“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?’”
– Luke 24:1-5
He is Risen! What an awesome truth we celebrate today! Though the road to the cross was dark and filled with pain, and His death was bloody and horrible, the Lord’s resurrection overcame it all! Naturally, when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb to tend to the body of Jesus and found the stone that had barricaded His grave rolled away, they were not immediately elated, but were instead terrified. After so much pain, agony, and darkness, the last thing they expected was to meet an angel who would bring them good news. At best, in the midst of their grief, they may have hoped to have a peaceful time of remembrance at His grave. And yet, in a manner consistent with the magnitude of His transforming and redeeming power, the Lord came back to life! He left the tomb empty, left His grave clothes in a pile, and met the two women on the road to share the news with them Himself. After years of false accusations and attacks by the Pharisees (not to mention the awful process leading up to His death), Jesus overcome it all and forever brought new hope to the suffering of humankind. Though there had been good times and special moments along the road of His human journey, nothing compared to the moment He defeated sin and darkness forever — something only a divine Savior could have done! Friend, though many chapters of your life are tainted by trials and pain as a result of the fall of humanity into sin, remember that new life is already yours! Despite the fact that you can’t see it yet, your troubles have been redeemed and the fullness of that completion can be revealed at any moment. Story after story has been written about the long and arduous journey to redemption. In fact, it’s why fairytales are primarily concerned with the battle of good vs. evil and the process by which goodness wins. Once the war is over, “happily ever after” comes quickly and carries with it the assumption of infinity — this is your story in Jesus. Where there is no battle, there is no soul — the bigger the obstacle, the greater the triumph. Your reward is waiting for you on the other side of His cross; receive it today and live in the reality of a resurrected world! |
Prayer
Jesus, I am thankful for your sudden resurrection and for how it completely resurrects me. No matter what I endure, I know that you have redeemed it.
Reflection
Have you allowed Jesus to resurrect your life? If not, will you receive His gift of salvation today through His finished work on the cross?
