The Church: Body of the Risen Lord

Jesus died, but He also rose from the dead. He was persecuted, but He was triumphant. He was rejected, but was also received by many. He suffered pain, yet He was given incorruptible body. He experienced shame, yet He is now glorified. He died a lowly death in the cross, yet He is now exalted in the heavenly realms. The church is the body of the risen Lord. What does this entail for the church?

A look at what happened to the disciples when Jesus died will give a good contrast. When Jesus died, the disciples were like “Oh man! We chose the wrong side!” The Jewish leaders were like “Hihihihihi! We have won!” The disciples were absolutely devastated. They have invested three years of their lives following the rabbi called Jesus, fully trusting that He is the Messiah the whole nation of Israel has been waiting for. They have left their businesses and occupation. They left their families. And now that Jesus is dead, there was nothing waiting for them but the same shame and treatment that Jesus received.

Of course they were completely distraught. Here are some of the things that happened to them:

1. The disciples were scattered. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, the only disciple mentioned to be nearby was John (John 19:16). This is because when Jesus was being arrested at the Garden of Gethsemane, “everyone deserted him and fled,” including a disciple who ran naked, leaving his garments behind (Mark 14:50-52).
2. The disciples went to hiding: “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders” (John 20:19). They were hiding their identity. If Peter denied Jesus Christ three times, the rest of the disciples were now making sure that nobody recognized them. They were so afraid of the religious leaders. Of course, why would they want to be identified with a convicted criminal who was merciless tortured and crucified? This is true about the church today. We act as if Christ is still dead and defeated. We do not want to be identified as a Christian to others because of fear. We wear our t-shirts with godly inscriptions only when we go to church and church-related gatherings. Like the disciples, we meet together and gather in order to hide from the world. We hide our Christian identity within the confines of our homes and the sanctuary. We gather in order to strengthen each other while being afraid of the authorities of the world that challenge our faith.
3. The disciples became idle. In John 21:2-3, at least they already stepped out of the upper room. Seven disciples were together once again, doing nothing. The fact that they were doing nothing is significant, because we must remember that even before Jesus died, they were commissioned to visit villages to minister to the people’s needs (Matt 10:1). In fact, they were so busy that at one point, “they did not even have a chance to eat” (Mark 6:31). But when Jesus died, they abandoned their mission and started to do nothing. Not only this, but Peter seemed to want to go back to his old profession as fisherman and the others followed his lead (John 21:3), when they should be fishing for men (Matt 4:19). They have forgotten their mission.

Like the disciples, the church sometimes is sometimes acting as if Jesus Christ is still in the tomb. We are afraid. We are idle. We gather only to go back to our old patterns of living. No wonder why the world is witnessing a lot of churches closing down, declining in membership, or are just barely surviving.

The church is not meant to be the body of the buried Christ.

There is a parody of the hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers,” and I like this parody because this is the national anthem of many churches today:

Backward Christian soldiers, fleeing from the fight, 
With the cross of Jesus, nearly out of sight. 
Christ our rightful master stands against the foe 
Onward into battle, we seem afraid to go.

Like a mighty turtle moves the church of God. 
Brothers we are treading, where we’ve often trod. 
We are much divided, many bodies we, 
Having different doctrines, but not much charity.

Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, 
But the cross of Jesus hidden does remain. 
Gates of hell should never ‘gainst the Church prevail, 
We have Christ’s own promise, but we think it might fail.

Sit here then ye people, join our sleeping throng. 
Blend with ours, your voices in a feeble song. 
Blessings, ease and comfort - ask from Christ the King, 
With our modern thinking, we won’t do a thing.

This hymn is the hymn of the body of the buried Christ. But Christ is no longer buried. He is risen from the dead. He is alive.

The resurrection changed the lives of the disciples. They were no longer afraid of death because they know that life awaits at the end. They have found the true meaning of life. They became bold, aggressive, and full of joy. The finest illustration would be Peter. He denied Jesus to a lowly girl, but after the resurrection, he stood in the temple courts defying those who were responsible for Jesus’ death (Acts 4:20). In Acts 2:22-32, Peter preached about the resurrection in the same city where Jesus died. Many were even eye-witnesses of his death. And such a tragic tale was just two months ago, and for sure, the discussions have not died out yet. Peter was addressing people who were very interested about it. In the crowds were probably the same people who shouted “Crucify!” and religious leaders who were responsible in the death of Christ. Yet Peter stood up.

What happened to Peter? The resurrection of Jesus Christ gave him lots of courage. Here are the things he said in his sermon to the Jerusalem crowd:

1. “God raised him from the dead… It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (2:24). Basically, he was saying that because God is involved, no human activity can ever triumph over him. It does not matter what humans invent or seem to achieve. Human plans and schemes do not work on Him. Human situations are irrelevant. Humanity’s greatest weapon to threaten other humans—death—does not work. Paul wrote, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31).
2. David prophesied about it happening, and once it is said, it will happen (Acts 2:25-28). God is faithful to accomplish what He said He would do. The people knew that once a prophet has spoken, it is as good as done. God’s promises will be fulfilled. This was affirmed by the Israelites: “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses” (1 Kings 8:56).
3. Jesus is “the author of life” (Acts 3:14-15). John said that “in Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Jesus affirmed the same (John 5:26-29; 11:25; 14:6). There is power in the resurrection. There is power in life.

