April 17, 2022

Luke 24: 55, 56 (NIV)

The women who had come with Jesus . . . followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

The cross was not the end but the beginning of something amazing.*

It was the day before the Sabbath so these devout Jewish women had to be satisfied with a hurried burial for their beloved teacher, but they made plans to return after the Sabbath to complete the job.

The Sabbath - the day before Easter. The day between the worst day and the best day in history. I wish I knew all the details of that day. Did Jesus decide on the moment he would arise? Did he lay there in the grave until sometime that morning or did he get up as soon as the tomb was sealed? Did he walk around in there, lighting it up with his presence, or did he just transport through the rock? What was his first thought? Or did his consciousness never disconnect? Did he think, “I’m glad that’s finally over,”? He was God and man before; what was he afterwards? 

The day after the Sabbath – Resurrection Day! If only I could hear the stories from those first people who saw him alive. Best news ever! How special to be one of those people! If only we were as caught up in the excitement of the moment as they were. He is alive! Don’t you want to run and tell someone?

Easter is too often used as a testimony to the past and a promise of the future without emphasizing its meaning for the present.