01.559 --> 00:32:02.539 and the San Francisco 00:32:02.539 --> 00:32:03.680 Bay Area 00:32:03.680 --> 00:32:04.859 ahead of us 00:32:04.859 --> 00:32:06.680 and are we willing 00:32:06.680 --> 00:32:07.720 to follow him 00:32:07.720 --> 00:32:08.660 and do what he said 00:32:08.660 --> 00:32:09.519 which is to proclaim 00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:10.640 his gospel 00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:11.660 to all 00:32:11.660 --> 00:32:13.279 the nations 00:32:13.279 --> 00:32:16.140 Christ Church 00:32:16.140 --> 00:32:18.920 Jesus 00:32:18.920 --> 00:32:20.020 Christ 00:32:20.020 --> 00:32:21.780 has been bodily 00:32:21.780 --> 00:32:22.300 raised 00:32:22.300 --> 00:32:23.120 from the dead 00:32:23.120 --> 00:32:25.780 he came to launch 00:32:25.780 --> 00:32:26.600 the new creation 00:32:26.600 --> 00:32:27.980 where all can be forgiven 00:32:27.980 --> 00:32:29.580 all can be reborn 00:32:29.580 --> 00:32:30.560 and all will 00:32:30.560 --> 00:32:31.400 in fact be 00:32:31.400 --> 00:32:32.360 remade 00:32:32.360 --> 00:32:33.160 and so I want to say 00:32:33.160 --> 00:32:33.420 to you 00:32:33.420 --> 00:32:34.160 let's join 00:32:34.160 --> 00:32:35.360 in that resurrection 00:32:35.360 --> 00:32:35.880 project 00:32:35.880 --> 00:32:37.980 let's be 00:32:37.980 --> 00:32:38.900 a resurrection 00:32:38.900 --> 00:32:39.500 people 00:32:39.500 --> 00:32:41.560 let's be a joyful 00:32:41.560 --> 00:32:42.800 people of life 00:32:42.800 --> 00:32:43.520 for a world 00:32:43.520 --> 00:32:44.759 that's still in death 00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:46.420 let's be a 00:32:46.420 --> 00:32:47.299 worshiping people 00:32:47.299 --> 00:32:48.019 that celebrate 00:32:48.019 --> 00:32:48.839 God's victory 00:32:48.839 --> 00:32:49.579 over sin 00:32:49.579 --> 00:32:50.339 and death 00:32:50.339 --> 00:32:50.799 and let's be 00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:51.839 a forgiven people 00:32:51.839 --> 00:32:52.900 let's be a 00:32:52.900 --> 00:32:53.819 missionary people 00:32:53.819 --> 00:32:54.799 who are sent out 00:32:54.799 --> 00:32:55.359 to proclaim 00:32:55.359 --> 00:32:55.960 the gospel 00:32:55.960 --> 00:32:57.180 for the nations 00:32:57.180 --> 00:32:57.819 for whom 00:32:57.819 --> 00:32:59.200 Jesus bled 00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:00.480 and for whom 00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:01.099 he died 00:33:01.099 --> 00:33:02.259 to save 00:33:02.259 --> 00:33:04.980 is that what we want 00:33:04.980 --> 00:33:06.180 this Easter Sunday 00:33:06.180 --> 00:33:09.200 may God give us 00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:09.960 the grace to do it 00:33:09.960 --> 00:33:10.480 in the name of the 00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:10.700 Father 00:33:10.700 --> 00:33:10.980 Son 00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:11.700 and Holy Spirit 00:33:11.700 --> 00:33:12.900 Amen 00:33:12.900 --> 00:33:13.060 Amen