He is Risen!

April 13, 2020 Monday Message:

“The women went into the tomb, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.” Luke 24:3 NLT

So let’s look at the events that lead up to this. Jesus hosted the Last Supper – the Passover meal with his followers - on Thursday. Next, Judas betrayed Jesus, pointing him out to the soldiers. Jesus was sent before Pilate, then the torture, and ultimately Jesus was crucified on Friday, died about 3pm, and was placed in a tomb. The sky went dark and there was a terrible earthquake – so all the earth knew something had gone terribly wrong.

Here’s where days-of-the-week really matter. Nowadays, we record a day-change right after midnight. But 2,000 years ago, in the Hebrew culture, the change-of-day happened at sundown, and traditionally any portion of a day counted as a full day. Therefore Jesus died on Friday, the first day. Saturday, day two, was the Sabbath, the Jewish Holy day when no work could be done.

Which brings us to Sunday, the third day. As was traditional, the women returned with special spices for burial. But they found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty, just as Jesus himself prophesied: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40

The women at the tomb saw two brightly lit men, probably angels, who asked them, ““Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?” Then they remembered Jesus’ words.” from Luke 24:5-8 MSG

When Jesus died on the cross, he took the sins of the world upon himself, and put garments of white on all believers. Jesus conquered sin and death on the same day that we call Easter, which means spring, which represents new life. Some Christians call it Resurrection Sunday, which points to the born-again new life given to all believers by Jesus! Hallelujah!

Norton Lawellin, Worship Pastor

Jesus in the City Fellowship.

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406