Matthew 28:5-7 NLT
Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
“Don’t be afraid!” he said. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen.”
One of the things I’ve noticed in my Bible reading is that whenever angels are mentioned, it is followed by the words, “Don’t be afraid!”
It was three days after they had witnessed Him hanging on the cross, for sure they were sad. And then they were met at the tomb by an angel, telling them that He is risen!
It was written and prophesied that He was going to suffer and die.
I wonder what I would have thought if I was walking with Him listening to to His teaching when He was explaining that He would have suffer and die. What would you have been thinking?
Matthew 16:21 NLT
From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
Would I be like Peter, who pulled Jesus aside to rebuke Him?
Matthew 16:22 NLT
But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
I don’t think I would of liked the response that Jesus gave Peter.
Matthew 16:23 NLT
Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
But that is how we see it, no? We look at most “things merely from a human point of view.”
He told them about what was going to happen all the way through the last supper. It was written in prophesy over and over. None more poignant than Isaiah:
Isaiah 53:7-8 NLT
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.
Even with prophesy and the words coming directly from Him about His death, they didn’t see it coming. They are no different back in those days as we are today.
They only had part of the picture. We are blessed to have the whole revelation of God but we are still confounded by the events that we see happening in front of us.
We go from day to day and He could be coming for His church anytime now. The time is short.
You may be thinking, “John, what does that mean for us?”
Mark 12:28-31 NLT
One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
We focus on loving God and loving others.
We do this while leading a productive life for our family, employers and our church, while being alert and keeping our eyes focused on His return.
Heavenly Father, the time is drawing near for Your return.
I pray that You help me to be a godly servant, helping those around me to come to know You. I thank You for Your sacrifice and forgiveness. Something that I could never have been able to do on my own.
I thank You for the people that You have brought into my life. I pray that You help me to be compassionate and responsive to the needs of those around me.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
