The women who were on their way to the tomb on that first Easter Sunday were sad but hurried back excited after they found out that Christ had rose from the grave. This is seen in Matthew 28:8, “And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.” That first Easter morning quickly turned sorrow into joy. Remember that Christ told them He would rise from the dead but they didn’t figure it out while Jesus was with them. We see this in the fact that their major concern was to get to the grave to anoint the body. In Mark 16:3 we read, “And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?” They were not thinking resurrection. But once they reached the tomb, they were no longer sad. In fact their lives and the lives of the disciples would forever be changed. The greatest change of all was that they now believed all that Jesus had told them. The Resurrection validated the message of Jesus Christ. All that He had told them had now come to pass. That day the world did change and the message was quite clear, Jesus was now the living Savior who had risen from the dead..
The women returned to the disciples to tell them the good news but they refused to believe. After the women insisted their story was true, only Peter went out to see if this had indeed happened. The all important and challenging question in this great event is the message of the empty tomb. We read in Luke 24:5, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” The message of the empty tomb, the resurrection is the important message that must be proclaimed.
There are those who regard Jesus as a great man and a noble hero who faced death with bravery, but still only a great man. Jesus is not merely a hero of the past but a living reality of the present working in the lives of Christians. There are those who regard Jesus simply as a man, whose life must be studied, His words examined and His teachings analyzed. There is a tendency to think of Christianity and Christ in terms of something to be studied. But Jesus is not something to just study. He is someone to be met and lived with every day. Jesus is not only a historical figure in the Bible. Jesus is a living presence that wants to live and reign in the hearts of people. As the song says so well, “I serve a risen Savior he’s in the world today.”
The Resurrected Christ is still changing the lives of people today. Christ guarantees a resurrection to those who will believe in Him. No one can truly encounter the resurrected Christ and remain the same. The risen Christ is ready to come and talk with us on the road of life. He wants to reveal Himself to us right now, just like He did that first Easter morning. Jesus wants to change our sorrows into joy. Remember that it is not the cross that symbolizes Christianity, but the empty tomb.
Easter once again dawns on a troubled world, but as Christians we should not be troubled. Easter should remind us that there is hope no matter what the situation may be. The risen Christ is now the transforming Christ. Unfortunately in 2000 years the world has not really changed. Evil is still very much a part of our world just as it was that first Easter Sunday. But ever since that first Easter our world has not been the same because lives are being changed every day because of the power of the Risen Savior. Remember that Jesus is not to be associated with the dead but with the living because He is ready to live and reign in the hearts of all that would invite Him is as Savior. It is my prayer that Jesus Christ would truly be your Savior this day. What better day than Easter Sunday to make that total commitment to Jesus Christ as we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord.