The One with Passion Lives!
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? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.‘” Luke 24:1-7
It is great to celebrate Easter! Today is marked in history as a time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has risen! No event is greater than the resurrection, although the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the ministry of Jesus are equally important but without the resurrection our faith would be futile. The resurrection sets Jesus apart from all the prophets and teachers. Our faith rests on the power of the resurrection as evidence of the truth claims of Jesus. The resurrection signifies the victory of God over Satan, good over evil, life over death, angels over demons, purity over sin, and forgiveness over condemnation.
How do we know the resurrection occurred? A significant fact to consider is the empty tomb. Why was the tomb empty? The Jews and Romans feared the followers of Jesus would remove the body so they stationed armed soldiers to guard the tomb. When the women arrived early Sunday morning at the grave to pay their respects the tomb was empty. The soldiers had gone into town to report the empty tomb and fabricate a story with the leaders regarding the missing body which continues to this day. The disciples thought the body had been stolen by the Jewish leaders or the Romans when they initially witnessed the empty tomb. Two angels reminded Jesus’ followers of his prophecy regarding his passion. He had told them repeatedly that he had to go to Jerusalem, suffer, be crucified and on the third day, rise from the dead. Unfortunately, the disciples did not have the faith to go to the tomb expecting to see the risen Lord. Without faith we only seek natural answers to the significant questions in life.
Have you seen Jesus our Lord? Another significant fact supporting the resurrection of Jesus is the personal witnesses. In John 20, Jesus reveals himself to Mary, the ten disciples in the upper room, and then to Thomas. The record of these appearances provides insight to the meaning and significance of the resurrection for us today. The resurrection brings fellowship, forgiveness and faith. Mary weeps and cries over losing her teacher. She grieves over losing fellowship with Jesus. She seeks to find the body of Jesus. Mistaking Jesus for the gardener, she asks him about the missing body. What irony! Why did she not recognize the one she had set out to visit? Faithlessness not only does not allow us to see truth but it also blinds us. Have your ever searched for something only to discover the missing object right before your very eyes? I have played this game of lost and found more times than I want to admit. What blinds us from the obvious? Spiritually, a lack of faith will hide the truth from our view. Thank God he helps us in our search. Mary recognized the Lord when he said her name. The Lord knows our names. The Lord often speaks our name. Maybe to see the Lord we need to hear him first. The disciples did not hear the prophecy about his resurrection. Have you been listening to God? John’s gospel records the way to believe. “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20: 30-31) Jesus told Mary not to hold on to him because he was just passing through this life on his way to heaven. He tells her that she needs to proclaim the good news about the opportunity for eternal fellowship with God because of the resurrection. “Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.‘” (John 20:17) Through the resurrection of Jesus we have the hope of heaven.
Jesus showed himself to the disciples hiding in fear in the upper room. He blessed them with peace, purpose, and power. “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’” (John 20:21-23) He gave them his peace and his mission with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Our purpose is to share the good news of forgiveness of sins through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our mission is accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit our fear can paralyze us to remain hidden behind locked doors. The breath of God empowers us to share forgiveness with condemned sinners. Easter should renew our peace in the presence of our resurrected Lord. The resurrection announces our purpose to forgive sins. We are gifted with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. I pray the celebrating of Easter will raise up many fearful Christians to go out and share forgiveness.
Thomas was hurt by the death of Jesus. He lost his faith and his passion as the blood of Jesus flowed from Calvary. He rejected the testimony of the other disciples. Doubting Thomas demanded personal proof of the resurrection before he would believe. The Lord presented himself to Thomas and blessed him with peace and proof. “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” (John 20:26-29) The blessing for each of us this Easter is faith. If we believe the scriptures regarding the resurrection of Jesus we will understand the empty tomb. As we peer into the tomb this Lord’s day we can see through the eyes of faith our risen Lord. Like Mary our crying can cease as we look forward to eternal fellowship with Jesus in heaven. Or like the disciples we can come out of our rooms of fear with the purpose of forgiving sins with the power of the Holy Spirit. What if you have lost faith like Thomas? The empty tomb is still empty and the words of Jesus have been fulfilled so we can believe. Stop doubting and believe! The Lord is alive and he sits at the right hand of his God and our God, his Father and our Father in heaven. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29b)
