Resurrected!

Today is a very special day for all of us; today is a very special day for all of those who are part of the Christ’s church. It is a very special day because today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today we celebrate the victory that He came to this world to deliver unto us; today we celebrate His victory over death in the cross. This fact is the base of our faith, and it is the one that guarantees every faithful believer that one day they shall reach and remain in the presence of God. The death of our Lord on the cross is the most recognized fact in all of history. This is a fact that supersedes all religions or sects; this is a fact that supersedes all skepticism or doubt as in the case of the agnostics or atheist. While it is true that not everyone in the world celebrates this day like we do, no one in this world can deny the importance and impact that this day had on humankind. No one can deny the importance and significance of this day because this day not only served to provide us with eternal life; this day also divided the history of mankind forevermore. This is something that we can say with confidence because all the people in the world; all the people regardless of political o religious affiliation measure time the same way. The history of mankind has for ever been permanently been divided into two time periods, “Before Christ” (BC) and “After Christ” (AC). Now, I am sure that all of us here have read about these facts in our Bible. We all know about the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ as all of our faith is founded upon His life and sacrifice. But, as we all know, the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord have been recorded in all of the gospels in the bible, and although there are some small variations in the description, the theme does not fluctuate. Today we will be using the gospel of John. Today we are going to examine with a little more depth the event of the resurrection of Christ according to the gospel of John because in it we will discover more than just a simply historical event.

John 20:11-18 – But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher; 12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him. 14And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

When we carefully study these verses dealing with the resurrection of Christ, in them we find three teachings that are of the utmost importance for our daily life. Three teachings that will help us lead a victorious and blessed life at all times. Let’s examine them now.

The first teaching that we find here is that the lack of understanding or not paying attention will cause us grief and agony. Here we read “But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, 12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him.” As we can clearly see, this woman arrived at the tomb full of pain and sadness. She had gone to the grave looking for the teacher, but the problem was that she went looking not for a living person, but for a cadaver. Although she had heard His teachings just like the rest of the disciples, she had not understood the real meaning. Just like the rest of the disciple, she had not grasped the magnitude of His power and greatness. This is something that is very well declared in John 20:9 when we read “For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.” Lack of understanding of the preachings and teachings of the Lord caused her and the rest of the disciples to feel pain and anguish instead of joy and jubilee.