Lenten Series
Resurrection Sunday | Sunday, March 31st
Matthew 28:1-10
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
A few years ago I became fixated on the word “hope” in the New Testament. I did a word study, looking up every verse with the word hope in it. I made a startling discovery. Only rarely as in Romans 15:24 when Paul says, “ I hope to see you in passing when I go to Spain” does the word refer to a wish, the way we often use the word. In all the other passages the word hope is tied to the resurrection of Jesus and the fact that His resurrection guarantees our resurrection. It is sometimes expressed as the hope of glory. This hope is more than a wish, it is a certainty based on a fact. Because of His resurrection we know how this life will shake out, we know the rest of the story. In the words of the writer to the Hebrews, this hope is an anchor to our souls. We can stand over the grave of our loved one knowing we have the hope of resurrection. We grieve yet not as those who have no hope. We can be steady and sure in the face of tribulation and trials in this life because we have this hope. This hope transforms us.
This is why Resurrection Sunday is so important. We last saw the disciples on Good Friday scattered to the wind, cowering and afraid of the Jewish and Roman authorities. They feared they might be the next one to be arrested and hung on a cross. Their leader had been totally humiliated, mocked and debased. They had no hope when the sun went down on Friday evening.
But that Sunday morning something happened. God had His say. Jesus was resurrected. God the Father reversed the course of history that morning. In my imagination Jesus didn’t slowly come back to life, He was blasted out of the grave into resurrected life. Maybe His resurrection caused that violent earthquake we are told about in Matthew. In the words of the angel to Mary Magdalene the other and Mary, “He is not here, He is risen. Come and see the place where He lay.” Those rag-tag disciples were transformed by His game changing resurrection. Their lives were marked with hope from here on out. They will go out in boldness sharing the Gospel, giving their very lives for the Lord.
And so our final Lenten assignment is to rejoice. Celebrate. Take the time out of your routine life to mark this day of all days. He is risen! Gather with friends and family if you can. It’s the day to rejoice. Celebrate and have hope.
This is why Resurrection Sunday is so important. We last saw the disciples on Good Friday scattered to the wind, cowering and afraid of the Jewish and Roman authorities. They feared they might be the next one to be arrested and hung on a cross. Their leader had been totally humiliated, mocked and debased. They had no hope when the sun went down on Friday evening.
But that Sunday morning something happened. God had His say. Jesus was resurrected. God the Father reversed the course of history that morning. In my imagination Jesus didn’t slowly come back to life, He was blasted out of the grave into resurrected life. Maybe His resurrection caused that violent earthquake we are told about in Matthew. In the words of the angel to Mary Magdalene the other and Mary, “He is not here, He is risen. Come and see the place where He lay.” Those rag-tag disciples were transformed by His game changing resurrection. Their lives were marked with hope from here on out. They will go out in boldness sharing the Gospel, giving their very lives for the Lord.
And so our final Lenten assignment is to rejoice. Celebrate. Take the time out of your routine life to mark this day of all days. He is risen! Gather with friends and family if you can. It’s the day to rejoice. Celebrate and have hope.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You that You have the final say over death. You accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and you stamped it with your approval of resurrection. May the truth of His resurrection be the anchor of our souls. Help us to view our lives through the lens of His resurrection. May we have the certainty of the glory to come. May we celebrate and have hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Thank You that You have the final say over death. You accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and you stamped it with your approval of resurrection. May the truth of His resurrection be the anchor of our souls. Help us to view our lives through the lens of His resurrection. May we have the certainty of the glory to come. May we celebrate and have hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen