| LUKE 24:1–8, ESV:“On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.’ And they remembered his words.” |
By X. WANG: “When I first heard the concept of resurrection, I found it hard to accept. I could believe that Jesus was a great and good man, that Jesus had great power—even the power to calm the storm—and that Jesus’ teaching was truth. Yet the claim that “Jesus rose from the dead” was truly difficult to believe. I did not want to see Jesus suffer; every time I thought of Jesus dying on the cross, my heart ached. And of course, I myself did not want to die either. Deep down, I longed for a world where resurrection exists, but it seemed like nothing more than a beautiful fantasy. In the realm of imagination, I was willing to accept the possibility of resurrection—it brought comfort. But in the cruelty of reality, resurrection simply did not work. It was not just me. Faced with Jesus’ resurrection, even those who had followed Him were equally bewildered. Among those who deeply loved Jesus and grieved His death, not a single one expected resurrection to become reality. They would rather weep in the sorrow of Jesus’ death than believe He had truly risen. The women came to the tomb and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus—the tomb was empty. While they were puzzling over this, the angel reminded them: Jesus has risen! The angel called them to remember the words Jesus had spoken many times, foretelling how He would die and rise again. God’s word is the most reliable explanation and the most certain evidence for the event of Jesus’ resurrection—for God’s word will surely be fulfilled. When the women remembered Jesus’ words, the ‘dawn’ in their lives truly arrived. Resurrection is not a concept the church created out of wishful thinking for its own comfort. On the contrary, it is precisely because of the fact of Jesus’ resurrection that the church came into being. In the world we live in, what you and I can see is heaven and earth, life and death. Yet when you fix your eyes on the risen Jesus, He has brought resurrection life—eternal life—from heaven down to earth. May God open our eyes to see clearly what is truly real. Death is not the end. We really do have resurrection.” |
| R E F L E C T I O NThe fact that Jesus rose from the dead reveals that those who have died will truly rise again. How does this fact affect your brief life in the present?P R AY E RFather, we thank You. For Your Son Jesus Christ died for us and conquered death on our behalf. The Lord Jesus has risen! There really is resurrection in this world. May Your word continually renew us, so that we may rejoice because of the fact of Your resurrection. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray, Amen! |