The Cost of Resurrection Truth

Imagine FSB operatives and Ukrainian refugees as best friends.

Together, they share meals, call each other family, and get together every day.

It’d be an international news story.

Imagine the sacrifice and the adventure! The FSB team would have to sneak out of Russia, give up their jobs, and bankrupt themselves to care for the needs of their new Ukrainian friends. As for the refugees, they would have to demonstrate miraculous forgiveness. We’d be humbled by their love.

Two weeks ago, I shared that truth has a cost. And last week, we looked at how truth is mutilated by its packaging.

So what is the cost of resurrection truth… for you?

In your church, does Easter look like enemies making sacrifices to become friends?

In the first century, faithful Jews prayed each day, “Blessed are You, our God, who has not made me a Gentile.” The Talmud also taught, “A piece of bread given by a Samaritan is more unclean than swine's flesh.” For some Jewish communities, part of their Messianic hope was that God would punish the Gentiles for their idolatry and impurity.

So In Acts 10, when the Lord reveals to the Apostle Peter that the Gentiles are included in the gospel, he is totally opposed. Peter forcefully responds to the vision of the unclean food, “No, Lord! For I have never eaten anything impure and ritually unclean.”

“No, Lord!” Wow.

Isn’t that still our attitude today? “I would never compromise my identity by associating with unclean people and their dirty food. If God asked me to do it, I’d get a second opinion!”

Do you want me to have a Trump supporter over to my house? We say, “No, Lord!”

Do you want me to be friends with a Black Lives Matter activist? We say, “No, Lord!”

Do you want me to know the poor? We say, “No, Lord!”

Do you want me to go to a party with gay people? We say, “No, Lord!”

Do you want me to help out an old, conservative white man? We say, “No, Lord!”

But God gave this disturbing vision of unclean food to Peter not once, but three times.

As he is puzzling it over, two servants and a soldier, sent by the Gentile centurion Cornelius, knock on his door. Peter goes to his enemy’s home. He boldly announces the resurrection. God prompts them to respond… and the Holy Spirit comes on everyone in the house. So to his astonishment, Peter baptizes them and stays in their home for a few days! The whole story is in Acts 10, check it out!

Isn’t that wild? A Jewish man living in the home of a Gentile centurion?!?

Further, Peter’s willingness to love his enemies is offensive to other Christians! It leads to fierce criticism from some at the church in Jerusalem. But incredibly, after he explains himself, even his critics glorify God!

To me, that’s how God wants us to celebrate Easter.

Peter’s example is given to us as a model.

It shows us what announcing the resurrection should look like.

We know the truth of the resurrection in our minds. We can ace the theology test.

But we aren’t purifying ourselves from sin, obeying God when it’s costly, and loving our neighbors.

Instead of presenting resurrection truth in the context of a surprising love for others, we’ve mutilated the truth by forcing it to fit into an entertaining package.

The bloody, shameful death of Jesus is twisted beyond recognition into an Instagram-ready sermon clip.

Imagine FSB operatives and Ukrainian refugees as best friends.

Remember Jews and Gentiles treating each other like family.

Isn’t this the world you long for?

What could resurrection truth look like in your community?