[431 words]
And the angel answered and said to the women, ” Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying” (Matthew 28:5-6 NASB77).
Jesus had said He would be raised. This was well known by many people. Think about what it really meant when on the third day He came to life again. It showed that He was telling the truth; He was the Son of God. It meant His death was much more than just a human dying. He was giving his life for the sins of all mankind. His resurrection brought joy to His disciples (John 20:20).
What would this mean to those who had cried out “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”? They could now know that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. They should know that God was working in all of the things which Jesus had been doing during His life. They had been wrong about who Jesus was, they had sinned. When the guards returned early Sunday morning, to those who had told them to guard the tomb and told of the angels and earthquake, it shows that Jesus had risen, true to His own words. However they refused to acknowledge Him as God’s Son.
What would it mean to the Gentiles? In the resurrection was the proof that He was God’s Son and the Savior of the world. The idols which the Gentiles had been worshiping was not God and did not represent any divine being. It meant that the worship of these was vain. Paul expressed this to the people of Lystra, and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them” (Acts 14:15).
What does it mean to us today? For me it means that God has shown His great love for all, and this includes me. I can have salvation from sin. For some it has no meaning at all because they refuse to accept His resurrection as fact. They refuse to really consider all the evidence which God has given. I pray that you will accept the fact of His resurrection and live according to His teaching, so you can have a home in heaven.
Wayne Curry
Poplar Bluff, MO