Have a
blessed Resurrection Sunday 2014!
Hosea
6:1-3| King James
Version (KJV)
1 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
1 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us; on the
third day he will restore us that we may live in his presence.
3 Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press
on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come
to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
Luke
24: 1-12| King James
Version (KJV)
24 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.
24 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.
2 They found the stone rolled away from the
tomb,
3 but when they entered, they did not find
the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were wondering about this,
suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
5 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?
6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember
how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:
7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to
the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”
8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they
told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the
mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.
11 But they did not believe the women,
because their words seemed to them like nonsense.
12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the
tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went
away, wondering to himself what had happened.
This very
important event that has changed our destiny forever, is widely celebrated once
a year in a well-known holiday called “Easter”. Let’s take a moment and unravel
each piece of this story, just in case it’s your first time discovering it!
Scenario: Three
days ago, Jesus was crucified on a cross. He took on the sins of the entire
world. He gave up the ghost and said, “It is finished”.
Joseph of
Arimathea received special permission from Governor Pilate to “handle” Jesus’
body. He took him off the cross and wrapped him, according to the Jewish
tradition, and placed him in his own tomb. Jesus hadn’t purchased a tomb for
himself, so this was truly a borrowed tomb, as it belonged to Joseph of
Arimathea.
One thing
that is not written in today’s lesson, but is interesting, is the reaction of
the priests and guards. The guards who were appointed by the priests fainted
when the stone was rolled away and Jesus came gloriously from the tomb. They
were terrified and ran. The priests found them and paid them to say that the
disciples stole Jesus’ body from the tomb. Find out more in Matthew 28:11-15.
So now,
we see that three days have passed and a dead body would have begun decomposing
by now. The ladies of faith go down with their perfume to care for the body and
to show respect to Jesus. Only, when they get there, they get the surprise of
their lives! Jesus isn't there! Angels appeared and asked them, “Why are you
looking for Jesus amongst the dead? He said He’d be raised on the 3rd
day? Don’t you remember?
Side note: The angels had to remind
the women of something that Jesus said over and over again to His followers, “I
will die, but rise again in three days; the temple will be destroyed, but
rebuilt in three days…” Whenever he predicted his death, he always added…life
again in three days. The women remembered, once the angels pointed it out to
them. This is important to note because even one of Jesus’ disciples, Thomas,
was super skeptical and had to have iron-clad proof to really believe the
miracle of the resurrection. That’s okay. Our God can handle all levels of
faith!
All of
the ladies with Mary Magdalene, Joanna, James’ mom, go to the bretheren to
share the news. These men thought that the women were confused or possibly mistaken.
But, it must have been convincing enough to make Peter and John and a few
others go down to the tomb to check it out for themselves.
Side note: I love this! Sometimes,
hear good news isn’t good enough. Experiencing it for yourself is always best!
So many times, we live in what “Mama said…” and “Grandma said…” when they tell
us God is good, God is a healer, He’s a mind regulator, He’s a heart-fixer…Get
excited enough to run to Jesus yourself and experience all of His goodness and
heart-riches first hand!
John
20:5-7 declares that John got to the tomb, bent down and looked in. He couldn't believe it! But, Peter had to do more than look, he went in! He saw the burial clothes in the shape of the body it used to hold, the head wrapping was still
molded that of Christ, but He was not there.
Are you
living in expectation? God has laced the pages of the Bible with practical
instructions on how we should live our lives and the blessings that await us,
based upon our level of discipleship and obedience. If he says, “Tithes and I’ll
pour you out a blessing.” What should you expect? If he says, “Pray and fast to
overcome habits”. What should you expect? If he says, “Go tarry until I fill
you with the Holy Ghost”. What should you expect? The disciples didn't have what
we have today, the Holy Ghost living within us. They took some time to really
grasp the level of faith the Jesus was pushing them towards, but we have no
excuse.
He said
he would rise in three days, and He did! Now, you and I have a right to the
Tree of Life! We have an inheritance amongst those who are sanctified. We have
a new home, over in Zion! We are living to live again! What did you expect?
