“He has Risen”
One of the things my parents kept telling me to do when I was young, was to say “Good morning” to them or my siblings when I first got up out of bed and stumbled into the dining or living area. And woe to us if we didn’t say ‘Good morning’, then we would be soon told. Thankfully, my parents were somewhat more lenient if we were not feeling well.
However, there was always one day a year when there was an exception to the rule. And that day was Easter Sunday morning. It was then that the tables were turned and those who had been awake for a while and had gathered their thoughts, would be expected to say to anyone who came stumbling into the dining or living area, “He has Risen” and then we were expected to respond, “He has risen indeed.”
Now that I have grown up a little, I appreciate more the importance of Easter and especially Easter Sunday morning. As Christians we realize that without the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave on Easter Sunday morning, our faith would be futile. It would be the grandest waste of time of all time, for we would still be in our sins and would not stand justified before the Judge of all the earth (1 Cor 15:13-19).
When the angel told the two Marys that Jesus was no longer in the grave but had risen, they were “afraid, yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” We can easily identify with these two women being ‘afraid.’ They had experienced a violent earthquake; the great big stone had been rolled back from the opening of the tomb; the angel’s appearance was as lightning and his cloths white as snow; and the poor guards were shaking so much at seeing all of this, they were like dead men; and last but not least, the once dead Jesus revealed himself to them alive and well (Mat 28:1-10).
What a wonderful thing these two women experienced. Of all the people in Jesus’ inner circle, it was the two women that the Lord of the universe had chosen to reveal the great news that Jesus had risen from the dead. He didn’t reveal it to his beloved disciples, but first to two lowly women.
If this brief account (Mat 28:1-10) was all we had of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it would be enough for us to praise God’s name forever, for it is contained in His holy Word. However, there is so much more evidence in Scripture. For instance, in 1 Cor 15:5-8, the Apostle Paul lists several individuals and groups that saw the resurrected Christ, including Peter and the other Twelve; and then to more than five hundred at the same time; and then to James and the Apostles, and also to Paul himself.
On Easter Sunday morning we praise and worship our Lord and King (as we do every Sunday), for Jesus rose from the dead victoriously and therefore we have been justified, clothed with the righteousness of our Saviour. Hallelujah – what a great reason to greet each other a little differently on Easter Sunday morning “He has risen … He has risen indeed!” JZ