Here is the good news: “If we have been united with Jesus in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Rom 6:5). Just as we share in the suffering and death of Christ, we will also share in the victory of his resurrection. The Church is the body of the crucified Christ, but it is also the body of the risen and victorious Christ. The church is not only a suffering church; it is also the church of the risen and triumphant Lord! Our participation as a church in the death and resurrection of Christ is revealed in the words of Paul: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil 3:10).

But what is “the power of the resurrection?”  

It is interesting that the Greek word used for “power” in Philippians 3:10 is the same word used in the promise of Jesus to the disciples in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power (dunamin) when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” It seems that the coming of the Spirit is crucial in receiving the power of the resurrection. And this is just proper, for it is through the Spirit that Jesus Himself was raised from the dead: “He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit” (1 Pet 3:18).

The Spirit who gave life to a lifeless lump of clay will also give the church life. The Spirit who made an army out of dry bones will also empower the church for its mission. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (1 Peter 3:18) will also raise the church from its slumber. The church is not a tomb. Christians are not meant to lie and rot in a tomb. Just as Christ rose from the dead, the church is called to rise from its death and slumber. The church is the body of the risen Christ!

The Church: Body of the Crucified Christ

If I were to look at the life of Christ, I would not want to be in His shoes. John summarized His life pretty well: “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him” (John 1:9-10). From his birth to his resurrection, he experienced rejection:

• He was denied a decent place to be born in Bethlehem by inn keepers (Luke 2:17)
• He was intended to be killed by the ruler King Herod (Matt 2:16)
• He was belittled by reflective thinkers like Nathaniel (John 1:45-46)
• He was rejected by His religious leaders (Mark 11:27-12:17)
• He was disowned by His own town mates (Luke 14:14-30)
• He was the subject of suspicion by the masses (Mark 5:17)
• He was deserted by His other disciples (John 6:66)
• He was denied by His closest friend Peter (John 18:15-27)
• He was doubted by His own disciple (John 20:24-29)
• He was the subject of conspiracy by the chief priests (Matt 28:11-15)

Worst of all, He was so hated by many that he ended by being murdered.

The Persecuted Church

The night before he died, he had a serious conversation with His disciples, and some are these words:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ (John 15:18-25).

These are not very encouraging words. They are extremely gloomy words. But the fact is clearly stated by Jesus: His followers will be rejected and persecuted, just as He experienced the same. In other words, if the church is the body of Christ, then just as the head experienced suffering at the hands of the world, so should the body expect the same. This is what it means for the church to be the body of the crucified Christ. John said, “Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13).

Truly, just as Jesus said, the church has always been under persecution. The beginning of radical persecution that even led to brutal murders started in AD 40, during the reign of Emperor Nero. Historians report that during his reign, Christians were used as human torches to light Rome. Christians were fed to wild animals. They were burned alive. They were beheaded, if they were Roman citizens. They became entertainment at the arena. They were stripped naked and displayed for the world to see and mock. They suffered shame and death, just like Jesus did. Some of the disciples died brutally. Peter was crucified upside-down in AD67/68. James son of Zebedee was put to death by Herod Agrippa in AD44. John brother of James died at Patmos as an exile between AD89-120. Andrew is reported to have been crucified at Achaia.

Up until today, the church still suffers at the hands of the world. Rejection, persecution, and mockery come from religious communities (e.g. Islam), from atheists (e.g. Dawkins, etc.), and from immorals (e.g. LGBT community). And just like Jesus Christ and the Christians of the early church, Christians today suffer shame and death.

For the Sake of Others

We have all decided to follow Jesus, and hopefully there is no turning back from such a commitment. Jesus Christ did not turn back from His commitment to us, although it has cost Him everything. Christ embraced the cross for the sake of others and the world. Such is also the challenge for us. We endure pain and shame not because we are masochists, but because we are thinking of others. But in particular, we are thinking of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not flee from the cross, but accepted it. The church must be the same. Just as Christ was crucified for the world, the church is also called to take up the cross for the world. Just as the suffering of Christ leads to the salvation of humanity, our sacrificial suffering can lead others to Christ. The paradox of the Christian experience is that even our suffering can be used by God as a testimony to Him. Luke writes:  “They will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And so you will bear testimony to me” (Luke 21:12-13). 

In fact, suffering for Christ is an integral part of our being witnesses. This is particularly highlighted in Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The Greek word used for “witnesses” is martyrion, where we get the English word “martyr” today. So, literally, Jesus is saying: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my martyrs in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Two things are important here: First, our witness involves being martyrs. Being a martyr might mean different for us today, but in the NT era, this meant being killed publicly. Our witness as Christians is tied to our willingness to accept suffering, pain, and shame. Secondly, we need the Holy Spirit to empower us. On our own, we are incapable of rising above ourselves and our instinct to steer away from pain and humiliation. We are creatures of self-preservation, and apart from God’s empowerment, we will always be “me-people.” It is only when we are able to look beyond ourselves, our own needs, our comfort, even our lives that we are able to truly accept our calling as witnesses of Christ.

