Scripture: St. Matthew 28:1-15 (NKJV)
1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a
great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and
rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like
lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear
of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the
women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6
He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord
lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead,
and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold,
I have told you.”
8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to
bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold,
Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and
worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My
brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and
reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12 When they
had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of
money to the soldiers, 13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and
stole Him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we
will appease him and make you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as
they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until
this day.
Devotion
The account of Jesus’ resurrection is told so simply: the faithful women go
looking for their crucified Lord in His tomb, expecting to find His lifeless
corpse, convinced that death has won yet another victory. But the stone is
rolled away. The tomb is empty. And the angels are the first messengers to
confirm the meaning of these signs: “He is not here, for He is risen, as He
said.” “As He said”—that makes Jesus’ resurrection absolutely unique in all of
history. He not only predicted His death, He foretold His resurrection. He said
He would rebuild the temple of His body in three days, that He would lay down
His life and take it up again by His own power. As always, Jesus was true to
His Word.
The One Who rose from the dead is the same One Who died as the sacrifice for
the world’s sins. He is the same One Who was born our Brother that He might
redeem us, His brethren who were once captive to sin and death. Now death has
been overcome by our Brother, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Now life is guaranteed to all who trust in Him, and death has lost its iron
grip, for He was delivered for our sins and raised again for our justification.
“Do not be afraid,” Jesus says. May His words ring in our ears at all times and
comfort us in our final hour.
We pray: O risen Lord Christ, drive out all fear from our hearts as we
contemplate Your glorious resurrection, and cheer us with Your promise of
forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation to all who trust in You. Amen.
The Lutheran Herald is a publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of
North America. These daily devotions are authored by the bishop, pastors, and
deacons of the diocese. Direct inquiries to The Reverend Jeffrey A. Ahonen at
[email protected].
_______________________________________________
Sermons mailing list
[email protected]
http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
