Jesus rising
You'll remember yesterday as we were looking at this picture of Christ on a cross that he said in John 10, “the reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again.” Christ knew that he would die and that he would rise again. In fact, he said many times to his disciples that he would rise from the dead - and they only really remembered when it had happened.
And so today's picture of Christ and one that Mary no doubt would have clung to and put it up on her wall if there were photos in those days is Christ rising from the dead and the tomb now being empty.
Resurrection Hope
Yesterday I mentioned that Catholic churches have Christ on the cross and that's significant because of what he did there. Protestant churches, on the other hand, mostly have empty crosses in their churches. This is because we realize that Christ didn't stay dead but that rising again, he completed the work that he had come to do for God.
In fact, listen to these words from Paul in 1 Corinthians, he said, “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” In verse 17 of chapter 15, he says, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” In other words, what Christ did on the cross was only effective because he conquered death three days later.
Jesus rose from the dead! Have this picture of him in your mind - as not just a martyr dying for his beliefs, but as God in the flesh making a self-sacrifice and then rising again, conquering death once and for all.
Victory in Christ
And you know what? Because he was raised, you and I will be raised too. If we place our faith in him, we will be raised to life and that is our hope! Paul says again in verse 19 of that chapter, “if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we of all people most to be pitied.” In other words, if we see Christ as just someone to help us here on earth, then that's a pitiful thing because we've forgotten this part of the story that Christ didn't stay dead but conquered death so that all of his followers will also conquer death.
Oh praise him today, friends, because of the empty tomb! There's a song that says, “I serve a risen Savior, he's in my life today.” Amen to that!
Even death has no say in light of Christ's power. As Paul says at the end of that chapter, “where o death is your victory, where o death is your sting? Thanks be to God, he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
