The Resurrection Of Our Lord / Easter Day
Devotional
Pause Before The Pulpit
Personal Reflections For Pastors On The Lectionary Readings
John 20:1-18
One thing that strikes me in this text is the different reactions of each character to the resurrection. The other disciple (whom we might safely assume was John) stopped outside the tomb and looked in, cautiously surveying the scene from a distance. Peter rushed right in, wanting to get a close-up look at the situation. The other disciple then entered the tomb after Peter, and when he saw, he believed.
The two disciples returned to their homes, where they no doubt pondered the situation, but didn't seem to actively pursue any answers to their questions. Mary, on the other hand, who had been there first and ran back to town for the disciples, returned to the site of the resurrection and stood weeping outside the tomb. Not only did she show her grief through emotion, but she was insistent on finding answers.
Notice what the two disciples missed out on by returning to their homes. First, they missed out on seeing and conversing with two angels. Maybe it wasn't that big of a deal, but then again, it wasn't every day that angels appeared to people! Secondly, they missed out on seeing and conversing with Jesus, which would have been an awesome experience!
The point I want us to consider is that often it is those who hang around the "empty tomb" who get their questions answered. Now, granted, the disciples finally got their questions answered, too, but how much richer the experience might have been if they had stayed at the tomb (provided that the angels and Jesus would have shown up if the disciples had been there).
The tendency of many people is to walk away from the empty tomb, shaking their heads, and denying that the resurrection ever took place. Like the two disciples, they go off to their homes and ponder the whole thing over and over again, but never come to any solid conclusions. If they do, it is very likely denial, for no one can figure out the resurrection on their own. It just goes against our ability to fully comprehend and explain.
Unfortunately, there are some pastors who have done this, too. They've left the empty tomb and quit talking about the resurrection as a possibility. Since it goes against the laws of nature and doesn't seem logical to them, they call it a myth.
I would much rather be like Mary -- and I urge you to be the same -- for even though Mary wept with grief and confusion, she hung in there. She stayed by the tomb and the Lord rewarded her with some answers and an exciting experience of joy and comfort! First, the angels helped bring some clarification to the situation, then the presence and words of Jesus brought the joy and comfort she desperately needed even more than the answers to her questions.
How important it is that we, as students of the word, when encountering difficult truths and mysteries in God's Word, do not "walk away" from them, but stay and wait for an answer. Certainly, God will not reveal all his mysteries to us until we get to heaven, but, like Mary, if we wait and insist on knowing what it is that he wants us to know, he will reveal his truths to us, little by little, as we are ready for them. He didn't tell Mary everything, nor did he tell the disciples everything, but once they encountered their risen and living Lord, Jesus Christ, they believed.
The main way we encounter this risen and living Jesus today, is through his word. This is why time alone with him, in Bible reading and prayer -- apart from sermon and Bible study preparation -- is so important. It is when we are quiet before him, without any distractions, that he seems to speak to us in that still, small voice that brings joy and comfort to the heart of every believer. It is in these times that he might reveal truths to us that we never saw in scripture before: he'll give us peace to accept by faith the things we cannot fully know; and he will give us great joy in those things that we do know and believe strongly in, just as he did for Mary.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Please give me patience to wait at your word for you to speak to me. Teach me your truths, O Lord, and give me peace to accept by faith those things that I can never know in this lifetime. Thank you for rising from the dead -- guaranteeing that my sins are forgiven and that I will enjoy a resurrection to eternal life, just like yours, when I leave this body some day. Amen.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
All of scripture should be read as if it were the very words of God speaking directly to us, for it is. However, this text is one of those passages that, if read as a letter specifically to us, causes us to sit up and really think about what it is saying.
The Apostle Paul was emphasizing to the Corinthian church how important it was that they believe in the death and resurrection of Christ. Of all the doctrines of the church, Paul considered this to be of first importance. He then cited a list of witnesses who could vouch for the truth of this essential doctrine. It is this doctrine which makes the gospel good news. Without it, we have no hope of salvation and eternal life.
Now I'm going to help you hear this text as a letter directly to you by asking you a series of questions.
When was the gospel first proclaimed to you? Was it as a child? Was it later in life? For me, it was from birth. There was never a time in my life that I wasn't exposed to the gospel.
When did you first receive it? Was it at the first moment it was proclaimed to you? Was it at your baptism? Was it in Sunday school, at a Bible camp, or Bible college? Perhaps it was at an evangelistic crusade where you fought it off for some time, but finally couldn't any longer, and you received this good news into your heart and life.
