The Story Doesn't Stop

I love stories. Some of my favorite childhood memories are set in my hometown’s local library, where I would load up on books to devour on long summer days. (Yes, I was a major nerd, thanks for asking.)

Now that I have five kids of my own, I spend far more time reading stories to them than I do working through the stacks of novels on my bedside table. And whether it is reading Cinderella to my preschool set or Around the World in 80 Days to my older kids, most great stories seem to follow the same basic outline. First, there’s an introduction to the main character and his or her world (meet Cinderella). Next up comes the main character’s problem (Cinderella’s family is unkind to her), and then a potential solution that holds the promise of happiness (a fairy godmother and a good-looking prince!) But then, just when you think things are going to end well, there’s a crisis that calls everything into question (the stroke of midnight!) Only at the end do we get the final resolution that makes sense of the crisis and assures the happiness of the main character (a duke with a glass slipper and a whole bunch of happily ever after!)

Now, imagine how badly it would mess up kids if we stopped reading all of their favorite stories before the end; if we left Cinderella an unmarried maid, forever looking back on her one night at the ball. Or if we left Harry Potter dead on the floor after Voldemort’s curse. Of course, sooner or later they’ll come across books without a happy ending—those adult novels where the ending is sad, clever, and leaves us desperate inside because there’s something in us that demands a happy ending in a book, even if we’ve learned not always to expect it in life. The most satisfying stories finish on a note of hope, with at least a hint of happiness.

Well, the story of the Bible is most certainly not a fairy tale. But with God as its author, it has all of the hallmarks of a great story. At the beginning we are introduced to the main character of God’s creation (humanity) and a serious problem (sin, rebellion and death). There’s a promising solution to the problem (God’s sent his very own Son), but then a terrible crisis that seems to undo everything (mankind crucified him!). It is only at that point that we see the final resolution that shows us the meaning of the cross and assures us that the story ends well for humanity: the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

For Christians, the story that makes sense of our lives doesn’t end with a suffering, crucified Savior. The cross is vitally important to our faith, but only because Jesus rose from the grave and ascended into heaven for us.

The resurrection matters. You know that already if you are a Christian; but do you know why it matters? Often, we can end up treating the resurrection as though it were God’s way of tying up the loose ends; the cross is where everything important happens, but then there’s a dead body that needs dealing with. Or we can be so busy trying to prove the resurrection really happened that we forget to be excited that it happened.

Of course, the cross is wonderful and foundational for our lives and human history. It’s why I wrote the book that this is the sequel for, Passion, about the events of the last 24 hours of Jesus’ earthly life; and (more importantly) it’s why we’ll spend eternity praising Jesus, the Lamb who was slain.

But the great thing is… there’s more. The story doesn’t stop at the wooden cross. It doesn’t stop at the empty tomb. In fact, what’s really amazing about this story is that it doesn’t end, and will never end. When I come to the end of a great novel, I am sad that I have to leave it behind. The characters I had come to love and the world that I had entered into is all gone (until the sequel!) But the story of Jesus doesn’t end. In many ways, it begins where it seemed to have ended—at his grave. The risen Jesus ascended into heaven and poured out his Spirit on his people so that we can live our lives in his resurrection power. At this moment, the joy and power of the resurrection, and its implications and impact are still being felt round the world, in millions of lives. It’s a story with a page being written right now; every Christian finds himself or herself in the middle of the greatest story ever, the story of God’s plan to save a people for his own glory. It’s a story that has no final chapter, that extends into eternity with God, because the great ending (death) gets its teeth kicked in on page one.

This book is fundamentally about God’s great What Happened Next; about his eternal Happy Ending. It is about the greatest story ever told, the story that is true, and the story that is (or could be) yours. If you are considering Christianity, I hope you’ll see how your life needs to become part of this great narrative. And if you are a Christian—whether you have been following the Risen Jesus for days or for decades—my prayer is that your hearts will be captivated by the story of what the Risen Jesus has done, is doing and will do, and that your life will be lived out in light of it.

This is an extract from The Resurrection in Your Life: How the living Christ changes your world.