The Resurrection

[Luke 24:1-8] “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.'" Then they remembered his words.”

Jesus had said He would be raised. This was well known by many people. Think about what it really meant when on the third day He came to life again. It showed that He was telling the truth; He was the Son of God. It meant His death was much more than just a human dying. He was giving his life for the sins of all mankind (Romans 6:20). His resurrection brought joy to His disciples (John 20:20).

What would this mean to those who had cried out “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”? They could now know that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. They should know that God was working in all of the things which Jesus had been doing during His life. They had been wrong about who Jesus was; they had sinned (Acts 2:22-41). “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true – even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:18-21).

What would it mean to the Gentiles? In the resurrection was the proof that He was God’s Son and the Savior of the world. The idols which the Gentiles had been worshiping were not God and did not represent any divine being. It meant that the worship of these was vain. Paul expressed this to the people of Lystra, and saying, “...Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them...” (Acts 14:8-18).

What does it mean to us today? For me it means that God has shown His great love for all, and this includes me. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). By faith, I can have salvation from sin. For some His resurrection has no meaning at all because they refuse to accept it as fact. They refuse to really consider all the evidence which God has given. “...God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished...” (Romans 3:21-26). I pray that you will accept the fact of His resurrection; live according to His teaching and see an eternal home in heaven.