April 1, 2018 THE DAY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Mathew 28:5-6: “And the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come see the place where He was lying.’”
Early one morning, in their despair and grief, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary made their way to Jesus’s burial site. Little did they know that they were about to be the first witnesses to an event that would change the world and the course of history forever. We cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like-to see an angel sitting on the stone that had been rolled away from the tomb and then hearing the angel speak the eight world changing, life changing words-“He is not here, for He has risen.” For the disciples of Jesus, and for those who had believed in Him, and had forsaken all to follow Him, the crucifixion was without a doubt a crushing defeat of all their hopes and dreams and it surely spawned a feeling that following Jesus was all in vain. The angel, knowing the sense of grief, despair, and even the fear that was in their heart of the two women, told them that because they were looking for Jesus, not to be afraid. It was a most awesome moment for sure when the first wildest thought entered their mind-the possibility that Jesus really had risen from the dead??!! I am confident that the minds and emotions of these two women were flooded with questions, doubts, fears, and hope-all at the same time. Again, we can only try to imagine what it must have been like to be at that empty tomb early that morning. It’s difficult to get our mind around the impact and the consequences of Jesus being raised from the dead. First and foremost, it confirmed that God was pleased with His Son-that Jesus had accomplished the mission for which He was sent to Earth. Jesus’s resurrection meant that God had received the sacrifice that Jesus made for the sins of man; the sin issue was dealt with once for all. Now, man could be reconciled to God and enjoy a relationship with God without the blemish of sin. The resurrection meant that death was defeated-Satan’s mission to put an end to Jesus had utterly failed. To say that the resurrection flooded His followers with hope, would be the greatest understatement of all times. In the twinkling of an eye-the corpse of a man called Jesus was raised to life by the power of God-death was defeated, sin was forgiven, man’s relationship to God was restored, eternity with God became a reality, and all Jesus had taught was confirmed as the word of God. In our minds, let us visit the place where Jesus was buried and just as with the two Marys, let the wonder and the awe of the resurrection of Jesus our Savior, fill us to overflowing with joy and with worship, and with thanksgiving to God. The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest celebration of all celebrations for those who know Him as Lord. Let Romans 6:4 ring loud and clear in our hearts: “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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