Are you currently standing in this good news? In other words, are you relying solely on the death and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and the hope of eternal life in heaven?
Are you holding firmly to this gospel, or have you come to believe in vain? To believe in vain is to no longer hold firmly to this gospel as the only way to be saved. If we no longer believe in the death and the resurrection of Christ, then what about Christ is there to believe? I suppose one could believe that he was a good man -- a historical figure -- who had a big ego and believed he was the Son of God, but with no effect on the rest of humanity. Many people believe similar ideas about Jesus, but to do so is to believe in him in vain; for there is no point in believing in Jesus if we don't believe the whole package exactly as scripture has spelled it out for us. Paul was very concerned about this for his readers, and I am very concerned about this for those who read his letters today. If we downplay the death and resurrection of Christ, we end up with a gospel that is no longer good news. To preach such a "gospel" to people is to do a great injustice to God's Word and is leading people astray. We are, in effect, causing them to believe in vain.
Our calling, as pastors, is to hand on as first importance what we have received from God's Word: the truth of the gospel, as witnessed by many, that Jesus was indeed put to death, buried, and on the third day rose from the dead. May we not forget that our situation in life is not all that different from that of Paul's, where we, too, can say, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain.
If it were not for the grace of God, you and I would not be believers. If it were not for the grace of God, you and I would not be ministers of the gospel. If it were not for the grace of God, we would have no good news to share with those we minister to. Can we honestly say: his grace toward me has not been in vain? I pray that we can, and that it may stir us to believe and hold firmly to the central teaching of the gospel that Christ Jesus was indeed raised from the dead.
The only way we can proclaim the Easter story in all its power and glory is if it truly dwells in our hearts in all its power and glory. Pray for faith to believe it. Pray for boldness to proclaim it. Pray that others will receive it by faith as well.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
If I have believed in vain, please forgive me. Correct my thinking and strengthen my faith. May I hold firmly to that which I have received and am, in fact, standing in -- the truth of the gospel that you were indeed put to death and on the third day rose from the dead. May I proclaim this truth in all its power and glory, that many others might hear and receive it for their salvation and no longer believe in vain. Thank you. Amen.
One thing that strikes me in this text is the different reactions of each character to the resurrection. The other disciple (whom we might safely assume was John) stopped outside the tomb and looked in, cautiously surveying the scene from a distance. Peter rushed right in, wanting to get a close-up look at the situation. The other disciple then entered the tomb after Peter, and when he saw, he believed.
The two disciples returned to their homes, where they no doubt pondered the situation, but didn't seem to actively pursue any answers to their questions. Mary, on the other hand, who had been there first and ran back to town for the disciples, returned to the site of the resurrection and stood weeping outside the tomb. Not only did she show her grief through emotion, but she was insistent on finding answers.
Notice what the two disciples missed out on by returning to their homes. First, they missed out on seeing and conversing with two angels. Maybe it wasn't that big of a deal, but then again, it wasn't every day that angels appeared to people! Secondly, they missed out on seeing and conversing with Jesus, which would have been an awesome experience!
The point I want us to consider is that often it is those who hang around the "empty tomb" who get their questions answered. Now, granted, the disciples finally got their questions answered, too, but how much richer the experience might have been if they had stayed at the tomb (provided that the angels and Jesus would have shown up if the disciples had been there).
The tendency of many people is to walk away from the empty tomb, shaking their heads, and denying that the resurrection ever took place. Like the two disciples, they go off to their homes and ponder the whole thing over and over again, but never come to any solid conclusions. If they do, it is very likely denial, for no one can figure out the resurrection on their own. It just goes against our ability to fully comprehend and explain.
Unfortunately, there are some pastors who have done this, too. They've left the empty tomb and quit talking about the resurrection as a possibility. Since it goes against the laws of nature and doesn't seem logical to them, they call it a myth.
I would much rather be like Mary -- and I urge you to be the same -- for even though Mary wept with grief and confusion, she hung in there. She stayed by the tomb and the Lord rewarded her with some answers and an exciting experience of joy and comfort! First, the angels helped bring some clarification to the situation, then the presence and words of Jesus brought the joy and comfort she desperately needed even more than the answers to her questions.
