Faith First Media

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Resurrection of Jesus

The resurrection of Christ from the dead was a political event. He had been executed as a political criminal – charged with claiming to be “the King of the Jews.” Pilate had found nothing wrong with him, but had been pressured into crucifying him fro political purposes, having been told, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.” Despite the Jewish prophecies that the Messiah of God would be the King over kings, when Jesus was crucified, it seemed that the Roman Empire had won.

But when Jesus was raised from the dead, the power of the Roman Empire was shattered. The Roman government relied on the threat of death to remain in power – it could execute anyone it wished. But suddenly a man executed by the Roman Empire had come back to life and was now walking among the living! The Jews believed that all of the righteous would – at the end of the age – be raised from the dead unto immortality in the Kingdom of God. But now Jesus had experienced the Kingdom resurrection early. The Apostles were constantly preaching the resurrection of Jesus, for it marked a divine act of justice. Jesus – who never repaid evil with evil but accepted the unjust persecution he suffered through – had been raised from the dead and exalted to the heavens by God. This proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Christ’s words in the Sermon on the Mount are true. Even if we suffer extreme persecution, violence is not justified, for by repaying evil with evil, we stray from the way of Christ. Instead, we trust that, like Jesus, we too will one day be raised from the dead and exalted in the Kingdom of God.

As the Messiah, Jesus was resurrected unto eternal life early. All the other believers who died in faith will also be resurrected when Jesus returns at the end of the age. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was more than a necessary follow-up to his crucifixion. It was a sign to the whole world that the coming resurrection of all believers is real and is certain to occur. From the perspective of this glorious hope, we see the world differently than those who have no hope see it. If we do not see justice now, we do not try to force justice by violent means, but rather, we rejoice, for we know that there is a day coming when God’s infinitely holy justice will prevail in all the Earth. On that day, the meek will inherit the Earth, the peacemakers will rule the world, and all those who practice violence will be no more. The world will be resorted to what it was meant to be in the beginning – a perfect paradise that knows no war or evil. This is the message that the Apostles preached everywhere in light of the resurrection of Jesus, which serves as a token for future resurrection that will occur at the end of the age when Jesus returns and the Kingdom of God is fulfilled on Earth.

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.  But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.  But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.

--Acts 2:22-24

You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer.  You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!

--Acts 3:14-15

Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.

--Acts 4:10

The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.

--Acts 5:30

“And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear,

--Acts 10:39-40

“When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead!

--Acts 13:29-30

How the Roman rulers must have winced every time the Apostles spoke these words! Jesus was crucified in shame, but God had resurrected him unto glory, and the Roman authorities no longer had any power over him. By raising Jesus from the dead and seating him in the heavenlies, God had proclaimed Jesus as the King of kings. This was a big deal – and the Apostles traveled for hundreds of miles preaching this message in city after city. All who heard this message had to make a choice. Do they submit their lives to Caesar, the king? Or do they submit their lives to Jesus Christ, the King of kings? Those who chose the latter option understood that Jesus had been chosen by God to rule over all the nations of the world, and that Jesus – not Caesar – was the true Lord over all the Earth.

All the borders of the nations of this world are but invisible, imaginary lines that people like to pretend exist. No matter what nation we happen might to live in, that nation is not our own, but we are foreigners visiting temporarily. Our true nation and our true citizenship are found in the Kingdom of God – a nation that is currently not of this world. One day the Kingdom of God will be established on Earth, and all the nations of the world will be subject to its rule. From the perspective of this glorious hope, all of the wars that are fought to defend imaginary borders between the corrupt, human nations of this world seem like a horrible waste of human life and energy. As sojourners on the Earth, we are temporarily living in whatever nation we happen to live in, but our true allegiance is to the Kingdom of God. All of the great men of faith in the Bible lived this way – eagerly awaiting the coming Kingdom:

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.

--Hebrews 11:13

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.

--1 Peter 2:11