• No week throws death and life into such sharp contrast as this one. The death of Jesus by crucifixion must have stunned the disciples. To them he had “the words of eternal life” and was beyond the power of vindictive kings and governors. Jesus’ death was more than a tragedy in itself, it was the death of a hope they had begun to embrace, a hope they had not known until he came. As spoken by the two on the road to Emmaus, “we had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel” (L 24:21). And reading the whole account, with comments like “besides all this, it is now the third day,” you can feel the weariness in them.
• Then the empty tomb. At first it’s too much. Too good to believe. Even Mary, who wants desperately to believe, thinks instead that someone has taken the body. Matthew records the disciples response as “fear and joy” but the other three Gospels record an initial reaction of unbelief and uncertainty. A hope dashed can come back only so quickly. It takes time.
• Nevertheless it was true: Jesus had risen. He was alive. The tragedy so dark that it had just begun to sink in was already over — spectacularly over. What is impossible with man is possible with God. The power and goodness of the Resurrection are so beyond reason that every generation of believers has to wrestle with the question of its truthfulness. It’s wise for us to take personally Jesus’ words to Martha when he claims to be the resurrection and the life: “Do you believe this?”
• It’s good for us to remember that the pattern of Jesus’ life is not merely descriptive but prescriptive: suffering, then glory. “All who wish to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted.” Paul reminds us that we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Attempts to avoid this cruciform life only lead to perpetual Christian immaturity. But once we embrace the pattern — and the joy set before us — we begin to see and embrace the path that God has ordained for us. This is where “life more abundantly” begins, sustained by “the hope of glory.”
– Pastor Eric