I couldn’t help but eavesdrop. The speaker was a tall, retired man in a suit, addressing a younger bearded man who may or may not have had some religious interest, but who had a great deal to say about the Pope, the Roman Catholic church, and the recent Roman Catholic World Youth Day (WYD). They were talking about the re-enactment of the route to Jesus’ crucifixion that happened as part of the WYD celebrations. The older man, who spoke broken English with a heavy Armenian accent, had this to say about it: “Jesus say after he die, three days later he wake up. I say, ‘Why you no show the wake-up?’”
There are so many good things about this comment, it’s hard to know where to start. Putting aside the question of whether or not re-enacting the crucifixion is a good idea, the old man’s question was more than reasonable. It’s not only the cross but the resurrection of Jesus which lies at the very heart of what we believe (1 Cor 15:3-4). Because Jesus rose again, he is revealed as Lord and judge (Acts 2:24-33, 17:31). Why have a religion which, in its art and drama, focuses on Jesus as a baby, on Mary his mother, and on Jesus nailed to a wooden cross, but which, at the same time, fails to portray his victory over sin and death in the resurrection? For he was “raised for our justification” because if he wasn’t, “you are still in your sins” (Rom 4:25, 1 Cor 15:17). As the old man demanded, “Why you no show the wake-up?”
His question was not only encouraging, in addition he had not allowed himself to be sidetracked by the younger man’s rant about the Pope and various pilgrims; instead, he had zeroed in on the heart of the Christian faith, and had proclaimed it in a voice loud enough to be heard by all the waiting passengers. It made my day!
When I see him next (the old man, I mean), I’m going to thank him. For the moment, I’ll say a word or two to the risen Lord Jesus, asking him to make the words of that gospel presentation effective to bring new life.
