Nike and the Resurrection

Matt. 27:50-54 cf. 1 John 5:1-5 & 1 Cor. 15:50-57

 

 

Jesus is alive – The nike is His.

 

Jesus is alive – He has niked death. 

 

Jesus is alive – and now we too, through Him, can nike both this world and death.

 

Like me, when most people hear the word Nike, they think of shoes. 

 

However in the days that Jesus walked the earth, when people heard the word nike, shoes never even crossed their minds.

 

Here is what people then would have thought:

 

Jesus is alive – The nike, the victory, is His.

 

Jesus is alive – He has niked, has conquered, death. 

 

Jesus is alive – and now we too, through Him, can nike, can overcome, both this world and death.

 

Biblically speaking the word Nike as a noun means victory and as verb means to be victorious, to conquer, to overcome.

 

And at the heart of all nikes in the Bible is the resurrection of Christ.  True nike has it’s roots in the resurrection of Jesus.

 

In order to more fully understand this, we must look at three events which took place before the resurrection; three events that serve as a foreshadowing of things to come. 

 

They are found in Matt. 27.  If you have your Bibles turn there with me and let’s read vs. 50-54.

 

 

Matthew 27:50-57 (NASB95)
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

 

The first event took place in the Temple.

 

This dates back to days of Moses.  Soon after the Israelites came out of the Egyptian bondage God commanded them to build the Tabernacle.  The most inner chamber of the Tabernacle was known as the Holy of Holies.  It was only in the Holy of Holies where intimate access to God existed.  Passage to this room was made through the Temple Veil.  Only one man was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies and this happened only once a year to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people.  Thus only one man, once a year had intimate access to God and only this man could experience intimate fellowship with God.  After the crucifixion, just prior to the resurrection, the temple veil was torn in two from top to bottom. 

 

The second event took place in the tombs.

 

First there was an earthquake, and then all of a sudden tombs were opened.  Keep in mind that tombs in those days were generally caves with large rocks covering the opening to the cave.  So many of the rocks were removed rendering the caves open and many bodies of the saints, followers of God, OT Believers if you will, came to life.  What I find a bit interesting is that we are told that they stayed in the tombs until after the resurrection.  So just prior to the resurrection Satan had to begin to realize that death was beginning to lose it’s grip on mankind.  Just prior to the resurrection, saint’s that were dead were raised to life.

 

The third event took place with a torturer.

 

We are told that the Centurion, literally the ruler of 100, made an interesting statement.  This man was the chief executioner.  He executed criminals for a living.  He had seen more than his fair share of them.  After overseeing and carrying out the execution of Jesus, he experienced the earthquake and learned of everything else that was happening.  He then proclaimed, referring to Jesus, truly this one was the Son of God.  In other words he believed Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God.  Just prior to the resurrection someone believed in Jesus for who He really is. 

 

As I mentioned earlier each of these are a foreshadowing of things to come as a result of the resurrection of Christ.

 

Without the resurrection, these would at best be interesting and bizarre events and at worst be completely meaningless. 

 

The great news is that Jesus came back to life.  There is the resurrection.

 

And with the resurrection comes Nike.  With the resurrection comes victory, overcoming, and conquering.

 

Let’s look at these in more detail beginning with victory and the believing centurion. 

 

He believed, stating surely this one was the Son of God.  This is a foreshadowing of a life that is changed through believing.

 

Turn with me in your Bible to 1 John 5 and let’s read vs. 1-5.

 

1 John 5:1-5 (NASB95)
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

What did we just read?  Our victory is our faith, believing.  Just as the centurion believed so too now all mankind can believe, anyone can believe that Jesus is the resurrected Christ, the Son of God, the Savior.  Our nike, our victory is believing that that Jesus is indeed the Savior.  If you are here this morning and you do not believe then this very morning you can believe you can have Nike in Jesus.  You do this by placing your faith in Jesus as your Savior; by believing that Jesus died and rose again to forgive your sins; by trusting in Him and Him alone to receive eternal life with Him and to become a child of God forever.

 

By believing we have victory. 

 

The nike, the victory is our faith.

 

1 John 5 also helps us to understand that the tearing of the temple veil is a foreshadowing of intimacy with Christ.

 

Remember we said that while the temple veil was in place only one man, only once a year could experience intimacy with God.  The veil, the barrier to intimacy with God is now removed.  The temple veil was torn in two from top to bottom representing God reaching down to man so that man could experience intimate fellowship with Him. 

 

One of the themes of 1 John is intimacy with Christ as opposed to intimacy with the world, referring to the world system – the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life.

 

In 1 John 5 we read about overcoming, or “nike-ing,” the world by obeying His commands.  In other words, we will either love the world and all it has to offer, having intimate fellowship with it, or we will love God and all He has to offer, having intimate fellowship with Him through loving Him and obeying His commands.  And this is made possible because the Temple Veil has been torn in two from top to bottom.

 

We can nike, we can overcome, the world and have intimate fellowship with God in Christ.

 

Finally let’s turn to 1 Cor. 15 to see what the empty tombs of the saints foreshadowed.  Let’s read 1 Cor 15:50-57

 

1 Corinthians 15:50-57 (NASB95)
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The dead will be raised; the perishable will become imperishable; the mortal will become immortal; death will be rendered no more.  Death will be fully conquered  How?  Thanks be to God who gives us nike, victory, through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

 

In other words, one day, not just many, as it was at the time of the resurrection of Jesus, but rather millions and millions of tombs are going to be emptied all around the world.  People from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue are going to rise from the dead, conquering death.  People from every corner of the earth are going to be given victory over death; which means if any of us here die before the Lord returns, then our grave too will one day be empty.  We too will conquer death.

 

Thanks be to God who gives us nike, victory, over death through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

 

This is what Easter is all about – the one empty tomb that started it all.  

 

Jesus is alive – and in Christ alone is the victory of believing.

 

Jesus is alive – and in Christ alone, we can overcome this world.

 

Jesus is alive – and in Christ alone is death conquered.   

 

Yes indeed Jesus is alive.