He Has Risen! He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:6 Don’t be alarmed, he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.” Mark 16:6 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (Which means Teacher). John 20:16 Three sweeter words have never been said than he has risen. Jesus had been put to death two days earlier, and he arose on the third day. Jesus is alive. Can you imagine the decibel level of Mary crying out Rabboni? What must it have sounded like? Jesus had been resurrected from the dead, just as he had said he would. Amen. For a Christian, every day is Resurrection Day, or Easter as we like to call it. It is not just a day for chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, marshmallow peeps, and cards; it is a day many people choose to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. People all over the world are standing up and taking notice of our Savior. Six words and two sentences are music to the ears of those who can hear. In John 19:30, it says, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Jesus died. Why would these words be music to anyone’s ears? Well it isn’t a pretty picture to me either. It was a brutal and gruesome scene and not the first one I want to remember. Throughout the Old Testament, sacrifice for sin was necessary for forgiveness. Jesus was God’s sacrificial lamb for the atonement of our sins, my sins. Jesus’ death meant the end of all blood sacrifices. Our sin debt was paid the moment Jesus said, “It is finished,” bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. Jesus is now the path to eternal life through his own sacrifice. Our sin debt is now paid in full. “It is finished.” The sacrificial lamb was sacrificed, Jesus. There is no greater love. So you can imagine why I now say those were great words. But here are some more great words in John 20:16: “Days after the death, Jesus stood and called to Mary. Mary turned and cried out to Him, Rabboni!” How about the words he has risen? How about the ones we use, he is alive? We now have eternal life with God our Father in heaven. We have eternal life, and our sin debt was paid with those six words: it is finished and he has risen. There will be many celebrating Easter just as they celebrate Christmas. These are two days of the year more people will think of Jesus. More people will attend church. On Easter, let’s welcome them and share in praise and worship to our Father in heaven for making his son Jesus a sacrificial lamb to pay our sin debt, and to Jesus who wore that role and gave up his own life so that our sin debt would be paid in full. Let’s worship this day with those who come to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. Let’s share the love, gratitude, and joy we have for Jesus. Let’s share the good news of Jesus Christ. They are open to hear. Isn’t every day Easter? The gratitude I feel for the sacrifice Jesus made for me and his resurrection for my eternal life are beyond words. As I think about Jesus, bowing his head, blood-soaked, saying, “It is finished,” and knowing it is me who should have paid that price chokes me up. There are no words to describe the feeling of his resurrection and the scene with Mary turning and crying out, “Rabboni!” I want to turn and shout, “Jesus, you are alive!”
Posted on: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 14:09:47 +0000
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