The Significance of Jesus' Resurrection for Humans and the World

Christian faith is born out of two foundational experi­- ences: “This Jesus of Nazareth is Lord and God” and "This Jesus was dead but rose again”. The Christian faith-experience of God in Jesus Christ begins with the encounter of the first apostles and other disciples with Jesus as alive after he was crucified, died and was buried.This existential encounter transformed their en­- tire lives that they began to experience God, other humans and the world in a way hitherto unknown to them. In the beginning they had no categories to articulate who Jesus was and what was his new mode of existence. Since they shared with their co-reli­- gionists the hope for an eschatological resurrection of all believ­- ers they interpreted their unique experience of Jesus as alive af­ ter his death as resurrection. In their encounter with Jesus they realized that he is the beginning and the end of their lives, the absolute meaning of their lives and, therefore, their Lord and God. In his resurrection they recognized the beginning and guarantee of the resurrection of all and the transformation of all things. Jesus’ resurrection revealed that he is the Alpha and the Omega of the entire creation. The authors show that the resurrection of Jesus gives us an insight into the mystery of God, humans and the world. It demands from humans take responsibility for the world and that they confront structures and systems that attempt to thwart the actualization of the effects of resurrection for the entire hu­- manity and for entire creation