If you read this on Resurrection Sunday, you are probably already exchanging traditional hopeful affirmations with other followers: “He is resurrected!” And they replied, “He is truly rising!”
The apostle Paul clearly declared the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death as an essential element of our faith.
Humans have questions. The Bible Provides Evidence
It is typical for natural men and women to question existential events. The angels of the tomb declared to the first female disciples who arrived. “He is not here! He is raised from the dead! Remember what he said to you in Galilee, that the son of a man must be betrayed by the hand of a sinful man and be crucified, and he will rise again on the third day” (Luke 24:6-7).
While our Lord’s holy life and compensatory death on the cross of Calvary is our means of forgiveness and justification in God’s view, his resurrection from death proves that the Father has fully and fully accepted these salvation events. Through spiritual union with the risen Lord, we can become “complete in Him” (see Colonel 2:10).
Jesus appeared to his disciples
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Very early in the Sunday morning resurrection, our female disciples of the Lord (Luke 24:10) came to the tomb with burial spices, which they were ready to wrap in the cloth around our Lord’s body. They were worried about how a huge stone would be rolled through the entrance to the borrowed tomb. However, when they arrived at the tomb, they discovered that the angel of the Lord had already “rolled a stone and sat on it” (Matt. 28:2).
The angel announced that Jesus had risen, invited them to look inside the tomb, and to see where his body was lying (Matt. 28:5-6). The women ran out of the tomb, “fearing, but full of great joy” (Matt 28:8), and rushed to report this to the other disciples. However, Luke pointed out that the other disciples thought the story “sounded like nonsense… so they didn’t believe it” (Luke 24:11).
Then, on that special resurrection Sunday, Jesus suddenly appeared to two of his followers as he was walking from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. He came with them and he questioned their deep arguments as they did not recognize him. They told him “Jesus of Nazareth,” who was like a prophet.
These followers of Emmaus explained how Jesus of Nazareth was unfairly tested and crucified by the Roman authorities three days ago. Some of his followers were in his grave earlier that morning, finding his body missing. The angels told these women that Jesus was alive!
Jesus criticized these disciples for finding incredibly hard work. He quoted passages from the works of Moses and all the prophets, explaining what all the Bible said about themselves (Luke 24:25-27). Then, after he ate with them, he drank a little bread, blessed it, and broke it in front of them. “All of a sudden their eyes were opened, and they recognized him,” just before he disappeared (Luke 24:31).
These two followers of Emmaus returned to Jerusalem and informed “the 11 disciples and others who gathered together” (Luke 24:33b) what happened while Jesus was standing there! They were still “standing in disbelief” when he invited them to look at their hands and feet, but “full of joy and wonder” (Luke 24:41a).
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Jesus “opened their hearts to understand the Bible.” Jesus promised, “We will send the Holy Spirit, as the Father promised.” But he urged him to stay in Jerusalem. “Until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with heavenly power” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5, 2:1-47).
Jesus seemed to “suspicion” Thomas
Thomas was one of the disciples chosen to be with our Lord in his short ministry, and not with the others when Jesus came to them on the night of his resurrection (John 20:19, 24-29). He doubted they had actually seen Jesus. Thomas said, “Unless the wound on his nails is seen in his hand, and he puts his finger in, and the wound on his side, I will not believe it” (John 20:25b).
But eight days later, when the 11 disciples were together again, Jesus appeared with them behind the locked door and said, “There is peace with you.” He speaks directly to Thomas, saying, “Set your fingers here and look at my hand, and put your hands in the wounds on my side. Don’t be dishonest anymore, trust me!” (John 20:27).
Belief is the beginning of spiritual faith and is essential to our salvation. Paul told the Romans:
Rejoice in the song of redemption and resurrection
The apostle Paul encouraged Ephesians to “sing poems, hymns, and spiritual songs among themselves, and make music primarily in their hearts” (Ephesians 5:19). Using these musical forms to express the Bible themes of redness and resurrection can capture the essence of our Christian faith, discipline our devotion, and release the joys and hopes of a true resurrection life. {eoa}
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Gary Curtis served for 27 years as a member of the idyllic staff of the church, the first Four Square church in Van Nuis, California. Since resigning to Worshipontheway.wordpress.com, he has been blogging. Gary and his wife live in Southern California, with two married daughters and five grandchildren.
