Easter Morning – (He is Risen, Indeed)
We trust that you will find these devotions helpful on your spiritual walk with Christ. Please meditate on the Scripture passages, understand the story in context, then reflect on how this story relates to your life today. May God bless you this Easter season.
SCRIPTURE: Read Luke 24:1-12
SUMMARY: On the first day of the week, at dawn, several women, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, come to the tomb where Jesus was laid. They bring spices to anoint his body.
Upon arrival, they find the stone rolled away from the tomb entrance. When they enter, they do not find Jesus’ body.
Suddenly, two men in dazzling clothes appear beside them. The women are frightened, but the men ask them why they seek the living among the dead, reminding them of Jesus’ prediction that he would rise after three days.
Remembering Jesus’ words, the women return from the tomb and report everything to the eleven apostles and other disciples. However, the disciples find their words as idle tales, and they do not believe them.
Peter, however, gets up and runs to the tomb. He sees the linen cloths lying by themselves and goes away marveling at what had happened.
This passage marks the discovery of the empty tomb by the women and the initial disbelief of the disciples regarding Jesus’ resurrection, setting the stage for the events that will lead to the confirmation of Jesus’ resurrection appearances.
STORY: The women were seeking Jesus but he was not to be found in the tomb (Luke 24:23).
SELF-EXAMINATION: At times we discover Jesus in the unlikeliest of places. For me, I discovered Jesus was already at work on the mission field, I did not bring him to the Zambian people. In a darkened hospital room, God can bring hope to the hurting during their darkest of times. At the AA meeting, God can be found in the midst of a bunch of alcoholics seeking freedom, healing, and redemption.
How often do we seek Jesus and he appears nowhere to be found. At times we feel like God is playing a cosmic hide-and-seek game. It can be devastating. If you have ever been in that dark place, you know what I’m saying.
- When life was falling apart, you finally went to church and attended worship, but you can’t sense God’s presence.
- When you get that unexpected, devastating diagnosis, and it seems that God is so distant, like he doesn’t even care. At worst, we doubt God’s love for us. At best, we feel that he’s dropped the ball.
- When there is a death in the family, especially when it is unexpected and it happens to someone young, our loss can be life-shattering.
- When there is relational conflict and you wonder why God does not seem close or interested enough to bringing healing to your marriage. Knowing that marriage is the mysterious picture of the relationship of Christ to his church, but for you, this relationship seems to be falling apart.
- When your kids walk away from the Lord, knowing they have been guided their whole life in the ways of Jesus. Knowing their free will allows them to reject what they have been taught, but also knowing that Jesus loves them way more than any parents ever could.
- You pray for healing or help and the prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. We can feel so alone and discouraged.
- Where is God when life hurts?
In today’s story, these women went to the tomb expecting to find Jesus, and he’s gone, nowhere to be found. The joy of resurrection Sunday has not yet invaded their morning, so they were perplexed and grieved, and maybe a little angry that someone messed with the body of their rabbi. We all know the story, they will encounter Jesus soon enough, but we often find ourselves feeling alone in the dark.
SOUL-SEARCHING: Other times, we can’t get to Jesus because of the people around him, like in Mark 2:4, the lame man and his four friends can’t get to Jesus. The text tells us, it was “because of the crowd.” Imagine the scene. The people around Jesus (in our context, maybe we can call these people who are in the way, believers). They are preventing outsiders in need of Jesus from coming near to the source of their healing and salvation. People far from God are held at a distance.
- Can it be possible for US to be the ones preventing seekers from getting close to Jesus?
- What barriers may be present in our church or personal lives that keep people from finding Christ?
- As you reflect today, ask yourself, “Is it me?” Do I create a barrier that prohibits people from getting close to Jesus?
- Do people see my faults, attitudes, prejudices, lifestyle, worldliness, and say “no thanks” to Jesus?
- Do people know about my language, stories, jokes, or my political views more than they recognize Jesus in me?
When people are seeking Jesus, may God allow me to help them to find Jesus without distraction. Lord Jesus, please don’t let US get in the way of people finding you. Let’s not make it hard for people to come to faith in Jesus (Acts 15:19).