1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The day after the Sabbath, the third day, the two Mary’s head off to the tomb and there is an earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away from in front of the tomb and sat on it. He was clearly an angel because his face shone and his clothes were pure white. His appearance had the Roman guards paralysed with fear. The angel tells the women not to be afraid because Jesus has risen. He invites them to examine the tomb. Then he sends them to tell the disciples that Jesus has risen and that He will meet them in Galilee. As they set off to tell the disciples they meet Jesus. He greets them and they fall at His feet and worship Him. Then Jesus gives them the same message, do not be afraid and go and tell the disciples that He will meet them in Galilee.
The women fell down and grabbed hold of Jesus’ feet and worshipped Him. He is risen indeed. He has a physical body. He is not just a spiritual manifestation that can be confused with hallucination. Jesus is alive and He has conquered death as He said He would. Jesus did everything God had promised in the Old Testament. He did everything He Himself said He would. We don’t believe in a fanciful idea. We believe in a risen Saviour who has conquered the ultimate affect of sin—death. He came that we too might have life!
Jesus showed by His resurrection that He truly is worthy of worship and praise. He is the only thing in our lives we should worship and so I was reminded to examine my life and see if there is anything or anyone who I idolise in my life falsely