[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 20:1-9

The Resurrection of the Lord

They did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. (John 20:9)

What a humble statement! Here is John, the beloved apostle, admit­ting that he hadn’t yet grasped the truth that Jesus would rise from the dead. And not only John but Peter and the other apostles doubted that possibility. Even Mary Magdalene, who saw the empty tomb, supposed that someone had stolen Jesus’ body (John 20:2).

Now, Jesus had told his apostles that this would happen (Matthew 16:21). They saw him raise other people from death (Luke 7:11-17; John 11:38-44). They believed in Jesus. They trusted him. They even confessed him as the Son of God. But as you might imagine, the idea of a resurrection is not the easiest thing to believe!

All that changed, however, when they found themselves face-to-face with the risen Lord. Actually seeing Jesus alive convinced them. It filled them with faith and gave them the boldness they needed to build the church.

So here we are celebrating Easter two thousand years later. Unlike the apostles, most of us have not seen Jesus. We have to trust in him based on the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the proclamation of the church, and the teachings that we find in Scripture. But we do have one thing that the apostles didn’t have: the witness of their lives! We have the stories of how fully they devoted themselves to Jesus. We have the accounts of their sacrifices for the church, the persecutions they endured, and even the martyrdom that many of them suffered. Would they really go through all of this just to keep a “myth” alive? Not likely!

Today, as we celebrate Easter, let’s listen to the witness of the apostles. They met Jesus, and they found new boldness and courage to believe. Surely, if it happened for them, it can happen for us!

“All praise to you, Lord Jesus, for your resurrection! Help me to believe in you more each day.”

Acts 10:34,37-43; Psalm 118:1-2,16-17,22-23; Colossians 3:1-4

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

JESUS HAS DIED TO SIN AND IS NOW RISEN TO NEW LIFE

(A biblical refection on EASTER SUNDAY, April 8, 2012) 

One of the various readings at the Easter Sunday: 1Corinthians 5:6-8 

The Scripture Text 

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1Cor 5:6-8) 

Wouldn’t it be exciting to “rewind” history and be present on Easter morning when the apostles arrived at the tomb? We could share their wonder as they realized that Jesus’ body had not been removed by anyone; He had been raised by the Father. We could experience their joy as the wonderful realities sank into their hearts and minds – how much Jesus loved them; how God had planned from all time to redeem us by the cross; how Satan was robbed of what he expected to be his moment of triumph. We could rejoice as it became clear to them that in Christ everyone could be raised up from sin and death and brought into the Kingdom of God.

The feast of the resurrection of Christ is the day of the Church’s highest rejoicing. It is the day of victory and triumph – the day of the defeat of Satan, sin, and death. In Christ, all the darkness that had separated us from God has been destroyed. Earth and heaven are reunited; creation and the Creator are brought back together; the curse has been lifted; we have been reconciled with God!

Saint Paul exhorted the Corinthians to celebrate the festival of Jesus’ resurrection “not with the old leaven … but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1Cor 5:8). How fitting that he would use the image of yeast to describe the old life of sin that Jesus had destroyed. Like yeast, sin works its way into the whole of our personality, causing us to rise up in pride and boasting. It is so pervasive that only Jesus – with the fullness of the power of God – could remove it from us.

We rejoice today because Jesus has died to sin and is now risen to new life. He is the “unleavened bread” of the new covenant and, in Him, we are freed from the yeast of the old life. Now, by the power of the Spirit, we can surrender our lives to Him and be set free from the old life of sin. Christ has triumphed, and in Him we are victors! Let us rejoice in Him today!

Short Prayer: Heavenly Father, look with mercy and favor on Your entire Church. Bring lasting salvation to mankind, so that the world may see the fallen lifted up, the old made new, and all things brought to perfection, through Him who is their origin, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.