He Is Risen

by Adam Lustig

From the day Mary Magdalene met Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane after Jesus arose from the dead to her pounding on the door of the upper room, where Jesus’s disciples were hiding from the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities, these three words, “He is Risen”, have been the heartbeat of every Christian.

Jesus’s promise of His resurrection to His followers while He was alive came crashing down when he died on the cross.

For 3 1/2 years of Jesus’s ministry, He engrained into His disciples “destroy this temple,” speaking of himself, “and in 3 days I will raise it up” the religious leaders of Israel did not understand Him even Jesus’s inner circle Peter, James, and John were doubtful.

So here we are again, as it has been for over 2000 years, and most of the world still in doubt of Jesus’s resurrection, why? because the secular world did not then and does not now understand that Jesus is God.

The Apostle Peter touched on it briefly when he was asked by Jesus who He was: “But what about you?” Jesus asked Peter. “who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

So what changed the tune of eleven men from cowering in their sandals and hiding out like criminals in an obscure place called the upper room afraid of a Roman cross to men full of zeal and vigor who turned the world upside down for Christ.

“An Empty Tomb”

Lee Strobel in his best selling book “A Case for Easter” says: “The empty tomb took the fear of death and turned it into a declaration of life.”

Resurrection Sunday is all about life given to you and me freely and the sting of spiritual death no longer part of our vocabulary.

The world looks at Easter and the church and says “what’s the big deal?” Why are you so excited about one day out of the year?

And the Church declares “ wouldn’t you be if you had eternal life?”

He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!!

Thanks for Listening