Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
On the morning of the first Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection of the Lord Jesus, three prominent figures took part in seeing first the empty tomb. First is Mary of Magdala. Along with some women tasked to finish the anointing of Jesus, the women were the first messengers of Christ's Resurrection for the apostles themselves. But for her, the first impression that came to her mind was that the body of Jesus was stolen and that no one knows where it was taken.
The second was Peter, himself. What he witnessed was only the burial clothes neatly rolled up in separate places. Peter must have been dumbfounded at the time, still in shock and doesn’t know what to say or do. He may have felt fear for he knows that their enemies did this so they can put the blame on the apostles and charge them for stealing the body.
The third was John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. Actually, he arrived at the tomb first, but stayed outside. After Peter went in, he followed, he saw and he believed.
In our celebration of the resurrection of the Lord and as we celebrate the resurrection in our lives, how do we react? Do we feel like Mary – seemingly lost in what is happening. Or do we feel like Peter – a born leader and yet truly aware of his shortcomings – clueless on what is happening that day. Or do we identify with John, who came, who saw and who believed.
Jesus has risen. The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ. It is the fulfillment of a promise from the One who came, for those who saw and for us to believe.
Almighty Father, we pause from the cares and worries of the day to worship You for all that You have done for us. We thank You for Your might and power and for Your deep love for us. We thank you for your glory as we come, see and believe in the resurrection of Your Son, Jesus.
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment