As it is meant to be, the Anastasis (Resurrection) icon of Greek Orthodoxy is a sermon in itself. Surprisingly, it portrays the rising of Jesus via images based on an event that might be ascribed to Holy Saturday, His descent into hell. Jesus stands upon the gates of hell, which have fallen into the shape of a cross. He extends His hands to lift Adam and Eve, the parents of humanity, from their graves. On the Lord’s right above Adam we see David and Solomon with John the Baptist looking on. On Christ’s left above Eve are likely Adam’s and Eve’s son Abel as a shepherd, Moses, and perhaps Elijah.
What we see at the bottom is fascinating. Beneath Jesus’ feet and the Cross, we see the dark depths of hell, in which are scattered keys, links of chain, and broken locks, symbolizing the breaking of the bondage of sin which held humanity. The bound figure at the bottom represents Satan or Death. I incline toward the latter interpretation because in our lectionary epistle text for this Easter Sunday, I Corinthians 15:19-26, the final verse tells us, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
We had lessons from I Corinthians 15 in the weeks just before Lent. Now on Easter Sunday we return to Paul’s great argument for the authenticity of the bodily resurrection of Christ and for our own hope that our bodies will be raised, as we repeat regularly in the Apostles’ Creed. For Easter, the reading of verse 19 pulls in the conclusion of the great reductio ad absurdum by which Paul proves the Resurrection and then counters it with his marvelous celebration of Jesus’ victory over the powers which subject us to death.
Social media has transformed democratic politics into a process of identifying enemies and then galvanizing a following into action against them. The result has been a polarization which feels almost impossible to overcome, as those with different views are constantly portrayed as evil opponents. The only thing which seems to break through that image of each other as enemies is yet another enemy we may construe as common to us all. That’s the role Vladimir Putin and the Russian war on Ukraine seems to be currently playing.
Yet Paul reminds us that the focus of the Gospel is on our conflict and Christ’s victory over greater enemies, ones truly common to us all. Sin, death, and the devil are common names for these foes. Verse 24 looks toward their final defeat “when he [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to God, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and every power.” Verse 26 tells us the last of these to be conquered is death. That’s because, despite the fact that Christ has conquered death, its power and its effects still remain very much among us.
Let us then focus on our common enemy, coming down firmly on the side of our Lord and of life. Being on that side crosses current political boundaries. It means both opposition to abortion and opposition to the proliferation of guns. It means supporting just policing which protects the innocent as well as supporting that which brings housing, food, health care and every sort of life-giving aid to as many people as possible.
In the meantime, we wait for the completion of the victory. So I’ve added verses 54-57 of I Corinthians 15 to the reading for Sunday. Paul looks forward to the day when:
the saying that is written will be fulfilled:
Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
On Easter we remember the victory over “the last enemy” already won and the victory yet to come. And we also pray verse 57, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”