What Really Happened on Easter?
Thursday, April 15, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving your creation—including me, even though we rejected Your Son, Jesus, and caused Him to have to die on the cross. The resurrection is such a powerful reminder to me, of Your great power, but I never want to forget that the cross is such a powerful reminder of your justice and love. Thank You for sending Jesus to satisfy Your justice, and opening the door anew to receive Your love! Fill me with Your Holy Spirit right now, that I may live that love in joy and faithfulness. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God's Word For Me Today
Matthew 28:1-15
1Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to see the tomb. 2Suddenly there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. 3His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.
5Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7And now, go quickly and tell his disciples he has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember, I have told you.”
8The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to find the disciples to give them the angel’s message. 9And as they went, Jesus met them. “Greetings!” he said. And they ran to him, held his feet, and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”
11As the women were on their way into the city, some of the men who had been guarding the tomb went to the leading priests and told them what had happened. 12A meeting of all the religious leaders was called, and they decided to bribe the soldiers. 13They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you and everything will be all right.” 15So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.
Reflecting on God's Word
Why do you think a person may decide not to accept that Jesus truly rose from the dead?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word
What do we learn about angels from today’s Scripture? (28:1-7)
From the Scripture what must have been different about Jesus after his resurrection? (28:8-10)
Understanding God's Purpose
Why do you suppose that God sent an angel to announce Jesus’ resurrection, instead of just having Jesus do it?
Why do you suppose that Jesus needed to tell the women, “Don’t be afraid!”
Applying God's Word to Our Lives
What aspect of the women’s faith, or of the angel’s command, do you need to apply in your life?
Thoughts...Frightened AND Filled with Joy...
The women held competing emotions or realities that first Easter morning—fear and joy. Usually, we don’t think of fear and joy going together, do we? Yet, when the women saw the angel, fear was their immediate response (as is the case everywhere in Scripture when angels visit human beings!). For Mary, the mother of Jesus, this was her second encounter with an angel, and yet it can’t be something that anyone ever gets used to in this life! The fear mixed with joy, when they heard the angel’s message and grasped the reality—Jesus was alive again! We might have such a mixture of realities when we face a major calamity such as a car accident, but find out that everyone is okay. The women had come to the tomb hopeless. Jesus, whom they revered as Savior and Lord, was dead. They didn’t believe His promises, because in their realities no had ever come back to life except those that Jesus had raised. For some reason they didn’t believe that Jesus could raise Himself, or that His heavenly Father would do so. Easter proved them wrong! Fear mixed with joy. The next time we are faced with fearsome circumstances, may we also remember that Jesus can turn all our fears to joys, all our pain to peace. After all, when Jesus rose from the dead on that first Easter day, He changed everything!