The Resurrection

     

             The resurrection is one of the most carefully documented events in the scriptures; all four gospels offer detailed accounts of Christ's literal, physical return from the dead. Jesus eats, drinks, walks over seven miles on the road to Emmaus, and shows hundreds of people the marks of the nails and spear that confirm his identity as the very man who had been crucified so cruelly just days before. He encourages the disciples to "handle me and see, that it is I, myself." Ironically, almost from the start there were intellectuals who tried to reconfigure the resurrection into some kind of mystical, even hallucinatory experience shared by Jesus's followers. But that was, and is, pure silliness. Jesus either rose from the dead, or else he was a fraud. And He was no fraud. Only the resurrection and the power of the atonement can account for the millions and millions of people who have looked to Jesus as Lord and Savior. Not just a great teacher or examplar. A Savior. 

           Hugh Nibley (the most wonderfully eccentric scholar the church has produced) had the kind of mind that perceived a relation between the resurrection and the second law of Thermodynamics, which states that everything in the universe is subject to entropy, meaning that it moves toward decay, disorder and eventual disintegration. That is, unless something reverses that process.  I think he is on to something exciting here: 

           "According to Jacob, it is the first law to which nature is subjected—the inexorable and irreversible trend toward corruption and disintegration; it can't be reversed. It rises no more, crumbles, rots, and remains that way endlessly, for an endless duration.

This would spell an end to everything, were it not that another force works against it. "Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement" (2 Nephi 9:7), he says—in effect, a principle of unlimited application. An infinite principle is at work here... Without an infinite atonement, "this corruption could not put on incorruption." We could not save ourselves from entropy. Someone else must be there to do it. Notice what atonement means: reversal of the degradative process, a returning to its former state, being integrated or united again—"at-one." What results when particles break down? They separate. Decay is always from heavier to lighter particles. But "atonement" brings particles back together again. Bringing anything back to its original state is at-one-ment." (Temple and the Cosmos)

             With this insight Br. Nibley leads us to a larger vision of the resurrection than just rising from the grave, as miraculous as that is. He is, I think, saying that Christ holds within himself a life force so great that it reverses the very condition of the universe. Under His influence the inexorable downward spiral of nature slows, halts, and reverses, and everything starts to move back toward life, integration, energy, fulfillment, order, productivity , at-one-ment. Starting from this view of the resurrection and reading back through the gospels we see Jesus infusing every situation with energy, healing, forgiveness and love. Pure life-force. It is thrilling, and it is no surprise that the grave, literally, could not hold Him. Nor, because of his atonement, any of us. 

          Joseph Smith envisioned the resurrection as a Priesthood ordinance in which worthy fathers would participate in bringing their families back from the grave. What an image that is! So what does the resurrection mean to us in our daily lives? It means that we may tremble at the process of death (pretty scary) but we don't fear the thing itself. One remarkable finding in the thousands of "near-death" experiences now on record is this: people who have died and return not only don't fear death, they look forward to it! Death will turn out to be the only thing that really dies. The rest of us are going on forever. Time for a little John Donne: 

Death, be not proud, tho some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

           A hope in Christ consists of three things: the peace that comes through the forgiveness of our sins, an awareness that he shared in our sufferings and infirmities and thus can succor us with his grace, and a knowledge that in the end we will rise with Him in the resurrection. With those assurances, we can live in a state of joy and hope, no matter what befalls us. Without those assurances we are in a state of spiritual entropy. Jesus described himself as "the resurrection and the life," and every step we take toward him brings a greater abundance of life to our souls.

The Influence of Christ

 Our Christmas Lesson looked at the influence of the life of Christ on history, literature, art and music. If you would like a copy of the complete lesson, here it is, and here are the slides.  

The influence of Jesus Christ on the world is enormous. Kenneth Latourette in his seven-volume work on the history of the expansion of Christianity summarizes the influence of Jesus Christ:

No life ever lived on this planet has been so influential in the affairs of men like the life of Jesus Christ. From that brief life and its apparent frustration has flowed a more powerful force for the triumphant waging of man’s long battle than any other ever known by the human race. By it millions have been lifted from illiteracy and ignorance and have been placed upon the road of growing intellectual freedom and control over the physical environment. It has done more to allay the physical ills of disease and famine than any other impulse known to man. It’s emancipated millions from chattel slavery and millions of others from addiction to vice. It has protected tens of millions in exploitation by their fellows. It’s been the most fruitful source of movement to lessen the horrors of war and to put the relations of men and nations on the basis of justice and of peace.

Here are some poems you might like:

PRAYER FOR A NEW MOTHER

  

The things she knew, let her forget again --

The voices in the sky, the fear, the cold,

The gaping shepherds, and the queer old men

Piling their clumsy gifts of foreign gold.

Let her have laughter with her little one;

Teach her the endless, tuneless songs to sing,

Grant her her right to whisper to her son

The foolish names one dare not call a king.

Keep from her dreams the rumble of a crowd,

The smell of rough-cut wood, the trail of red,

The thick and chilly whiteness of the shroud

That wraps the strange new body of the dead.

Ah, let her go, kind Lord, where mothers go

And boast his pretty words and ways, and plan

The proud and happy years that they shall know

Together, when her son is grown a man.

