When Everything Changed: The Resurrection

5 “^aDo not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 

The angel begins with do not be afraid.  No matter what is going on. Don’t be afraid.  Jesus had just died a horrible death.  There were blood thirsty enemies of Christ all around.  Friends of Jesus would be a prime target of their wicked hatred.  And now angel is sitting on the stone that had once sealed the tomb.  That’s a scary picture.  But do not be afraid.  We too should not be afraid.

I know you are looking for Jesus.

6 “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.

 He is not here. . .you are looking in the wrong place.  He’s not where you thought He was.  They were tomb looking, but He was not there.  It was where He used to be, but it’s not where He is now.  In the Chronicles of Narnia, it says “Aslan is on the move.” 

He has risen. . .Literally with an Aorist Passive He was risen. . .

God the Father has raised Jesus from the dead. .

It is past tense so it has already happened.  Punctiliar action means in a moments time, not a process.  

Just as He said. . . Just as Jesus said; Just as Isaiah said; Even just as the chief priests said 27:63 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’   Prophesied by Isaiah, Jesus and proclaimed by the wicked chief priests

Come, see . . .verify it; Taste and See that the Lord is God;  It is not blind faith.  It is eyes wide open faith.  It is a historical reality that Jesus rose from the dead. 

It is a biblical fact.  It is a historical fact.  It is spiritual force.

Come and see for yourself.  In February of next year, many of us will go to this place where the angel said, Come, see.  We will go and see.  God is not asking you to trust in nothing, but to trust in something, better Someone.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen.  You cannot see the wind, but you believe in the wind.   You can hear the wind. You can feel the wind.  You cannot see the wind but you can see the trees bend under its power.  Jesus said it this way to Nicodemus, religious seeker in His day:

 John 3:7-8 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

7 “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead;...

Go quickly and tell. . .  their encounter lead to a call of obedience

7...and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

He is going ahead of you. . . Jesus is always going ahead of us.  Here He was ahead of them in Galilee.  Jesus said in John 14: 1-3  that He was going ahead of us to prepare a place for us.  But He is not only preparing a place before us; but He is preparing us for a place. 

8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.

With fear and great joy. . . not with great fear and joy.  The joy triumphed over the fear.

9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.

Jesus met them. . .  Jesus took the initiative.  He was always meeting them and us.  He finds us.  He seeks us out.  He came to us.  He came for us.

Came up. . .  they came up.  We always have to come up to worship Jesus, because He is above us.

Took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. . .  Jesus is worthy of worship.  He is so high and we are so low that are worship with extended arms can only reach and take hold of His feet.  We are not worthy to stand alongside of Him.  He has come to stand alongside of us.  But we reach and stand on our toes to hold His feet.

10 Then Jesus *said to them, “^aDo not be afraid

 Do not be afraid. . . the same thing that the angel told them is what Jesus told them. 

We don’t have to be afraid of Covid 19; a worldwide pandemic; a crashed economy; or even death itself. 

because He is not here; He has risen from the dead.  He has gone before us.  He is preparing a place for us.  He is preparing us for a place.

So let’s come and see.

Let’s leave the tomb with great joy and run to report it.

Let’s look for Jesus meeting us in all this.

Let’s let go of our fear and latch on to His feet and worship Him.

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