He is Risen! – Acts of the Way

He is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Hallelujah!!!!

The grave is EMPTY! The TRUTH is revealed! Jesus was the Son of God and He has been raised to sit at the right hand of the Father! The stone was moved to open the grave. The women who were with Jesus, during his time on earth were the first to see the evidence.

“After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’“
Matthew 28:1-7

“. . .”Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”
Luke 24:5

The evil mischief of the chief priests and Pharisees continued. They were afraid the disciples would behave they way they did, by stealing Jesus’ body and claiming a false resurrection. They had sealed the stone covering the tomb, but it was not enough to keep out the angel of the Lord! The lies continue.

“. . .some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed.”
Matthew 28:11-15

Some would not be able to handle the Truth of a Living God! They operated out of fear and were unable to understand the greater plan God and Jesus had, a plan for salvation for all of us!

“. . . “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.”
John 17:1-4

God gave the greatest gift he had, his Son, to be brutally crucified. We need to understand the depth of that sacrifice to put what God is asking of us into perspective. There are no worldly possessions or labels that have any value compared to eternal salvation. God had a plan and it was painful for Him, too. He watched His Son die on the cross, to show how much pain and suffering He too is willing to endure, so we can be with Him for eternity.

Christ is risen! So now, He and God can both be glorified!

Take a moment to pray and thank Jesus and God for the sacrifice and suffering of that time, for the physical and emotional pain of the lies, torture and murder. Thank God for the greater plan He had, a plan that now allows you to have a direct relationship with Him, through His Son, Jesus Christ.

“This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”
John 6:40

“Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”
John 13:20

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:6-7

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35

“I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”
John 15:17

Christ calls us to love. We do this by showing compassion and mercy to others pain and suffering, just as Christ did when he was ministering on earth and wanted people to experience a love greater than they ever thought possible.

Christ also calls us to forgive.

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
Mark 11:25

Jesus forgave Judas, in the end calling him, “Brother”. He petitioned from the cross for forgiveness for those who persecuted Him, tortured Him and sentenced Him to a most excruciatingly painful death. It does bring into question what we are holding ourselves back from forgiving.

Through the Easter weekend, we see the willingness to sacrifice of both Jesus and God, to fulfill a plan that will bring us to eternal life with them in Heaven. Take some time to again thank God for the events that were fulfilled to bring this plan to fruition. Seek God’s guidance for ways you can act to better love those living around you and areas in your life where you need to lay down anger and forgive. Continue reading and rereading the stories of Jesus time on earth in the Gospels and ask God to give you His wisdom on areas of your life.

Originally Published: 4/6/21