The Word This Week
Luke 24:1…
Jesus said He would lay down His life, “that I may take it up again.”
Of His life, Jesus said, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take to take it again.”
Who has power over death and dying and over resurrected life but Jesus?
By the time the women reached the tomb where Jesus’ body had been placed following His death, 3 days had passed. It was now Sunday, the day of the Feast of Firstfruits, which followed the consecutive Sabbath days of the Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread.
What they found astounded them. But why? Wasn’t it exactly as Jesus had declared it would be?
Over and over, Jesus had declared to His followers He would be killed and in three days rise again.
The tomb was empty.
It still is.
Part of what must be answered by those who refuse to believe in the Risen Savior Jesus Christ is: Where is His body?
All the tombs of all the leaders of the various religious systems of this world remain filled with the dead bodies of those leaders. The tombs of famous men are easily located, and their contents are known. The remains of those famous leaders are still silent in their decomposition.
But the Garden Tomb of Christ - its location equally well-known to the Jews and Romans of that day - and by the world even down to our day - was found to be empty and remains so.
A very pertinent question was asked of the women seeking to finish anointing what they presumed would be Jesus’ dead body early on that Sunday morning, the day of the Feast of Firstfruits.
Two angels standing by observing their actions asked, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Over two thousand years later, that question remains to be answered by those who are seeking eternal life by that which is dead - religion in all its forms and intents.
Jesus is risen! It is the most historically-verifiable event in human history. So why would anyone continue to seek the living among the dead?
Pastor Bill
Jesus said He would lay down His life, “that I may take it up again.”
Of His life, Jesus said, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take to take it again.”
Who has power over death and dying and over resurrected life but Jesus?
By the time the women reached the tomb where Jesus’ body had been placed following His death, 3 days had passed. It was now Sunday, the day of the Feast of Firstfruits, which followed the consecutive Sabbath days of the Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread.
What they found astounded them. But why? Wasn’t it exactly as Jesus had declared it would be?
Over and over, Jesus had declared to His followers He would be killed and in three days rise again.
The tomb was empty.
It still is.
Part of what must be answered by those who refuse to believe in the Risen Savior Jesus Christ is: Where is His body?
All the tombs of all the leaders of the various religious systems of this world remain filled with the dead bodies of those leaders. The tombs of famous men are easily located, and their contents are known. The remains of those famous leaders are still silent in their decomposition.
But the Garden Tomb of Christ - its location equally well-known to the Jews and Romans of that day - and by the world even down to our day - was found to be empty and remains so.
A very pertinent question was asked of the women seeking to finish anointing what they presumed would be Jesus’ dead body early on that Sunday morning, the day of the Feast of Firstfruits.
Two angels standing by observing their actions asked, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Over two thousand years later, that question remains to be answered by those who are seeking eternal life by that which is dead - religion in all its forms and intents.
Jesus is risen! It is the most historically-verifiable event in human history. So why would anyone continue to seek the living among the dead?
Pastor Bill