He is Risen

April 12, 2009

Background Scripture: Luke 24:1 – 12
Lesson Passage: Luke 24:1 – 12

Last week’s lesson ended with the body of Jesus being placed in the sepulcher and a group of women noting where the body was laid. These Galilean women had followed Jesus during his ministry and ministered to him of their substance because he had healed them of evil spirits and other infirmities. They prepared spices and ointments to be used after the Sabbath to anoint Jesus’ body because they did not have enough time to do it before the beginning of the Sabbath. These women observed God’s commandment to remember the Sabbath day and therefore they rested in anticipation of finishing the work after the Sabbath was ended. Luke named three of them as being Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The Gospel of Luke identifies these women as dedicated supporters during Jesus’ ministry who had followed him from the region of Galilee in the north to Judea in the south. Now that Jesus was dead, they seemed determined to show their respect and give him a proper burial by anointing his body. Their well-intended plans were about to be disrupted. They would have to throw their anointment mixture away or find some other use for it.

The greatest story ever told has not yet ended but the middle scene is absolutely awesome! “He is not here, but is risen:” are words that can cause demons to tremble. This is the gospel’s stamp of authenticity. All who came before Jesus and all who have and shall come after him failed this one crucial test. Are they really bigger than life? Do they have power and authority over death? Can they lay down their life and pick it up again? If the answer to these questions is not “yes”, then they are not authentic. Sooner or later death overtakes them and they are silenced by the grave. The only one who can undo their situation is the one who has the keys to death and the grave. Those who claim to be equal to or better than Jesus must depend on Jesus to wake them up out of death. They are all phonies, impostors, perpetrators, “wanna be’s”, and deceivers. There is only one who is the real deal; that one is Jesus. He declared at the beginning what he would do and then he did it. Those who lived during that time showed that they could not refute what had happened even when they tried to silence Jesus’ followers. There is no recorded history of anyone offering proof at that time that what is reported in the gospel accounts was incorrect. Many fought the spread of the gospel story because it seemed to have conflicted with their personal interests, but still, none offered a rebuttal to the witness of the apostles or the other over five hundred eyewitnesses (according to the Apostle Paul). To this very day, some two thousand years later, the gospel message engenders hope in the hearts of believers. This hope is further bolstered by the gift of the indwelling Spirit of God in the hearts of believers. After the gospel message is received and believed, then God places his seal on all believers. “He is not here, but is risen:” continues to inspire followers today. That phrase is dwarfed only by the promise that he’s coming back again in bodily form to receive his church.


Robert C. Hudson
April 2, 2009