IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT WE SHOULD FORGET OUR MISTAKES, BUT REMEMBER THE LESSONS THEY TAUGHT US. THE WOMEN AT THE TOMB LEARNED THIS SIMPLE TRUTH THAT FIRST EASTER MORNING.
THEY MADE THE MISTAKE OF FORGETTING ALL THAT JESUS HAD TAUGHT THEM ABOUT HIS RESURRECTION. THEY CAME TO THE TOMB PREPARED TO DEAL WITH HIS DEAD BODY.
THEY WERE SO WRAPPED UP IN DEATH AND GRIEF THAT IT NEVER DAWNED ON THEM TO REMEMBER ALL THE THINGS THAT JESUS SAID ABOUT LIFE!
IN SPITE OF THEIR DEVOUT INTENTIONS IN COMING TO ANOINT JESUS’ BODY, THESE WOMEN FAILED TO GRASP JESUS’ MESSAGE ABOUT THE RESURRECTION.
THE ANTIDOTE FOR NOT RECOGNIZING THE APPROPRIATE SIGNIFICANCE OF GOD’S POWER IS TO SIMPLY REMEMBER!
THE ANGELS TOLD THEM IN VERSE 5-7, "WHY ARE YOU LOOKING IN A TOMB FOR SOMEONE WHO IS ALIVE? HE ISN’T HERE! HE HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD! DON’T YOU REMEMBER WHAT HE TOLD YOU BACK IN GALILEE, THAT THE SON OF MAN MUST BE BETRAYED INTO THE HANDS OF SINFUL MEN AND BE CRUCIFIED, AND THAT HE WOULD RISE AGAIN THE THIRD DAY?"
WHAT I FIND INTERESTING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR CONFRONTATION WITH THE ANGELS IS THAT THE WOMEN "REMEMBERED" AND THEN "BELIEVED" THE WORDS OF THE ANGELIC MESSENGERS WITHOUT NEEDING ANY PHYSICAL PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION.
JESUS’ BODY WAS GONE, THE GRAVE CLOTHES WERE MYSTERIOUSLY AND METICULOUSLY FOLDED, THE STONE IS ROLLED AWAY AND YET THEY REMEMBERED WHAT JESUS TOLD THEM AND AUTOMATICALLY BELIEVED HE WAS ALIVE!
NOT ONLY DO THEY BELIEVE THE RESURRECTION HAS HAPPENED BUT THEY RUSHED BACK TO TELL THE ELEVEN REMAINING DISCIPLES THAT EVERYTHING JESUS SAID WAS TRUE AND THAT IT HAD BEEN FULFILLED.
THAT IS OUR LESSON FOR TODAY! REMEMBER! REMEMBER ALL THAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US THROUGH JESUS CHRIST AND THEN GO AND TELL OTHERS THAT JESUS IS ALIVE JUST LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD BE ON THE THIRD DAY.
BY REMEMBERING ALL THAT CHRIST HAS DONE THROUGHOUT THE PAST WILL GIVE US THE STRENGTH WE NEED TO DEAL WITH THE PRESENT.
REMEMBER HIS MIRACLES, REMEMBER HIS HEALINGS, REMEMBER HIS PARABLES, REMEMBER HIS CALMING OF THE STORM, REMEMBER HIS CASTING OUT OF DEMONS, REMEMBER HIS UPLIFTING OF THE DESTITUTE AND REJECTED, REMEMBER THE LAST PASSOVER AND THE FIRST HOLY COMMUNION, REMEMBER HIS BETRAYAL AND DEATH, AND NOW REMEMBER HIS VICTORIOUS RESURRECTION!
IN THE MIDST OF THEIR GRIEF, THE WOMEN WERE TRYING TO MAKE THE BEST OF IT BY TENDING TO THEIR NECESSARY CHORES OF WHAT APPEARED TO BE JUST ANOTHER ORDINARY DAY. INSTEAD, THEIR GRIEF WAS SHATTERED WHEN THEY WALKED HEAD-ON INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD’S GRACE!
