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Jn. 1:35–51, Acts 2:22–36
Christ is Risen!
Today’s Gospel reading speaks of the Lord’s first disciples, and the reading from the Acts of the Apostles about how they first went out to preach. There were a little more than three years between these two events. That whole time, the Apostles were inseparable from Christ. They heard and saw much, and were themselves vouchsafed the grace of God to heal the sick and cast out demons. But still, it can’t be said that they noticeably changed during these three years. They were constantly having doubts, perplexities, misunderstandings, and arguments—and in the final chapters, even fear, cowardice, and renunciation.
But a few more days passed and the disciples boldly went out into the streets to preach about Christ before a crowd of thousands. They were different people. They didn’t look back, weren’t afraid of any threats or suffering. They considered death as nothing. What happened in those few days? What happened was what the services of Holy Week and the following bright days are dedicated to. The Master was condemned, killed, and buried, and suddenly, on the third day, He appeared resurrected! And not like the son of the widow of Nain or like Lazarus, who received but a temporary reprieve. Christ is risen, never to die again. He appeared in a new, spiritual body that nothing can harm anymore.
Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, the Apostles undoubtedly believed in their own coming resurrection. They were delivered from the fear of death that had enslaved them. They went out to the whole world, proclaiming that This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses (Acts 2:32). For the Apostles, Christ is truly risen, and therefore they truly changed. That’s why people believed them and responded: “Christ is Risen indeed!”
And when we say: “Christ is Risen!” we hear in response: “If He’s truly risen, then how come you don’t live according to His commandments?” We say: “Christ is Risen!” and they respond: “If He’s truly risen, then why do you experience such immense sorrow at the death of loved ones?” We say: “Christ is Risen!” and they say: “If He’s truly risen, then why are you no less attached to earthly, perishable things, to the comforts of life, to material things than us?” And we have no answer. We show ourselves as liars before men, because we proclaim the greatest event while we ourselves live as though it never happened.
Bishop Theophan the Recluse writes: “The word of the angel: ‘Go and proclaim to the world,’ (Hypakoe of Pascha) means that we must live in such a way that our life would be a single message: ‘Christ is Risen!’ And so that in looking at you, all people might be able to say: ‘Indeed He is Risen’ because He clearly lives in His followers.”
Christ is Risen!
