Happy Easter! This is an Easter blog post, the verse of the day will be published later. If anyone reading this is new to Christianity, on this day we say "He is risen" to celebrate Jesus's resurrection from the grave and the ultimate downfall of sin and death. We reply to "He is risen" with "He is risen indeed" to share in the celebration of eternal salvation.
The story of Easter Sunday can be found in all four gospels, each with slightly different details, but they all tell the same triumphant story. The version talked about here comes from Matthew 28. Some of the most impactful verses in this joyful chapter are Matthew 28:5-7, which reads, "The angel said to the women (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome*, and Joanna**) 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 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.'"
These women were the first to learn that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he had told them he would (Luke 24:7, Mark 8:31, Mark 9:31, Mark 10:34, John 2:19, etc.). There are many more places in the Bible where Jesus predicts his death and resurrection, but that would make a very long list. As Matthew 28 continues, we learn that Jesus actually greeted them and the women fell onto their knees and worshiped him. This is most definitely a correct response to meeting the newly risen Lord. Jesus continues by telling to women to have his disciples meet him in Galilee (Link leads to around where modern-day Galilee is). Matthew 28 also gives a 5 verse section on what the guards did about Jesus's resurrection (Matthew 28: 11-15). Later, when Jesus and his disciples meet for the first time since his death and resurrection, the Bible says that the 11 worshipped him (Judas Iscariot hung himself) and Jesus told them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
These are the final word from Jesus in the gospel of Matthew, and even today these words are a calling to anyone who calls themself a follower of Christ. We are to obey what Jesus has commanded and to tell the world about his wonderful love for us. Christ assures us that he will always be with us throughout all our life. He loves us and because he loved us, he died for us, he rose again three days later, defeating death and every single sin for all eternity. 1 John 4:9-10,19 states, "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins... We love because he loved us first." So on this Easter, we are forgiven of our sins for all time and God's grace was upon you from the moment you first believed. This Easter, share God's love for us through Jesus, share what Jesus's love means to you, what the cross means for you, and what the empty tomb means for you. He is risen.
He is risen indeed.