How important it is that we, as students of the word, when encountering difficult truths and mysteries in God's Word, do not "walk away" from them, but stay and wait for an answer. Certainly, God will not reveal all his mysteries to us until we get to heaven, but, like Mary, if we wait and insist on knowing what it is that he wants us to know, he will reveal his truths to us, little by little, as we are ready for them. He didn't tell Mary everything, nor did he tell the disciples everything, but once they encountered their risen and living Lord, Jesus Christ, they believed.
The main way we encounter this risen and living Jesus today, is through his word. This is why time alone with him, in Bible reading and prayer -- apart from sermon and Bible study preparation -- is so important. It is when we are quiet before him, without any distractions, that he seems to speak to us in that still, small voice that brings joy and comfort to the heart of every believer. It is in these times that he might reveal truths to us that we never saw in scripture before: he'll give us peace to accept by faith the things we cannot fully know; and he will give us great joy in those things that we do know and believe strongly in, just as he did for Mary.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Please give me patience to wait at your word for you to speak to me. Teach me your truths, O Lord, and give me peace to accept by faith those things that I can never know in this lifetime. Thank you for rising from the dead -- guaranteeing that my sins are forgiven and that I will enjoy a resurrection to eternal life, just like yours, when I leave this body some day. Amen.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
All of scripture should be read as if it were the very words of God speaking directly to us, for it is. However, this text is one of those passages that, if read as a letter specifically to us, causes us to sit up and really think about what it is saying.
The Apostle Paul was emphasizing to the Corinthian church how important it was that they believe in the death and resurrection of Christ. Of all the doctrines of the church, Paul considered this to be of first importance. He then cited a list of witnesses who could vouch for the truth of this essential doctrine. It is this doctrine which makes the gospel good news. Without it, we have no hope of salvation and eternal life.
Now I'm going to help you hear this text as a letter directly to you by asking you a series of questions.
When was the gospel first proclaimed to you? Was it as a child? Was it later in life? For me, it was from birth. There was never a time in my life that I wasn't exposed to the gospel.
When did you first receive it? Was it at the first moment it was proclaimed to you? Was it at your baptism? Was it in Sunday school, at a Bible camp, or Bible college? Perhaps it was at an evangelistic crusade where you fought it off for some time, but finally couldn't any longer, and you received this good news into your heart and life.
Are you currently standing in this good news? In other words, are you relying solely on the death and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and the hope of eternal life in heaven?
Are you holding firmly to this gospel, or have you come to believe in vain? To believe in vain is to no longer hold firmly to this gospel as the only way to be saved. If we no longer believe in the death and the resurrection of Christ, then what about Christ is there to believe? I suppose one could believe that he was a good man -- a historical figure -- who had a big ego and believed he was the Son of God, but with no effect on the rest of humanity. Many people believe similar ideas about Jesus, but to do so is to believe in him in vain; for there is no point in believing in Jesus if we don't believe the whole package exactly as scripture has spelled it out for us. Paul was very concerned about this for his readers, and I am very concerned about this for those who read his letters today. If we downplay the death and resurrection of Christ, we end up with a gospel that is no longer good news. To preach such a "gospel" to people is to do a great injustice to God's Word and is leading people astray. We are, in effect, causing them to believe in vain.
Our calling, as pastors, is to hand on as first importance what we have received from God's Word: the truth of the gospel, as witnessed by many, that Jesus was indeed put to death, buried, and on the third day rose from the dead. May we not forget that our situation in life is not all that different from that of Paul's, where we, too, can say, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain.
If it were not for the grace of God, you and I would not be believers. If it were not for the grace of God, you and I would not be ministers of the gospel. If it were not for the grace of God, we would have no good news to share with those we minister to. Can we honestly say: his grace toward me has not been in vain? I pray that we can, and that it may stir us to believe and hold firmly to the central teaching of the gospel that Christ Jesus was indeed raised from the dead.
The only way we can proclaim the Easter story in all its power and glory is if it truly dwells in our hearts in all its power and glory. Pray for faith to believe it. Pray for boldness to proclaim it. Pray that others will receive it by faith as well.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
If I have believed in vain, please forgive me. Correct my thinking and strengthen my faith. May I hold firmly to that which I have received and am, in fact, standing in -- the truth of the gospel that you were indeed put to death and on the third day rose from the dead. May I proclaim this truth in all its power and glory, that many others might hear and receive it for their salvation and no longer believe in vain. Thank you. Amen.
