He Is Risen Pt 2

All was still. Light crept over the horizon. Sabbath had finally drawn to a close. Two women tiptoed through deserted streets into a garden outside the city wall. The weekend hours had passed slowly as they waited to anoint their beloved Rabbi’s body with spices where He lay in the garden tomb. Suddenly, an earthquake shook the ground. An angel, radiant with light, appeared before them. He rolled away the massive stone blocking the tomb’s entrance, breaking the seals put there by Roman soldiers. Sitting on top of the stone, he addressed the women:

“…Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you” (Matthew 28:5-7).

As the women joyfully ran to obey the angel’s admonition, they bumped into someone unexpected: Jesus, the Rabbi Himself! They fell to their knees and worshipped their Teacher, their Messiah, their Savior.

Jesus came “…to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). “…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Christ carried the burden of our sin for us, dying in our place (II Corinthians 5:21). He conquered death (I Corinthians 15:55), “and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (II Timothy 1:10). He lives, and through His sacrifice, we can, too (John 10:10).

The women who found the tomb empty that profound morning two thousand years ago responded with joy, obedience, and worship. As we continue to celebrate the Resurrection, let’s respond in the same way as the two women.

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” Psalm 95:1-6
HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

To read the complete Resurrection story, please see:
Matthew 28:1-20
Mark 16:1-20
Luke 24:1-53
John 20:1-31