Matthew 28:6
“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
Usually when we go to see a friend or a loved one, it is sad and disappointing to hear the words, “He is not here.” While we were traveling, it was nice to see everyone on our list of people to see. It would have been sad to travel all that way and miss out on seeing someone. We even pulled into one cousin’s driveway in the middle of the day and was surprised to catch her at home and delighted to visit with her. When the ladies went to the tomb where the body of Jesus had been laid just a few days before, the angels told them that Jesus was “not here.” They were sad when they should have been glad. They were confused when they should have been elated with joy and understanding. The angels even reminded them of the fact that Jesus Himself had told them that He would rise. As I shared in the email that I had sent out this week, multiple times Jesus had told them of the sequence of events that would take place once He returned to Jerusalem that final time in His earthly redemptive ministry. He told them that He would be delivered into the hands of His enemies, be beaten, be crucified, but also rise from the grave. It is essential to our Salvation from sin to have a living Saviour. It is fundamental that the Saviour be risen from the grave eternally to be able to give us His eternal life. The Gospel of our Salvation includes the vital detail of the Resurrection as part of what was necessary for our Salvation. Jesus died once for all for all our sin. But Jesus also rose from the dead once to be victorious over death, sin, and the grave. Therefore, we receive Him once forever to be the source of our eternal victory personally over death, sin, and the grave. This is the truth that Jesus spoke to Martha about when He came to Bethany after Lazarus had died which is recorded for us in John 11:25-26. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” because that is who He was and that is what He came to be and do for all who will believe in Him. It was on the Sunday following Passover, nearly two thousand years ago. We celebrate our risen Saviour every Lord’s Day, but during the spring time of the year, on the Sunday following Passover, which is today, it is extra special because that is when it happened. Today, we celebrate our Risen Saviour who is coming again for all who have trusted in Him. What a glorious day indeed!