April 17 – Resurrection Sunday, Just As He Said

“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” Matthew 28:6 (NASB)

It’s today on Resurrection Day, or Easter that many observe this day. We remember the promise (John 16:16) Jesus gave to his disciples and also to us (John 17:20-21). The Bible records important messages which were delivered on the day Jesus arose from the dead.  Of these messages perhaps none are more important than this one in chapter 28:6. It is the message an angel gave to the two women who came looking for the body of Jesus. The angel, sent from heaven that morning, rolled away the stone so the tomb where Jesus had been buried would be open. We believe that the angel didn’t need to roll away the stone to let Jesus out. He was already gone. That was the news the angel told those women looking for Jesus. The stone was rolled away to let any seeking Jesus would see that He was gone, no longer in grave dead. What a wonderful message that is for us too.  The one who had died for us, was alive again and He is still living today as a part of our lives.  Jesus, the Son of God lives today, that’s a promise He made and keeps. 

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March 10 – Promises Not Heard

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”  - Mark 10:33-34  (NASB)

Sometimes we find a promise that has already been fulfilled. It was a prophetic promise in this verse that Jesus’ disciples did not understand. We're reminded as we approach the observance of Resurrection Sunday* which includes the whole week leading up to that day. Although the observance of Easter has been completely commercialized with Easter eggs, candy, and bunnies, faith believers observe the first day of the week because Christ was resurrected on the third day after his crucifixion which was the first day after the seventh - Sabbath. The promise Jesus gave to his disciples in our passage was multifold. He promised that He – the Son of Man – would be arrested, charged by the Jewish rulers, condemned to death by the Romans. It would include mocking, spitting, scourging, and death. Suffering would be followed by His resurrection. They missed that promise completely. But we can understand after the fact and still rejoice that Jesus promised His death and all his suffering lead to His resurrection. He provided for us new life in Himself. That is why we still rejoice in our Lord and Savior Jesus. We can remember this every Sunday, not only on Easter Sunday.*

Why do we call it Easter?

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April 1 – Resurrection Sunday, Just As He Said

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” Matthew 28:6 (NIV)

We have now come to Resurrection Day, or Easter as many observe this day. The Bible reports several important messages which were given on the day Jesus was raised from the dead.  None of these messages are more important than the one read today in the record by Matthew in chapter 28. It is the message given by an angel to the two women who came looking for the body of Jesus. The angel had come from heaven that morning and had rolled away the stone to open the tomb where Jesus had been buried.  We believe that the angel did not need to roll away the stone to let Jesus out. He was already gone and that was the message the angel would tell those who came to look for Jesus. What a wonderful message that is for us too.  The one who had died for us, lived again and He is still living today as a part of our lives.  Jesus, the Son of God lives today, that is a promise He made and keeps. 

March 19

“If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”  Luke 19:31 (NIV)

Jesus had given instructions to two of His disciples to get a colt for Him to ride on into Jerusalem. He told them to go into the village of Bethphage, find a colt and untie it, and he told them what to say to the owner. The owner heard the words and he allowed the disciples to take the colt. Jesus was able to carry out His plans and He did receive the praises of the people who welcomed Him to the city.  As we read the verse for today we are reminded that perhaps there is something that the Lord needs from us in order to carry out His plans. Will we cooperate? Let’s agree so that He may be glorified. 

[March 19, 2016 marks the 103 anniversary of the author Richard Anderson's birthday.]

March 18

“They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.”  Mark 10:32 (NIV)

Jesus was on his way from Jericho to Jerusalem. I am impressed by the difference in the attitude of Jesus and of His followers. His followers were afraid, no doubt thinking of His enemies in Jerusalem who were looking for a chance to get rid of Him. But what about Jesus? He was not afraid. He knew He had come to die for the sins of the world and He explained again to His disciples what would happen. Aren’t we glad that Jesus went all the way to the cross!

March 17

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV)

We know that God loves us. In these pre-Easter days we have vivid reminder of that love. We will be reminded of Christ’s death on the cross. We see pictures of the crucifixion, and we will be singing songs about the cross. How should all this affect us? Our verse today suggests to us that when we think of Jesus dying on the cross, suffering as He did, we should think of it as a demonstration of God’s great love for us. When we visualize the sufferings He endured, let’s think of how great God’s love is. Then worship Him and thank Him.