Jesus Christ Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed! Praise God!
The tomb couldn’t hold Jesus. Jesus Christ is God, and He is risen indeed. Christians believe in the risen Christ who promises, “Because I live, you shall live also.” (John 14:19 and John 11:25). Good Friday and Easter Sunday are at the heart of our Christian faith. I recount the resurrection of Jesus from the dead from Matthew 28:1-10.
281Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.’”
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the wife of Clopas and the sister of the mother of Jesus, seeing the empty tomb, were afraid yet filled with joy. They were conflicted; it was a gigantic event to take in. They were thrilled if Jesus was alive from the dead but afraid to believe in such a miraculous miracle. How wonderful that in their struggle to know the truth, they met Jesus, who they could see with their eyes and hold his feet in their hands as they bowed down in worship before him. The dead Jesus of Friday was alive again on Sunday, the first day of the Jewish week.
In Acts 10:38- 43, 38 Peter confirms, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who God had chosen as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” A blessed Easter to you.
