So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
- Matthew 28:8-10
When Mary, Mary Magdalene and the other women came to the tomb with spices in the early morning of Resurrection Day, they were surprised to find the stone rolled away from the entrance. Entering the tomb and finding it empty, they were startled when an angel dressed in white told them Jesus was gone. He walked out of the tomb earlier on that morning. They were filled with great anticipation, but retained some skepticism which remained until they came upon Jesus and they ran to Him and fell at his feet with tears of joy.
Matthew's Gospel varie considerably from the others, but each has within it the same basic points, the ones that really count. After all, word of the day was based verbally and it would certainly be passed somewhat differently as it made the rounds. But the common elements of the return of Jesus, his being seen by others, and his meeting with His disciples are so important that they were not missed by any of the renditions. All four Gospels share a common purpose since they were written by men endowed with faith and the ability to discern. And the most important thing to remember is that they all say He returned from the dead and is alive.
To me personally, the reality of His death and resurrection, the consistency of those points in all of the Gospels, and the fact that He was seen and identified by so many others plays such a great part in giving us the ability to believe by faith that Jesus is Lord. And then, before leaving this world to go to heaven above, He made the promise to leave something behind to help us stay the course and see the Way. It was delivered directly to mankind in the form of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of God, who helps strengthen our resolve and live as the Savior asked.
So, on this special Sunday which we celebrate as Easter, we Christians should really look at it as Resurrection Day. It is the day that Jesus changed the world by opening humanity to salvation and eternal life. We all need to take time to worship and praise Him for the gift that he offers. He's already forgiven us, having done that the moment he died on the Cross. If we accept His offer and accept real life, we will gain true freedom as God intended, for we will be on the road to freedom from sin.
Jesus Christ is risen today. Hallelujah! He lives!
- Matthew 28:8-10
When Mary, Mary Magdalene and the other women came to the tomb with spices in the early morning of Resurrection Day, they were surprised to find the stone rolled away from the entrance. Entering the tomb and finding it empty, they were startled when an angel dressed in white told them Jesus was gone. He walked out of the tomb earlier on that morning. They were filled with great anticipation, but retained some skepticism which remained until they came upon Jesus and they ran to Him and fell at his feet with tears of joy.
Matthew's Gospel varie considerably from the others, but each has within it the same basic points, the ones that really count. After all, word of the day was based verbally and it would certainly be passed somewhat differently as it made the rounds. But the common elements of the return of Jesus, his being seen by others, and his meeting with His disciples are so important that they were not missed by any of the renditions. All four Gospels share a common purpose since they were written by men endowed with faith and the ability to discern. And the most important thing to remember is that they all say He returned from the dead and is alive.
To me personally, the reality of His death and resurrection, the consistency of those points in all of the Gospels, and the fact that He was seen and identified by so many others plays such a great part in giving us the ability to believe by faith that Jesus is Lord. And then, before leaving this world to go to heaven above, He made the promise to leave something behind to help us stay the course and see the Way. It was delivered directly to mankind in the form of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of God, who helps strengthen our resolve and live as the Savior asked.
So, on this special Sunday which we celebrate as Easter, we Christians should really look at it as Resurrection Day. It is the day that Jesus changed the world by opening humanity to salvation and eternal life. We all need to take time to worship and praise Him for the gift that he offers. He's already forgiven us, having done that the moment he died on the Cross. If we accept His offer and accept real life, we will gain true freedom as God intended, for we will be on the road to freedom from sin.
Jesus Christ is risen today. Hallelujah! He lives!
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