Resurrection Hope

the Jewish Seder is a yearly family ritual to celebrate the passover.

the passover is the culmination of the 10th plague recorded in Exodus resulting in the liberation of the Hebrews from the Egyptians.

While there is clear symbology in the exodus story regarding the blood of the lamb covering those who would then be passed over by the angel of death (symbolizing judgement) there is more …

the last supper Jesus celebrated with his disciples was a passover meal

what many do not know , is in a passover meal , there are three pieces of matzah bread

the matzah is unleavened, it has holes in it , and stripes on it’s side

one of the three pieces is called an aficomen 

after the first cup of wine (of sactification) the second piece of bread is broken

then hidden in the afikomen bag and not taken out again until close to the end of the meal

(and the children are instructed to look for it during the seder)

once hidden, 

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.

(We praise You, Adonai, Sovereign of Life, Who brings forth bread from the earth.)

food reminding them of the bondage is then eaten.

a second cup for the plagues

a hard boiled egg (for the pharaohs hard heart)

then the main meal (chicken, fruit, eggs, more matzah

then the hidden matzah, the messiah who was hidden, is brought forth and eaten

then the third cup of redemption

This cup is the cup of Elijah the Prophet. Elijah did not die, but was taken up to heaven alive in a mighty

wind riding a fiery chariot. The Jewish people everywhere hoped that Elijah would

come at Passover to announce the coming of the Messiah. The extra cup also reminds us to pray those

who still seek the Messiah who waits longingly for them. The empty chair reminds us that there are still

those who cannot celebrate as free people. We pray that someday soon all may freely rejoice in the

majesty of God everywhere in the world.

 (During this part of the Passover service, Jews look for the literal fulfillment of Malachi 4:5 where God

promises to send Elijah (the prophet) to announce the coming of the Lord. The empty place at the table,

and the wine goblet are set and waiting for Elijah. On some Passover night, Elijah is expected to enter,

take his seat, drink his cup and say , “Well, the waiting is over. The Messiah has come!”  )

just before the third cup is drunk, a child is sent to the door to look for Elijah 

(when the child says no, Elijah’s cup , set separately , is left alone)

it is believed that Jesus may have used this cup when he talked about His body and Blood to his disciples

(fulfilling the anticipated waiting for the messiah)

Remember Godʼs promise, “You will be my people and I will be your God” (Ex. 6:7)? Now letʼs fill our

cups for the fourth and last time and give thanks to our great God.

ALL: (Repeat after each verse)

(R) Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.

Give thanks to the Lord, God of all creation. (R)

Give thanks to Him who saved Israel from slavery in Egypt. (R)

Give thanks to Him who saves us from slavery to sin. (R)

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.

(We praise You, Adonai, Sovereign of Life, Who brings forth bread from the earth.)

let us take the bread (the broken body of our Lord in whose death we find life)

let us take the wind (the spilled blood of our Lord which pays for our sins)

the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah is woven through the seder

(the yearly passover meal)

The Jews stand out among the nations of the earth because of their hope placed in the messiah

their redeemer.

Hope holds people up, it holds them together to endure anything as long as their hope is secure

Peter reminds us in his second epistle to have an “answer ready to explain the hope that is within us… “  1 Pet 3:15

The interesting question is 

When is the last time someone actually asked us to explain that Hope? 

 Whatever this hope is, Peter clearly assumes that people will see enough of it in us and our behavior or our words to ask about it.

If no one is asking us about this evident and unusual hope that is supposed to be so obvious:

• maybe we are not revealing our hope sufficiently
• maybe we are not hoping sufficiently
• perhaps we are hoping for the wrong thing or things?

What am I, what are we to hope for? 

• That my car gets me home from work 
• that my supper taste better than the previous night, 
• that next year I’ll have more money to contribute to my 401(k) for retirement? 

These are not bad things but are they things to hope for that would make other people ask and trigger peters writing to have an answer ready?

in other words, it’s supposed to be a hope that they don’t currently understand or we would not need an explanation for it

No one would expect me to explain why I want to put my money in my 401(k) the answer was obvious just like want to my car to get me home just like hoping I have a good meal these things are all self-explanatory 

now the thing we are hope for, is something which is beyond natural understanding, something which requires an explanation to be ready for it

What does scripture say about this different hope?

hope (130x)  G1680 (54x)

[NIV Greek]

1828   [1680]   ἐλπίς, elpis, .expectation

the thing hoped for changes the value, the power of that hope

Luke 23:8 ¶ Now Herod was overjoyed when he saw Jesus; for ^ahe had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some ¹sign performed by Him.