                                                                   Dorothy Parker

Noël

  by Anne Porter

When snow is shaken

From the balsam trees

And they're cut down

And brought into our houses

When clustered sparks

Of many-colored fire

Appear at night

In ordinary windows

We hear and sing

The customary carols

They bring us ragged miracles

And hay and candles

And flowering weeds of poetry

That are loved all the more

Because they are so common

But there are carols

That carry phrases

Of the haunting music

Of the other world

A music wild and dangerous

As a prophet's message

Or the fresh truth of children

Who though they come to us

From our own bodies

Are altogether new

With their small limbs

And birdlike voices

They look at us

With their clear eyes

And ask the piercing questions

God alone can answer.

The Oxen
by Thomas Hardy

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.
    

"Now they are all on their knees,"


An elder said as we sat in a flock
    

By the embers in hearthside ease.



We pictured the meek mild creatures where
    

They dwelt in their strawy pen,


Nor did it occur to one of us there
    

To doubt they were kneeling then.



So fair a fancy few would weave
    

In these years!

Yet, I feel,
If someone said on Christmas Eve,
    

"Come; see the oxen kneel,



"In the lonely barton by yonder coomb
    

Our childhood used to know,"


I should go with him in the gloom,
    

Hoping it might be so.

A Christmas Carol

In the bleak mid-winter 
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter 
Long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him 
Nor earth sustain;
 Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter 
A stable-place sufficed
 The Lord God Almighty
Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim
 Worship night and day,
 A breastful of milk
 And a mangerful of hay;
 Enough for Him, whom angels 
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.

Angels and archangels 
May have gathered there,
 Cherubim and seraphim
 Thronged the air,
But only His mother 
In her maiden bliss
 Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give Him, 
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
 I would bring a lamb, 
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part, –
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.

 Christina Rossetti

Such a beautiful poem makes an even more beautiful hymn.

The question of what we bring to the manger is central to the message of Christmas. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” He expects to not just to believe, but to do something about it. And his great commandments were to love God and love our neighbor. Charles Dickens concludes his story of the life of Jesus with his definition of Christianity.

"Remember! – It is Christianity TO DO GOOD always – even to those who do evil to us. It is Christianity to love our neighbour as ourself, and to do to all men as we would have them Do to  us. It is Christianity to be gentle, merciful, and forgiving, and to keep those qualities quiet in our own hearts, and never make a boast of them, or of our prayers or of our love of God, but always  to shew that we love Him by humbly trying to do right in everything. If we do this, and remember the life and lessons of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and try to act up to them, we may confidently hope that God will forgive us our sins and mistakes, and enable us to live and die in Peace."

                                                              Charles Dickens , The Life of Our Lord

Our class sessions will resume on Tuesday, January 7th with the resurrection of Jesus. Until then have a wonderful holiday, and, as T. T. would say, "God bless us, every one!"

Arrest, Trial and Crucifixion

The long night after Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane was full of pain, torture and betrayal. Shuttled from Caiaphus and Annas (the corrupt High Priests) to Pilate and Herod (the corrupt Roman rulers) Jesus "held his peace," and maintained his dignity throughout. By the time the rabble (under the control of the High Priests) finally called for his crucifixion, he had a "crown" of inch-long thorns embedded in his skull, a body lacerated by ruthless scourging, and was exhausted and dehydrated from the long, cruel night of beatings and interrogation. The half-mile hike up to Golgotha, dragging either the crossbeam or the entire cross (scholars disagree about which) was more than he could manage. The man in charge of his execution squad (executor mortis) feared for his own life if his prisoner died before being crucified, so a Libyan man named Simon was given the signal honor of bearing Christ's cross those last agonizing steps.

The Lord chose a death more excruciating than most of us will ever face. And he faced it alone, deserted by his followers and even, at one point, by the spirit of his beloved Father. Some people feel that a morbid preoccupation with the crucifixion is a sign of faithfulness. (There are actually people who reenact the crucifixion each year, on purpose.) But the Lord said, "I... have suffered, that they might NOT suffer if they would repent." (DC 19:16) There is no need to bring suffering upon ourselves in an attempt to impress the Lord. But when suffering does come, He has shown us how to face it by the way he faced the last day of his beautiful life.

Why do we suffer? There are many reasons, and there is much suffering that seems so unfair. In fact, sometimes it may seem that even when we are trying to do everything right, everything seems to go wrong! This is confusing, but may actually be an important part of the plan. Heber C. Kimball once said (quoting Joseph Smith) "God will feel after you and he will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings. And if you cannot stand it, you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God." My mother taught me that one of the purposes of earth life is to fix those things that are spiritually wrong with us, a process that may involve some humbling experiences along the way. In the scriptures we see people placed in situations where they sometimes fall, yet as a result find the Lord. So if we, or those we love, fail to measure up at times, instead of shaking a fist at Heaven, we might thank the Lord for helping us see what our spiritual "Achilles heel" is, and seek His healing grace to make it right. It's not about racking up points and prizes; it's about becoming sanctified by grace.

Though He may have made many statements in the six hours that our Lord spent on the cross, seven are preserved, and have become the focus of countless studies. The recent mini-series, The Bible, offers a version of the crucifixion that is wrenching in its graphic depiction of his suffering. Yet it also helps us realize how selfless and courageous Jesus was, even under that level of duress. When Christ finally said, "It is finished," as the hymn so beautifully says, "Earth trembled and all nature sighed, in dread response, a God has died." (Hymns 192) Here is the link to the video: The Bible: Passion, Part 1.

Marvin J. Ashton said, “Greatness is best measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable, and undeserved.” As we respond to suffering with courage, and support each other in our trials, we are following Him to the end.