Lest We Forget - Lesson 6, He’s Alive

he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews 1:3b-4

   Quick recap of verses 1-3a: The writer, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, reminds us that God spoke directly to people, then Jesus spoke directly to people, and while the method of doing so may be different, we continue to hear him today. He goes on to explain that Jesus did not just come into being when he took on human form, he has always been. Next the writer addresses the power contained in God and Jesus’ words. That’s so important because it’s that power which gives us strength, guidance, and hope. But the ultimate benefit of the power of his word, and his sacrifice is forgiveness. A cleansing, a making of us whole, a purification that can’t be found any other way but in Christ Jesus. While all of that is amazing, it is incomplete, and only valid for a point in time, unless Christ Jesus is still alive, and still offering forgiveness.  Welcome to the rest of the story.

   If you did a quick search on the internet for, “Where are the religious founders buried” you will find a Wikipedia page providing a summary. Interestingly, you will read that the body of Mohammed is buried in Medina, Saudi Arabia; Buddha was cremated and his ashes were divided among his followers; Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of Mormonism, is buried in the Smith Family Cemetery in Nauvoo, Illinois, and the list goes on. That is until you read about Christianity and the article simply states where you can find relics from his time on earth…but not where you can find his body. To put that into context, Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Wikipedia has millions of contributors yet none of those people nor any other source can point to where we can find Jesus’ body. Why? Because as our scripture for today clearly states, there isn’t one.

   To understand the relevance of our verse for today we need only to look at the Greek verb parsing of the first three words, He Sat Down. 

   Greek verb parsing provides a much deeper understanding of what the writer was conveying when he penned the words we are reading.

Parsing has five components which breakdown how the verb functions.

Tense - Indicates when something is happening

• Present - Happing now

• Imperfect - Ongoing in the past

• Future - Will happen in the future

• Aorist - Single completed action in the past

• Perfect - Completed in the past with a continuing impact

• Pluperfect - Completed before another past event

• Future Perfect - Will be completed before another future event

Mood - Indicates if the action is real, hypothetical, of a directive (command)

• Indicative - Real

• Subjunctive - Hypothetical

• Imperative - A command

Voice - Indicates who is performing the action

• Active - The subject is performing the action

• Middle - The subject is performing and experiencing the action

• Passive - The subject is being acted upon

Person - Subject of the verb

• 1st - Refers to the one speaking

• 2nd - Refers to the person(s) being addressed

• 3rd - Someone other then the speaker being addressed

Number - Refers to the quantity

• Singular - One

• Plural - Multiple

• Dual - Two

Regarding our verse for today, the term Sat Down has the Greek Parsing: V-AIA-3S.

Part of Speech...............V - Verb

Tense.............................A - Aorist

Mood..............................I - Indicative

Voice..............................A - Active

Person...........................3 - Third Person

Number..........................S - Singular

   Therefore, the writer is indicating that, He Sat Down refers to a completed event in the past, which is a real event, and that Jesus himself performed the event.

   Why that’s important is because it means Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high which is why there isn’t a body to be found. It also means he is alive still. Which means we can talk with him through prayer, it means he can be a part of our lives today, and it means we follow a living savior who is who he said he is, God. And who can do what he said he can do, forgive, heal, comfort, and encourage.

   It’s what separates Jesus as the true God and sets Christianity apart from every other religion in the world. Christianity is the only religion that follows a living savior rather than a dead and buried teacher, prophet, etc.

   Unlike the claim in the 1931 film Frankenstein where the Dr. Henry Frankenstein proclaims, “It’s alive,” we should be proclaiming from the mountaintops and to everyone we know…

He's Alive, Jesus is Alive!