The Victory of the King
Opening Prayer
King of Glory, You are my hope and all that my heart longs for. I love You!
Read LUKE 24:1-7
[1] 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. [2] They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, [3] but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. [5] 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? [6] He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: [7] ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What did the women encounter?It’s resurrection day! The day when we celebrate the victory of life over death. This victory caught Jesus’ followers completely off-guard. Jesus had predicted his resurrection, of course (see Luke 18:31-33), but his followers simply could not understand. They had hoped that the Messiah would bring relief from oppressive human powers, emancipation of the Jewish nation, and the influence of the Davidic crown. But relief from the ultimate sources of human enslavement, sin and death, is hard to conceive.The women are the first witnesses of this event. They see the empty tomb, hear the angels’ message, and recall Jesus’ words. Then they hurry to tell others. The empty tomb is a conundrum that only the angels seem able to explain (6,7). Jesus’ followers had hoped for a Messiah who would transform their context. What they got was a Messiah who transformed their very lives. Jesus’ resurrection transforms our human destiny. Jesus goes through death and out the other side, breaking the power of sin and death over human life. In that, our hope is certain.
Apply
Take time to praise God for your coming resurrection and its power to transform your daily life.
Closing prayer
Lord, what a hope You have purchased for us. May we see its power breaking out in this world.
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