Spring is showing its face...Matthew 28:1-10..."He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said."

 

See the bike in the foreground?  Pumped up the tires and have been making trips to town and back a couple times now.  The mountain in the background is locally called Mount Baldy but officially Mount Craig.  The bridge is over the canal between Shadow Mountain Lake and Grand Lake.  A lot of wedding pictures are taken here.  I am itching to get up into the mountains and see the roaring waterfalls and the beautiful springtime mountain flowers.

Another Easter/Resurrection Service has come and gone.  Covering the same material each year can be a challenge at times and especially when you are in front of some of the same people.  Thankfully there are typically visitors on this special Sunday from the area and from afar.  Last year I handled the whole of Matthew 28 and focused on which story we were following.  Was it the pre-made cover-up story fueled by a bribe from the religious leaders to the soldiers that the disciples overtook them and stole the body in the night or was it the prophecy come true commission story fueled by boldness of Jesus' followers to go and tell of a risen Lord just as He said to the whole world?  

This Sunday only covering the first 10 verses I went a different route.  We have eyewitnesses of the women and the soldiers at the tomb.  The women eyewitnesses were also at the cross and the burial of Jesus.  But what motivated the women into obedience to go and tell the disciples was not what they saw but what they were reminded of by the angel.  The angel reminded them of what Jesus had said about rising on the 3rd day and also about meeting them in Galilee.  They ran off quickly in relationship to what Jesus had said.

It is a big point to realize that Jesus met them after they were obedient.  In their obedience to what He had said, Jesus makes Himself know and says "Rejoice" or "Be glad!"  We are to be glad when we are following what Jesus has said.  It doesn't mean that it might not be hard at times but Jesus encourages us with His words as we are obedient to Him.  What Jesus has said is more important than eyewitnesses of the event.  One is more sure than the other.  

It makes me think of Peter's words in 2 Peter 1:16-21.  After saying he was an eyewitness of Jesus' majesty and hearing the very voice of God saying that Jesus was His beloved Son and even being physically with Jesus at His transfiguration, he says, 

"And we have as more sure the prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.  Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes by one's own interpretation.  For no prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men being moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."  (2 Peter 1:19-21, LSB, underline mine).

What is more sure than what Peter sees, hears and touches?  The words that God has given us.  In a world that puts such a high premium on what we see via our video capturing by cameras and our phones, Jesus puts the highest premium on what He has said.  Our ears, eyes and other senses can deceive us or be manipulated but His word stands forever.  This is the ground that we stand upon.  Many put a premium on seeing a Christian act as Jesus would but to do that you first need to hear what Jesus has said and believe it to act upon it.  One comes before the other.

Adam