The Word This Week
Luke 24:13…
To say even Jesus’ closest followers did not believe Jesus would rise from the dead is an understatement.
The women were going to the tomb where they knew He had been laid to anoint His dead body. There was no mistaking His death had occurred. Jesus had been tortured, brutalized, torn to shreds, dehydrated, starved, pierced by nails, mocked, derided, and punctured by an executioner’s spear to assure His death.
In truth, Jesus had not been killed, as He was indeed the only man ever lived Who had power over death and dying. The fact is Jesus laid down His life that He may take it up again. From the cross, He had yielded up His Spirit to His Father in heaven.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had received permission from Pilate to take His body down from the cross and place Him in an unused tomb owned by Joseph. They had completed that work and retired for the night, along with all Jesus’ followers.
There was no expectation among the ladies who were coming to further prepare Jesus’ body other than to do just that. Their chief concern was how the stone sealing the entrance to the tomb would be rolled away. We can’t really fault them for their lack of faith in Jesus’ word that He would rise from the dead on the third day, because they knew a dead body when they saw one.
But what about the two followers of Jesus who departed even AFTER hearing He had risen and appeared to the ladies who had come to anoint Him? They didn’t believe the report. So they left for Emmaus.
You would think this degree of lack of faith would never be rewarded by Jesus. It’s one thing for His followers to NOT believe in His resurrection before they saw Him risen – but it’s quite another thing to disbelieve those who have SEEN Him risen and reported the news.
That sounds like the world we live in, doesn’t it? We report the news of the risen Savior having seen Him with the eyes of our hearts and the world doesn’t believe us - anymore than these two men believed the ladies who had literally seen the risen Christ with their physical eyes.
But, in case you think Jesus ever gives up on those He knows are meant to be His, we have this marvelous story. We see Jesus tracking down these two men who had left their faith in Jesus being the Christ and departed to go back home – even after hearing the news of Jesus’ resurrection.
Even in the face of our unfaithfulness, and unbelief, Jesus never gives up on those He knows to be His.
Pastor Bill
To say even Jesus’ closest followers did not believe Jesus would rise from the dead is an understatement.
The women were going to the tomb where they knew He had been laid to anoint His dead body. There was no mistaking His death had occurred. Jesus had been tortured, brutalized, torn to shreds, dehydrated, starved, pierced by nails, mocked, derided, and punctured by an executioner’s spear to assure His death.
In truth, Jesus had not been killed, as He was indeed the only man ever lived Who had power over death and dying. The fact is Jesus laid down His life that He may take it up again. From the cross, He had yielded up His Spirit to His Father in heaven.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had received permission from Pilate to take His body down from the cross and place Him in an unused tomb owned by Joseph. They had completed that work and retired for the night, along with all Jesus’ followers.
There was no expectation among the ladies who were coming to further prepare Jesus’ body other than to do just that. Their chief concern was how the stone sealing the entrance to the tomb would be rolled away. We can’t really fault them for their lack of faith in Jesus’ word that He would rise from the dead on the third day, because they knew a dead body when they saw one.
But what about the two followers of Jesus who departed even AFTER hearing He had risen and appeared to the ladies who had come to anoint Him? They didn’t believe the report. So they left for Emmaus.
You would think this degree of lack of faith would never be rewarded by Jesus. It’s one thing for His followers to NOT believe in His resurrection before they saw Him risen – but it’s quite another thing to disbelieve those who have SEEN Him risen and reported the news.
That sounds like the world we live in, doesn’t it? We report the news of the risen Savior having seen Him with the eyes of our hearts and the world doesn’t believe us - anymore than these two men believed the ladies who had literally seen the risen Christ with their physical eyes.
But, in case you think Jesus ever gives up on those He knows are meant to be His, we have this marvelous story. We see Jesus tracking down these two men who had left their faith in Jesus being the Christ and departed to go back home – even after hearing the news of Jesus’ resurrection.
Even in the face of our unfaithfulness, and unbelief, Jesus never gives up on those He knows to be His.
Pastor Bill