Resurrection Power

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:1-6 ESV).

Today is Palm Sunday. It begins our journey toward Easter. My friend Kent Marrs sent me the following story some time ago and it made me think about the incredible power of the resurrection. I couldn’t resist sending it along to you with my thoughts:

George went on a vacation to the Middle East with most of his family including his mother-in-law. During their vacation and while they were visiting Jerusalem, George's mother-in-law dies. With the death certificate in hand, George went to the American Consulate Office to make arrangements to send the body back to the States for proper burial. The Consul, after hearing of the death of the mother-in-law, told George that the sending of a body back to the States for burial is very, very expensive. It could cost as much as $5,000.00. The Consul continues, in most cases, the person responsible for the remains normally decides to bury the body here. This would only cost $150.00. George thinks for some time and answers, "I don't care how must it will cost to send the body back; that's what I want to do." The Consul, after hearing this, says, "You must have loved your mother-in-law very much considering the difference in price." "No, it's not that," says George. "You see, I know of a case many years ago of a person that was buried here in Jerusalem. On the third day he arose from the dead! I just can't take that chance!

I know it is a humorous story, but it represents even more than just humor. Think about the underlying truth presented here. I find it incredible that someone wrote this as a joke and never realized that they were validating the truth of Scripture at the same time. Though I don’t know the original author, I doubt that they intended to cause anyone to think of the resurrection of Christ when they used the reference in this joke. But, it does. For me it was another example of the word of God will not return void. So, I present it to you this morning in our reading.

Think of the power that raised Jesus from the dead. Now think of the challenges that you face in your life. Do you have challenges? Are there some emotional difficulties that you are facing today? Loneliness, grief, or sorrow? Is there some relational difficulty that you are going through? Then turn to the power of God as seen in the resurrection. He is working all things to His glory and your good! Trust in Him for He is trustworthy!