Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the resurrection of Jesus Christ: “He is not here; he rose from the dead, as he said. Come, see where he was lying, and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. And behold, he is going before you into Galilee; there you will see him. Here, I told you. We read this in Mat 28.6,18-20.He send us around the world to preach the gospel.
It’s the triumphant morning of resurrection. Through it, God gives a shining testimony to the victim’s perfection, to the complete satisfaction he finds in the accomplished work. The guardians posted at the sepulcher, far from being able to oppose this prodigious event, are involuntary and terrified witnesses (Ps 48: 1-8). But the priests, totally hardened, will buy the conscience of these men as before that of Judas.
The women at the tomb receive the angel’s message. Their hearts filled with both fear and joy, they hasten to communicate it. Then they meet the Lord himself.
Then Jesus appears to his eleven disciples, at the meeting he has fixed for them in Galilee. He gives them an “order of way”, a mission all the more important because it is the last will of the One who entrusts it to them. All the royal authority that man has refused him, God has given him in heaven and on earth and his disciples are responsible for making it recognized. But Jesus also gives a promise to his own. It has not and will not miss any day for any redeemed. “I am with you every day”. Thus ended as he had begun the Gospel of Emmanuel: God with us (Mat 1: 18-25).
And by virtue of Christ’s death, which put an end to all that characterized man in Adam, sinner and lost, the believer is placed in a new position, that of the risen Christ, for he is one with him, as it is said in Heb 2.11: “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”
This is why the Spirit of God presents Jesus taking his place among his disciples on earth, as a remnant of his people whom he sends out to the whole world. He promises them his presence with them until the end, since he has received all authority in heaven and on earth. For we see, in these last words of the Lord, that his faithfulness remains towards his own. At the beginning of his ministry he presented himself to his people as Emmanuel, that’s to say “God with us”, but the people having rejected him, he is still Emmanuel for those who received him, until the people recognize it. So all who believed in him can count on this promise today to the end. We want all the faithful to be able to feel the need to fulfill this precious promise and to experience it encouragingly, to the glory of Him who loved them so much!
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and put together for your understanding.
- The resurrection of Christ
# The blessings of spiritual love for Christ: Jn 14.15, 16, 22-23 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them; Ep 6.24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love; 1 P 1.8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
# Divine attraction, examples of men who seek Christ: Mark 1.37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”; Luke 4.42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them;
- Christ conquers death
# Resurrection of Christ announced by the angels: Mc 16.6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him;
# It’s commanded to bear witness to the truth: Jn 15:27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning; Ac 1.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”;
# Occasions of great joy: Mt 2.10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed; Luke 24:52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; the conversion of the Gentiles: Acts 15.3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.
- Christ appears after his resurrection
# Appearance of Christ after his resurrection: to Mary Magdalene: Mark 16.9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons; to other women: Mt 28.9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him; to the eleven disciples: Luke 24.36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”; to Paul, at the time of his conversion: Acts 9.5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied; 1 Co 15.8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
# Bearing witness, living witnesses: Mark 2.12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”; Acts 4:14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.
- The soldiers make a false report
Examples of false witnesses: Mt 28.15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day; Mark 14.56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree;
- Jesus sends his disciples on mission
# Ordered preaching: Mt 10.7, 27 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs;
# The Gospel is to be preached all over the world: Mt 24.14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come; Mt 28.19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit;
- Christ inseparable Jn 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
# Believers constantly accompanied by his presence: Mt 28.20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
-are held firmly by his hand: Mt 10.28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
-are similar to the branches of the vine: Jn 15: 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
-are in permanent communion: Jn 17:23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
-no power can separate them from Christ: Rom 8:39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
From all of the above, we note that the Spirit of God presents Jesus taking his place among his disciples on earth, his remnant whom he sends throughout the world to bring the good news. He promises them his presence with them until the end, since he has received all authority in heaven and on earth. Because at the beginning of his ministry he presented himself to his people as Emmanuel, that’s to say “God with us”, but the people having rejected him, he is still Emmanuel for those who have received him, until the people recognize it. And all who believed in him can count on that promise today until the end of the world, when he returns in glory to judge men. We want all Christians to be able to feel the need to fulfill this precious promise and to have a heartening experience of it, to the glory of Him who loved them so much! For his resurrection strengthens our faith in him. Our prayers are with you all to follow in his footsteps.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be glad to respond to your queries and comments if necessary, before sharing with you next week the forty days of Jesus in the desert after his baptism by John the Baptist: “Immediately the Spirit pushed him into the desert where he spent forty days …”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you profusely.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.