Easter tells a story about a man who lived 2000 years ago. He was crucified on a cruel Roman cross, pronounced dead then buried in a cave. It was Friday. His name is Jesus, and his story didn’t end with his death. People who knew him said he came back to life after three days in the tomb.
The first person to see Jesus alive was Mary Magdalene. Mary was a follower of Jesus––He had released her from seven demons who had tormented her for years. Mary saw him in the garden near his tomb. It was early Sunday morning. Mary talked with him, then went straight to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’
On Sunday evening the disciples were in a room together. The doors were locked because they were afraid the people who had arrested Jesus might come after them.
While they were in the room Jesus appeared out of thin air and stood among them. He spoke, saying: ‘Peace be with you.’ Then, he showed them his hands where the nails went in, and his side where a soldier had speared him.
They were overjoyed at having seen Jesus who was dead and now alive.
One of the disciples, Thomas wasn’t in the room, and when the others told him they had seen Jesus he wouldn’t believe them: ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.’
On the same day two of Jesus’ followers were heading home to Emmaus (7km). They were disillusioned and sad because the man they believed would set them free from Roman rule was dead. But as they walked Jesus appeared. He walked with them and explained from the Scriptures everything God had planned concerning him.
Jesus traveled with them to the next town, and had a meal with them, then he disappeared. No longer sad and disillusioned, the two men joyfully hurried back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples they ‘had seen the Lord.’
A week after Jesus was first seen alive, the disciples were in the same house where Jesus had appeared. Thomas was with them and the doors were locked. Jesus appeared and spoke directly to Thomas, he said: ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ He did, and he said to Jesus: ‘My Lord and my God.’
It was said: Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at the one time––that’s a lot of witnesses. Jesus appeared to many people on and off over forty days, then disappeared into heaven. Three years after all this a man named Paul was on his way to Damascus to arrest followers of Jesus–– Paul hated Jesus and those who followed him. Suddenly, on the road Jesus appeared to him and he too became a follower. Twenty five years later Paul was still telling people Jesus is alive.
Why did Jesus appear?
Jesus appeared to declare that his work of opening the way to righteousness was finished. By the way, he also proved he had complete power over death.
Paul, once violently against Jesus wrote: ‘Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.’ (Rom 4:25)
The appearance of Jesus shows that God accepted his death as the appropriate punishment for our sins: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) The mystery of Jesus is that in his death he was our substitute.
Scripture says: Jesus ‘was raised to life for our justification’.
Justification means to pronounce righteous or acquit. In our case it means to be made right with God. Forgiven and restored to fellowship.
We can truly become God’s friends––Jesus is alive to guarantee this.
People today talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus as myth or symbols of hope. They’re much more than that. Through his death and resurrection Jesus brought true hope to a hopeless world. He opened the way to friendship with God and new and eternal life.
His word to our cynical world is the same as it was to Thomas: ‘Stop doubting and believe.’ The right response to Jesus is for each of us is to say to him: ‘My Lord and my God.’ Then live in his new and everlasting world.
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