John Jewell's Homily on the Resurrection of our Lord (Easter Sunday)

 

HOMILY ON THE RESURRECTION FOR EASTER DAY
Adapted and abridged from the Second Book of Homilies (1563)

After the Rt. Rev. John Jewell

 

 

Of all matters spiritual or temporal, the most excellent is surely what I declare it to you today:  the greatest and most comforting article of our Christian faith: the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This was so important that God deemed it right to keep Jesus still on earth for forty days after he was risen from death to life, to confirm and establish firmly this fact in the hearts of his disciples…

 

This truth is so comforting that it is the very lock and key of all our faith.  Paul says that if it were not true that Christ rose again, then our preaching is vain, our faith void, and we are yet in our sins.  If Christ be not risen, we are of all people most to be pitied, for we trusted in a Christ who could not restore us to his bliss.  But no—Christ is risen again from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep, and he will raise them to everlasting life… 

 

During those 40 days our Savior, through his bodily presence in sight of his disciples, declared to them, by manifold tokens that he had conquered death, and that he was also truly risen again to life.  Luke says he began with Moses and all the Prophets, and taught them how his death and resurrection were the purpose of God.  He did not just appear once.  Many, many times he came, to different people at different times.  First, he sent his angels to the sepulchre, who showed the women the grave empty, but for the burial linen that remained (Matt 28).  After this, Jesus himself appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20), and after that to other women, and then straight away he appeared to Peter, then to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24).  He appeared to the disciples also as they were gathered together behind doors they had locked out of fear of the authorities  Another time he was appeared at the sea of Tiberias to Peter and Thomas, and the other Disciples, when they were fishing (John 21).  He was seen by more than 500 members of the Church on the mountain in Galilee to which he had directed them.  After this he appeared to James was visibly seen by the rest of the apostles, at the time he was taken up into heaven (1 Cor 15, Acts 1).  At times he showed them his hands, his feet, and his side, and bade them touch him, that they should not take him for a ghost or a spirit. At others he ate with them.  Through all this, he told them of God’s everlasting Kingdom, and assured them of the truth of his resurrection.

 

You see, good Christian people, how necessary this Article of our faith is, seeing it was proven by Christ himself with such evident reasons and tokens, through so long a time and so many places.  Now therefore as our Savior was diligent to declare it to teach and comfort us, so let us be as ready to believe and accept it for our comfort and instruction.

 

Paul says Christ died not for himself alone, nor did he rise again for himself alone.  He died through our sins, and rose again for our justification (1 Cor 15).   Remember always this most comforting word:  He died to do away with sin, and rose again to endow us with his righteousness. His death took away sin and malediction, his death was the ransom of them both.  His death destroyed death, and overcame the devil, in whose power death lay.  His death destroyed hell, with all of Hell’s damnation. Thus is death swallowed up by Christ’s victory; thus is Hell ruined forever. If anyone has doubts of this victory, let Christ’s glorious resurrection declare it to them.  If death itself could not keep Christ under its dominion and power, his rising to life again manifests that death’s power was at an end.  If death be conquered, then must it follow that sin, whose wages it is, was also destroyed. If death and sin be vanished away, then is the devil’s tyranny vanished…  We must rejoice and boldly say with the Prophet Hosea and the Apostle Paul, “Where is thy dart, O death? Where is thy victory, O hell? Thanks be unto God, who has given us the victory by our Lord Christ Jesus.”

 

“Be of good courage,” says our Savior Christ, “for I have overcome the world, and all other enemies for you” (John 16). “Sin shall not have power over you, for you are now under grace,” says Saint Paul. “Though your power be weak, yet Christ is risen again to strengthen you in your battle, and his holy Spirit shall help your infirmities” (Romans 6.9, Romans 8.26).

 

In trust of his mercy, take it in hand to purge the old leaven of sin, that corrupts and sours the sweetness of our life before God, that you may be as new and fresh dough, without any sour leaven of wickedness, and show yourselves to be sweet bread that delights God (1 Cor 5).   Turn from and offer up all that takes you from God.  For Christ our Easter Lamb is offered up for us, to slay the power of sin, to deliver us from it, and to give us the example to die to sin in our lives. As the Hebrews ate their Passover lamb, and kept the feast in remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt: Even so let us keep our Easter feast in the thankful remembrance of Christ’s blessings, plentifully wrought for us by his resurrection and passing over to his Father.  Let us in like manner pass over from our old way of life, and, set free of its bondage, rise with Christ.   Let us keep the feast our whole life long, eating the bread of pure and godly life, and drinking in the truth of Christ’s teaching.  We thus shall be sure to rise hereafter to everlasting glory with him, to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all glory, thanksgiving, and praise, forever and ever.  Amen