He has Risen

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

HE HAS RISEN

Luke 24:1-8

24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'"  8 Then they remembered his words.

NIV

We could spend time going over the ways the Jews considered the days, with Jesus in the tomb on the preparation day, which is the day before the Sabbath, so he would be in the tomb Friday and Saturday, then the first day of the week, Sunday began at the end of the Sabbath day, which would have been the twelve hour or sunset. Therefore, Jesus was in the tomb for three days. However, the story here resides in the words of the two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning. Luke does not tell us they were angels, but by that description and with the other accounts, we know they are angels. Only the dead are in tombs and although the body of Jesus was dead, He has risen. Officially, at least according to the way men think, when a person stops breathing, they are dead, such as Jesus breathed his last as he committed his spirit unto the Father. However, he promised the thief on the cross that today he would be in paradise with him. We have to believe Jesus left his body there in the tomb while he and that one thief were enjoying paradise, but at the exact right time, Jesus returned to his body, as the Father resurrected him, as the angels could tell the women, he is not here, He has risen! On the blessed Sunday we celebrate Easter, with all the plastic eggs filled with candy, we greet each other at church with, “He has risen!”, “He has risen indeed!”. We cannot be sure what the eggs signify for the children unless all the eggs are empty, then we can tell the children they are just like the tomb, empty the candy is not here, it has risen. (Bad Pastor) But the real story here is that Jesus is the first to be resurrected and because we are in Christ and He is in us because we believe and we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we too will be resurrected someday, unless he comes back for us before we breath our last. Then we will be able to say that today we will be in paradise with Him. However, which way it happens, we will ultimately end up in paradise with Jesus, because he is no longer in the tomb, the women remembered his words. It would be good for us to always remember, “He has risen! “Oh Yes!” “He has risen indeed!” .