On Sunday morning, the women came to the tomb expecting Jesus to still be dead. They didn’t come expecting resurrection. What led them from unbelief to belief? What does Jesus’ resurrection mean for us today?
The Path to Belief
The women didn’t come to the tomb as believers in the resurrection. They came as unbelievers. And when they found that the body was gone, they went from being unbelievers to being skeptics.
And then angels appeared to them and they said, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5-6)
And it goes on to say that the women remembered, and that’s when they began to believe. They wanted to believe. But, it’s hard. You don’t want to get your hopes up. You don’t want to look like a fool.
They go from unbelievers to skeptics to confused … bewildered … not sure what to think.
Later, when they go tell the other disciples about the empty tomb and the angel’s words, it says that the disciples “did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:11). Well, it seemed like nonsense to them too, at first.
Why Did Jesus Rise Again?
Jesus came to help – he came to save. Why is that so hard to believe?
We’re in too much pain. The world beats us down. Life steals something from us.
That’s the way it was for all the disciples. It wasn’t until they saw Jesus that they believed. For Thomas, it wasn’t until he put his fingers in the nail hole scars.
Here’s what I know to be true about the resurrection.
I am a sinner. I know that I am. And, I know that my sin separates me from a holy and perfect God.
The Bible tells me that Jesus came to earth to show me how to live, and that he died on the cross to carry my sins, and that he rose again on the third day to conquer death once and for all – so that if I trust in Jesus – he will give me eternal life with God.
And I can’t really know that until I give myself over to Jesus and experience him.
The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9 – “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
And how do you know?
You don’t.
Until you let go.
You just let God take you in his arms – even though it might hurt at first – and then you experience his love – he provides for you and takes care of you. And then you start to see him everywhere. And then one day you realize – he’s real – and you can say, I believe because I know him – he’s alive.
That’s real resurrection.
Reflection: What will you do with Jesus? Will you trust him with your life?
