What’s It All About? The Resurrection
It’s about the cross … death of an innocent man so that we might have new life. And then it’s about the resurrection … Jesus the Christ raised from death on the third day and appearing to many people. Believing the truth of Jesus’ resurrection is essential to the gospel message and essential to our faith.
Today we read from the Book of Luke chapter 24, beginning with the last few verses in chapter 23 for context.
Luke 23.54 – 24.12 The Resurrection
23.54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with him (with Jesus) from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
24.1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
What’s it all about? The stone rolled away from the tomb. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is unique, setting the Christian faith apart from all others. Here is how the Apostle Paul lays out for us the essentials of a saving faith:
1 Corinthians 15.3-6
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
It boils down to this … Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins? That He was raised on the third day after His death and burial and appeared to many people who would testify to this truth? Such belief is essential to your faith. Hard truth, good truth, life-giving and life-sustaining truth.
In our Fall study of the Book of Acts we will read of such faith fueling the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ. Belief spurs action … passionately connecting our community to Jesus so God is glorified and lives are changed forever!
Blessings, Colleen
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