THE SAME IS TRUE FOR US BECAUSE LIFE IS HARD AND IT SOMETIMES SEEMS TO BE ORDINARY AND TEDIOUS. THAT IS WHY IF WE WILL REMEMBER ALL THAT CHRIST TAUGHT US BY GOING ON WITH TENDING TO THE NECESSARY CHORES OF OUR DAY IT WILL BE THROUGH THE ORDINARY THAT WE DISCOVER THE PRESENCE OF GOD’S GRACE.
PREPARING THE SPICES, GOING TO THE TOMB, RUNNING BACK TO TELL THE OTHERS, EVEN WHEN THEY THINK IT’S NOTHING BUT AN IDLE TALE, WE REMAIN FAITHFUL TO CARRYING OUT THE TASK!
WHAT TASK? THE NECESSARY TASK OF BEARING THE GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: "HE IS NOT HERE, BUT HAS RISEN!" WE CAN NOW PROCLAIM THE DEFINING CONVICTION OF OUR CHRISTIAN HOPE.
THE HOPE THAT BECAUSE JESUS WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD THE GRAVE IS NO LONGER THE FINAL REALITY OF OUR HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
REMEMBER! REMEMBER THIS EASTER WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE FOR YOU, NOT ONLY ON THE CROSS, BUT BY WHAT HE DID BY COMING OUT OF THE GRAVE. THE WOMEN HEARD, REMEMBERED AND BELIEVED. PETER REMEMBERED AND THEN WENT AND CHECKED IT OUT FOR HIMSELF. WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH WHAT YOU REMEMBER ABOUT CHRIST?
THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST FROM THE TOMB IS A REMINDER THAT NEW LIFE IS A GIFT OF GOD THAT CALLS US TO A WALK OF REMEMBRANCE AND GRATITUDE FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US.
GO THIS EASTER DAY, AND RECOMMIT OURSELVES TO REMEMBERING RATHER THAN FORGETTING. WE CAN’T LET BUSY WORK SCHEDULES BECOME A GREATER COMMITMENT THAN THE COMMITMENT WE MADE TO JESUS CHRIST FIRST.
WE CAN’T LET HOBBIES AND SPORT’S INTERESTS CROWD OUT AND TAKE OVER OUR COMMITMENT TO SHARE THE MESSAGE OF THE RESURRECTION.
WE MUST NOT ALLOW ANYTHING OF THIS WORLD TO WASH THE SWEET TASTE OUT OF OUR MOUTHS WHEN WE ATE OF THE BREAD AND DRANK FROM THE CUP OF CHRIST’S NEW COVENANT THIS PAST MAUNDY THURSDAY.
WE CAN’T LET THE WORLD DEADEN OUR PASSION TOWARDS CHRIST’S SACRIFICE AT CALVARY AS WE SURVEYED THAT WONDROUS CROSS THIS PAST GOOD FRIDAY.
WE CAN’T LET THE NOISE OF THE WORLD DEAFEN OUR EARS TO THE CRY OF THE NEEDY OR LET ITS SIN’S SUBTLETIES BLIND OUR EYES SO THAT WE CAN NO LONGER SEE GOD’S DIVINITY AND OUR OWN HUMANITY.
WE CAN’T LET THE THREATS FROM THOSE WHO CLAIM SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE TIE OUR HANDS FROM SERVING HUMANITY IN JESUS NAME.
WE MUST STOP ALLOWING THREATS OF LEGAL ACTION FROM AMBIGUOUS ORGANIZATIONS FROM HOLDING OUR TONGUES FROM PROFESSING JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR TO LOST PEOPLE WHO NEED TO HEAR THAT MESSAGE.
REMEMBER! REMEMBER THE GOOD NEWS THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS RAISED FROM DEATH TO LIFE SO THAT WE, TOO, CAN BE RAISED TO NEW LIVES OF FAITH, HOPE, AND JOY.
GO! REMEMBER! PROCLAIM! PHILIPPIANS 3:10, "AS A RESULT, I CAN REALLY KNOW CHRIST AND EXPERIENCE THE MIGHTY POWER THAT RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD. I CAN LEARN WHAT IT MEANS TO SUFFER WITH HIM, SHARING IN HIS DEATH, SO THAT, SOMEHOW, I CAN EXPERIENCE THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD."
