ARISEN!

A few years ago, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of King’s College at the University of Aberdeen (King’s is in the background—the building with a crown atop it), award-winning Scottish sculptor Kenny Hunter was commissioned to do a piece. Youth with a Split Apple it is called; it now adorns the campus of our fair alma mater.

Supposedly, the work represents one of the fundamental poses of the human form in classic art—the reclining figure. It has, however, always reminded me of someone just waking up, heavy lidded and drowsy. (The raucous cackle of gulls in coastal Aberdeen is enough to wake anyone up, even a bronze artifact!)

And the sculpture base looks, to me, suspiciously like a coffin. And, yes, this reclining youth does hold a “split apple,” though for the life of me I can’t figure out what he is doing with a split fruit in that rather awkward horizontal, somnolent position.

Maybe Mr. Hunter was thinking of Adam and apples, and death and burial, and about waking up some day. If he had actually been ruminating about such serious matters, he’d have been on the right track theologically.

While the “wages of sin” is, indeed, death, …

… the free gift of God
is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

In other words, there is hope for those of us—all of humanity—stricken with the terminal disease of sin. The price of sin has been paid, fully and finally.

… He [Jesus Christ] Himself
bore our sins in His body
on the cross,
so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness;
for by His wounds
you were healed.
1 Peter 2:24

Thus, for believers who have placed their trust in Christ for salvation, there is no more “death.”

Jesus said …,
“I am the resurrection
and the life;
he who believes in Me
will live even if he dies,
and everyone who lives
and believes in Me
will never die.”
John 11:25–26

This death that believers in Christ escape is, of course, not physical death—part of the curse we are afflicted with, after that deplorable affair of a bitten “apple” long time ago. The life that Jesus promises is eternal life in the presence of God after our days here on earth. In fact, that this will happen is so certain that Paul calls the death of believers “sleep.” They will wake up!

For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again,
even so God will bring
with Him those who
have fallen asleep in Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4:14

And all of this is guaranteed by the resurrection of the Lord who died for us.

… now Christ has been
raised from the dead ….
For since by a man came death,
by a man also came
the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
so also in Christ
all will be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:20–22

One man started it all. One Man will end it all. Indeed, He already has! The victory has been won!

Christ, the Lord, is risen today,
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Love’s redeeming work is done,
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King,
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save,
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led,
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise,
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Charles Wesley, 1739

Happy Easter!