Passion Week Devotional - Sunday - Luke 24:1-12

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”’ Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

12-1:24 Luke

I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, and although, as a youngster, I had a fair understanding of the Christmas story through the nativity plays I’d been in, the Easter story was a mystery to me. That was until, aged 18, someone invited me to go with them to church.

For the first time in my life, I met people whom I both liked and respected – and who also believed in God. At the time, I was quite a nerd (I still am, to be honest) and very sceptical of anything that couldn’t be proven. What fascinated me about these people’s faith was that, at its core, it depended not on a set of beliefs or teachings, but on a historical event – the resurrection of Jesus. Paul, one of Jesus’ early followers, expressed the importance of this pretty bluntly:

‘If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile’ (1 Corinthians 15:17)

That led me on a journey of discovery, largely through the book Who Moved the Stone by Frank Morrison. Morrison began writing with the intention of proving that the resurrection never happened, but ended up concluding that Jesus’ being raised from the dead is the only explanation that makes sense of all the evidence. I came to the same conclusion, and on that basis I put my faith in Christ – a decision which has changed my life for the better in ways I could never have imagined.

Today, as we reflect on that first Easter Day almost 2,000 years ago, let us remember that it actually happened. That Jesus really was raised from the dead – and that changes everything.

Because of the resurrection:

· We can be sure that Jesus was who he claimed to be – the Son of God and the Messiah

· We can be confident that death and sin have been defeated

· There is hope for the world – God’s Kingdom has already begun to break in

· Through Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit is now living in us

· The Church has been born

· Our resurrection into a new heaven and a new earth is assured

· The course of history – not just for humans but for all creation – has changed

There are undoubtedly more, but those are the ones that immediately come to mind.

So I have two encouragements:

· If, like me at 18, you’ve never seriously considered the claims of Jesus, then do. The question “Who is Jesus?” is the most important question you will ever ask. A great way to explore this is by going on an Alpha Course. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Go for it!

· If you’ve already put your faith in Jesus, then live your life with the assurance that Jesus was raised from the dead. Live in the good of all that Christ has achieved for you. Keep your eyes fixed on him. Make doing his will your highest goal. Know that you are loved. Know that your eternity is secure. And live a life that causes others to want to follow him, too.

Today’s devotional was written by Simon Benham.