It is probably just coincidence, but it seems that being witnesses/martyrs of Christ really involve persecution. The call of Acts 1:8 is to be martyrs in Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth; Acts 8:1 later says, “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1).

I am not saying that we must be persecuted in order to become witnesses. But a wholehearted acceptance of possible persecution and suffering is what’s important. According to John Piper, “comfort and ease and affluence and prosperity and safety and freedom often cause a tremendous inertia in the church.” The church must be careful in investing a lot of its efforts and resources for the sake of providing comfortable and relaxing worship experience, because it might produce Christians who are self-centered, apathetic, and pre-occupied with security and comfort. In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). John Piper once said: “Persecution can have harmful effects on the church. But prosperity, it seems, is even more devastating to the mission to which God calls us.”

There is power in suffering. In fact, we are saved precisely by the suffering of another human being for us. The forgiveness of our sins is grounded in the sacrificial suffering of Christ. That is the power of the cross. Paul writes: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

The church is the body of the crucified Christ. It is through the cross that we are forgiven. It is also through carrying our crosses that other people are saved. Jesus did not shy away from the cross in order to save humanity. The church must not shy away from its cross in order to be the means of saving others. 

The Church: Body of the Incarnate Son

Filipinos love taking pictures or have their pictures taken. At almost every wedding or birthday I have attended, there will always be a photo booth. In many of these booths, head gears and face masks are available. We can pick one or two of these gears and wear them and take our wacky shots. The problem is that our formal attires are also visible in the photos. This means that our heads or faces do not really match with our bodies. There is a disconnection between our wacky heads and our formal bodies. Our heads do not match our bodies, basically. This disconnection between the head and the body is a problem that the church experiences. The Bible is clear that the church is the body of Christ (Rom 12:4-5; 1 Cor 12:12-31; Eph 4:11-13; Col 1:24), we are members of the body (Eph 5:29-30), and that Jesus is the head of the body (Col 1:18; Eph 4:15-16; 5:23).

The church has many designations in the Bible, including “the house of God” (1 Tim 3:15), “household of God” (Eph 2:19), “household of faith” (Gal 6:10), but for me, the church must be understood primarily in relationship to Jesus Christ. This time, we will deal with the church as the body of the incarnate Christ.    

In our dealing with the world, we are challenged to represent Jesus Christ with who we are and what we have. The Filipino ventriloquist Ruther Urquia talks about how we can be a blessing with what we already have. We do not need to be someone else or desire to be someone else. We just need to look at what we have in our hands or bags, and use them to reach people to Christ. There is an absolute truth to this. This is a model exemplified by Moses with his staff, by David and his slingshot, and Paul with the perks of being an educated Roman citizen.

But Christ takes another and more extreme road: He becomes what He was not just to redeem us. The glorious mystery of the incarnation is that God became what He is not. And when He became human, He made Himself vulnerable to all our human experiences of pain, sorrow, even death. The word incarnate comes from two Latin words: in carne, which means “in the flesh.” John 1:14 writes: “The Word became flesh.” In order to save humanity, He became like one of us. He was human like us in every way (Heb 4:15). He went through all of human experience. He hungered and thirsted. He experienced pain. He ate our food. He sat in the grass. He slept on floors and boats. He walked with people. He came to people’s homes. He ate with people. He socialized with the outcast. Jesus did not build His ministry around the Temple or around a physical location. He came to the masses. He went to the lost to serve them.

The church is the body of Christ whose presence in the world must be modeled in the incarnation of the Son. The church is the body of Christ, whose members should imitate Jesus Christ in His willingness to be who they are not yet just to be able to reach others. The church is a spiritual reality incarnated within space and time, meeting the needs of the world. The church empathizes with its audience. The church goes where the people are in their situation.

This is called incarnational ministry. This can mean two things: (1) being better than who we are now, and (2) stooping down to the level of others. So if the former, the questions are: what are our self-conceived inefficiencies? How can we overcome them? How can you be equipped? If it is the latter, the questions are: What should I give up in order to serve? What hinders me from reaching people of lower positions?

When we are not able either to overcome our weaknesses or humble ourselves, then we become passive. If the church is the body of the One who made Himself in the flesh, then the body herself must be visible, tangible, and active. It cannot be that the head of the body is fighting and the body is hiding. It cannot be that the head of the body is incarnate and the body remains “spiritual.” That is a scary picture.

The church is the body of the incarnate Son, and in the same way that Jesus made himself available to the needy, the sick, and the unrighteous, the church must make herself present in the world for the sake of others. According to William Temple, “the church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members.” The hand is not only there to feed our own mouths. Our arms are not there so we can embrace ourselves. Our tongues are not there so we can speak to ourselves. Our feet are not created just so we can walk only within the church. We exist not for our own sakes and for our mutual benefit. It is true that it is important for us to huddle up together, but at the end of the day, the church must also realize that it is the body of the One who makes Himself available to the world.