This week has been the season for many Christians to commemorate the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Today, we celebrate the resurrection of Christ from the grave. He is truly an expert of three emptiness-- an empty life, an empty cross, and an empty tomb. Those manifestations of emptiness turn out to be the fulfillment of the prophecy even during the Old Testament times. It is indeed true that Christ our Lord is a transcending God-- who was, and is, and is to come!
Matthew 28:1-10 tells us about the resurrection of Christ. Let us read through this passage and ponder on the following reflections later.
Jesus Has Risen
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
In the first few verses, it has been mentioned that it was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary who have seen Christ--three days after His death. During that time under the Jewish tradition, women and children did not count as a significant figure in a community. They were futile individuals, they were not given huge responsibilities. They lived in a patriarchal society wherein men were dominant over them. And in this passage, it is significant to know that the first to witness the resurrection of Christ were the humble women. They were the first to capture the meaning of hope and joy brought by God's resurrection from the grave. It simply implies that God reveals Himself to those who have humble hearts and spirits just like what Mary Magdalene and the other Mary have exuded.
Matthew 28:7 it says, "Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”. In this verse, it shows that Jesus' command to the women was urgent when He said, "go quickly", "now I have told You". And I find amusing how the women responded to His command on verse eight that says, "So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. The women responded immediately with trembling yet filled with joy in their hearts. They abruptly obeyed. It dawned on me that if I am really in awe of God and I honor and glorify Him, I would immediately obey His commands and His directions for my life. But at times, due to my egocentric nature, I do things in my own terms; I do not take heed of His Words, instead I follow my foolish and erroneous instincts then when things fall apart, I get back at Him--blaming Him and ranting to Him every mess I'm going through which I myself have caused. How about you, how do you obey God's command? Is it immediate or delayed? Is it in full or in partial? Friends, it is good to be reminded that obedience to God should be 100%--at once, and at all cost. Partial obedience and delayed obedience will always boil down to disobedience.
Upon learning that Jesus is alive and that He resurrected from the grave, now what's next and where to go?
Acts 1:8 says, 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” As believers of the resurrected Christ, we should tell the world that He lives and the power of the Holy Spirit will dwell among and within us. We should be witnesses of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria of today. Each land represents an area where we live our lives.
Jerusalem is the center of Christianity.Jerusalem represents our home. How do we show that Jesus is the resurrected Lord in our homes? Our true character is being reflected when we our in the confinements of our homes. It's easy to act or behave like a Christian when we are at church, or when we are surrounded by godly people. But, if we're going to examine ourselves, are we proclaiming to the members of our household that Jesus is the resurrected Lord whom we worship with the way we treat them?
Next, Judea (Bethlehem) is the birthplace of Jesus--the birth of Christianity. Judea represents the community we live by. how do we show that Jesus is the resurrected Lord in our lives? I remember an anecdote about two neighbors. It was Sunday afternoon then neighbor 1 asked neighbor 2 where he had been. Then neighbor 2 told neighbor 1 that he went to church. Neighbor 1 was surprised because he did not know that his neighbor was a Christian. How about you? Are you being like a secret agent too? Does your neighborhood know that you are a Christian? Do they know the kind of life you live by? Or you being a Christian is evident but is not convincing enough simply because you are lukewarm type of Christ's follower?
Samaria, on the other hand, was a place where the half Jews lived (due to intermarriage, which I will be discussing some time in the future). Samaria represents the place of work and the school. How do we become witness of the resurrected Lord in our place of work? How do we deal with our colleagues? How's our work ethics? Upon reflecting on these questions it hit me to the core. I used to come to school for work very late. It dawned on me that, that habitual tardiness will tarnish my testimony as a Christian because I couldn't obey small and simple protocol such as keeping punctuality at work. I am a work in progress in that aspect and will do my best not to commit the same mistakes I did the previous school year. I am going to have a fresh start. How about you, is there something you need to start doing, stop doing, or keep on doing so that you could be a better testimony of the resurrected Lord Jesus?
Lastly, the "through the ends of this world". If we go out of our comfort zones, how do we show to the world that Jesus is the resurrected Lord? Proclaiming to the world that Jesus is alive is one thing, but living the life to show that to world is another thing. But it is comforting thing to know that Jesus, who was able to withstand the snares of death is the same God who stands in our midst and is someone who strengthens us so that we could bear all things and do all things (see Philippians 4:13) just like testifying that He is the resurrected Lord of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
