Life This Side of Heaven

Matthew tells us that that when the women saw our risen Savior, alive before them, “They clasped His feet and worshipped Him.” With all that was taking place this detail may sound incidental but it’s not. It tells us a lot about what it means that you and I have a risen Savior, how we worship Him, and even gives us a glimpse of something to which you and I can now look forward.

“Why are you crying?” What a remarkable question! It’s the first thing that our risen Savior said as He greeted Mary on Easter morning. Tears are an important part of this narrative. However, this first question finds its focus with the follow-up question that came next, "Who is it you are looking for?” Episode Art: Giuseppe Calì, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Happy Easter! Yesterday, in church, you and I also heard the wonderful news. Unlike the disciples, we have the blessing of knowing what the disciples would soon discover. Jesus had risen from the dead. Nevertheless, staring into the empty tomb, they didn’t fully appreciate the magnitude of what it meant that the tomb was empty. But, as remarkable as it may sound, neither do a many Christians today. And they're missing out on tremendous comfort that our Savior wants us all to have. It's makes all the difference when you visit the cemetery. With sins forgiven and death defeated we have everlasting life with God right now. But there's more, much more! And Jesus wants you to know it.

Last Christmas, we celebrated the birth of our Savior. We rejoice to confess that “For us, and for our salvation He came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man.” In other words, Jesus, the royal Son of God, put on the uniform of our flesh and blood and joined our ranks. And in all the events that followed, culminating with His crucifixion for us on Good Friday, you see not only the reason for it and what He accomplished, but also His unmistakable love for you.

False claims, that Jesus never said He is God, get repeated in the media every year in the lead up to Easter. Coincidence? I don’t think so. You can be sure the adversary wants you to believe this is all just one big April Fool’s joke. But, if Jesus was just another man, another prophet, you can be sure that no one, let alone the ruling council before whom Jesus appeared, wouldn’t have been worked up about it. And if Jesus was just another wise teacher then there would no reason to celebrate Easter at all this coming weekend. But the great joy that’s ours is that God Himself has come down from heaven, to redeem us from our sins and bring us eternal life. Episode Art from VideoBible.com as distributed under Creative Commons via FreeBibleImages.com)

Can you tell the difference between a parade and a protest? That question may sound silly. Even small children can tell one from the other. Were there some among the crowd who misunderstood this truth? Sure, just as there are those today who seek to co-op the message of the Gospel and turn it into little more than a political statement. But this was a festal parade! This was worship. And on this day, we join with that happy throng that greeted Jesus knowing that God had sent Him to rescue them from their sins.