Happy Easter! While you’re rushing around this morning to get ready for church and bake the ham, try to imagine what it must have been like for the disciples and friends of Jesus to encounter him, walking around in a living body. We can imagine their level of surprise, but the truth is that they shouldn’t have been!
All four of the Gospels record Jesus predicting his death and his resurrection!
Four times in Matthew (16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 26:32)
Four times in Mark (8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34; 14:28)
Three times in Luke (9:22; 18:33; 24:6-7)
Once in John (2:19-22)
When the Gospels were finally written, the disciples were not cast in a very positive light. How could they have heard Jesus make such an incredible claim and then been surprised and devastated by his death?
We can’t be too hard on the guys, because we do the same thing all the time. As Christians, we believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ. A dead Messiah is no Messiah at all. The resurrection of Christ seals our hope for the future resurrection of our own bodies and spirits, and it casts a bright glow of hope over every facet of our lives. So I wonder:
If Jesus rose from the dead, can he help you with your temper?
If he accurately predicted his own death and resurrection, can he rescue your marriage?
If Jesus could return to life in an imperishable body, is there anything he cannot do?
If we hold the resurrection to our hearts as a core belief, can we doubt his power?
If Jesus rose from the dead, can he help you with your temper? If he accurately predicted his own death and resurrection, can he rescue your marriage? If he could return to life in an imperishable body, is there anything he cannot do?
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Like the disciples, we have Jesus’s words, assuring us of very specific truths offering comfort, reassurance, and hope:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
“I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26).
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, we affirm a theological truth, but we also embrace a set of beliefs that directly impact the way we live, the choices we make, and even the thoughts we entertain.
Jesus is risen!
He is risen, indeed!
Let’s live like people who have a risen Savior!
Holding You in the Light,
As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, we affirm a theological truth, but we also embrace a set of beliefs that directly impact the way we live, the choices we make, and even the thoughts we entertain.
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A wonderful post to see this morning, Happy Easter! ~ Rosie
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