Author: art rogers
Risen
Sunday, April 8th, 2007 @ 4:05 am
1 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached [the tomb]. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his robe was as white as snow. 4 The guards were so shaken from fear of him that they became like dead men. 5 But the angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. In fact, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”
8 So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell His disciples the news. 9 Just then Jesus met them and said, “Good morning!” They came up, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there.”
Praise be to the Lord, God Almighty. Jesus is risen. The assault on the truth of the resurrection began just a few verses later as Matthew records the Jews bribing the soldiers to say the disciples stole the body. Many have assaulted the empty tomb since then, but none can find the body of the Lord.
- The disciples died for the belief in a risen Lord. If they had stolen the body, they would have confessed it, rather than endure the hardships they faced.
- If the Romans had the body they would have produced it to quell the rising influence of this sectarian group they came to detest.
- If the Jews had the body, they would have produced it to reveal that Christianity is a fraud. They didn’t because they couldn’t.
Blessed Resurrection Day, Christian. I pray you are filled with the joy that the ladies shared as they left the empty tomb that day.
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April 9th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
And, if the Romans (including the guards) knew the body had been taken by the Jews, orf even if that was apparently what had happened, there are several other things they would’ve done. But one of them would not have been to bribe the guards to say that.
You don’t bribe folks to tell the truth.