Herod does not know if what he is hoping for will take place

Acts 16:19 ¶ But when her masters saw that their hope of ^aprofit was suddenly gone, they seized ^bPaul and Silas and ^cdragged them into the marketplace before the authorities,

anticipated profit did not happen

Acts 24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that ^amoney would be given to him by Paul; therefore he also used to send for him quite often and talk with him.

he did not get the bribe he hoped for

Acts 23:6 ¶ But Paul, perceiving that one group were ^aSadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in ^bthe ¹Council, “^2cBrothers, ^dI am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for ^ethe hope and resurrection of the dead!”

all dead are to be resurrected (after life)

Acts 24:15 having a hope in God, which ^athese men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

he says it again here, all are resurrected, righteous and wicked

Eph. 1:18 I pray that ^athe eyes of your heart ¹may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the ^bhope of His ^ccalling, what are ^dthe riches of the glory of ^eHis inheritance in ^fthe ²saints,

but the righteous are resurrected to an afterlife of inheritenance from God

So we are not wishing or hoping that something “might take place” 

we are looking forward to that something that will take place and  just waiting for the actual timing of the fulfillment of this promised thing.

we would not have this hope except for the resurrection.

The earliest creeds in christendom focused upon three primary facts about Jesus:

1. Deity
2. Death
3. Defeat over Death (Resurrection)

of all three, christianity is known as the only resurrection religion in the world

his deity “He claimed it”

his death “he paid it”

his resurrection “he proved it”

The resurrection of our Lord is supposed to give us hope, confirm that our hope is accurately placed and focused

the resurrection of Jesus is Him saying “I told you so”

Our hope has very little to do with our “camping trip” down here in this present age 

Our hope looks forward to spending eternity with our Lord, wherever He is, in perfected bodies and minds that are capable of perfect sinless fellowship with Him and each other.

the teachings of Jesus speak of:

• entering into the joy of the master
• a marriage supper
• mansions
• streets paved with gold
• no tears or sorrow
• ruling with Him
• new earth where lions lay with lambs
• freedom from sin
• glorified body and minds
• seeing our Lord as He is because we will be like Him

these are not mere possibilities

the are certain promises that true believers will enjoy for all eternity.

that is the hope spoken of for believers to hold to, the hope that we are supposed to have an answer ready for

2Cor. 3:12 ¶ ^aTherefore, having such a hope, ^bwe use great boldness in our speech,

have you every noticed that the most common prayer request (the thing most desired by Paul) was for him to have boldness to share this hope ?

parresia

2Cor. 3:12 ¶ ^aTherefore, having such a hope, ^bwe use great boldness in our speech,

parresia

2Cor. 10:1 ¶ Now ^aI, Paul, myself ^burge you by the ^cmeekness and gentleness of Christ—I who ^dam ¹meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!

tharreo

2Cor. 10:2 I ask that ^awhen I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I intend to be courageous against ^bsome, who regard us as if we walked ^caccording to the flesh.

tharreo

2Cor. 11:21 To my ^ashame I must say that we have been ^bweak by comparison. ¶  But in whatever respect anyone else ^cis bold—I am ^dspeaking in foolishness—I too am bold.

tolmao

Eph. 3:12 in whom we have boldness and ^1aconfident ^baccess through faith ²in Him.

parresia

Eph. 6:19 and ^apray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me ^bin the opening of my mouth, to make known with ^cboldness ^dthe mystery of the gospel,

parresia

Phil. 1:20 according to my ^aeager expectation and ^bhope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with ^call boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be ^dexalted in my body, ^ewhether by life or by death.

parresia

1Th. 2:2 but after we had already suffered and been ^atreated abusively in ^bPhilippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God ^cto speak to you the ^dgospel of God ¹amid much ^2eopposition.

parresia

BOLD

The translators of the NIV and the NASB disagree on where to use this English word and its cognates (such as “boldness” and “embolden”). Yet each group of translators draws from one of three Greek words when selecting “bold” as a rendering

• tharreo = confidence
• parresia = frankness
• tolmao = courageous

Each Greek word shares a common cluster of meanings and is translated in the NIV and the NASB in a number of ways: confidence, courage, openness, boldness, and outspoken frankness. The rendering used depends on the sense of the passage and the translators’ judgment of what best expresses the meaning of the original.

without the His resurrection, there is no foundation to be bold about

without eager anticipation of our resurrection, there is no hope for another to ask about (for us to explain)

for me, the resurrection means:

• no death or pain
• no sin clouding my mind and heart
• knowing Jesus as He is (enjoying true fellowship with my Lord (who IS eternal life)

the resurrection means “knowing God” as He is because we will be as we were meant to be from the beginning.

That is a hope worth dying for because it’s a hope worth living for.