Resurrection Misgivings
My church for Palm Sunday did a musical drama which portrayed Jesus' passion week. The main act was, of course, the crucifixion scene. The scene, not unlike that in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, was drawn out and bloody. In contrast, the resurrection scene was quick and rather vague. I doubt that those who were not already acquainted with the gospel story would have even understood what had happened to Jesus in that scene. Like much of Christianity today, my church's play forced the resurrection of Jesus to the peripheral and made the cross the true center of the gospel.
But this should not be the case. The cross and the resurrection are integral to one another. The cross has no meaning apart from Christ's resurrection. Yes, it is true that Jesus death on the cross was for "our sins" (cf 1 Cor. 15:1, 2), but it is equally true that Jesus was "raised for our justification" (Rom 4:25). Too many believers today tend to glorify the cross to the extent that the resurrection becomes void of meaning. These believers serve and worship a crucified savior instead of the Risen Lord.
