Tucked away in Paul’s glorious description of the saving grace of Christ in Ephesians 2 is a phrase that appears only this once in all of his letters: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”
The “great love” of God for us. Polys Agape. That word “great” is used four times in John’s Gospel to describe the vast crowds that Jesus encountered. At Easter, we often associate the love of God with the death of Christ (rightly so), but rarely speak of the resurrection – and our resurrection with Christ – as being evidence of God’s love. But the risen Jesus, resplendent in power, majesty and authority, is the radiant glory of the great love of God.
In John 20 and 21, we read of a series of surprising encounters with the risen, loving Jesus. That first Easter Sunday, where the stone, the watch, the seal were all in vain, Jesus makes some surprising decisions. He has crushed the head of the serpent, burst out of the grave, ascended from the dead. He can say with certainty that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him. The hands that bore the wounds now hold the sceptre of the universe. He has fulfilled the Scriptures and is declared to be the Son of God. Surely, as He strode out of the tomb, He would go to overthrow the seats of authority. The list of retribution is a long one. Pontius Pilate. King Herod. Caiaphas the High Priest. The soldiers who had crucified Him. All within a few short miles of Jesus – within hours He could be holding any of these figures to account for the evil crimes they had committed. Indeed, journeying to Rome itself and forcing Caesar from his borrowed throne would not be impossible.
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