Matthew 28: 1-7 says: “The angel said to the women, ‘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.” When the women came to visit the tomb of their friend and teacher early on the morn of a new week, the whole situation that morning did not fit their understanding of what should have been.
Somehow everything had been transformed. The angel’s words were stunning: “He is not here, do not be afraid, He has risen.” That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it will be the same until Jesus’ second coming.
Man has always tried to put his fingerprints on the word of God, convincing the people they can make it different, easier, without transformation from the world. I can remember several years back when men and women were filling up the Wednesday night Bible studies with a book call The Perfect Driving Life.
People were looking for a quick fix—something mystical, or magical to happen in their lives. But they found out that the Gospel was still the same concerning Jesus Christ’ death, burial, and resurrection. It also called for personal sacrifice in reading God’s word to bring about a transformation in one’s life. This transformation is called being ‘born again,’ and ‘born of the spirit.’ Read Romans 8: 1-17.
Jesus is alive and well. He is perfectly transformed and stands on the other side of this life’s low ground of sorrow, holding out the promise that He has overcome death. We too shall do the same.
Christ has become the ‘not here Christ’—the one who is not dead but alive. And my friends, because we share in that resurrection, we share in that condition. Did you know, you are ‘not here either’? We are no longer of this world but merely in it. Heaven, where He reigns, is now our true home as well. Hallelujah!
Christ is risen! Don’t be deceived, there is nothing new under the sun. If you want to walk in the spirit of Christ, just surrender mind, body and soul.
For most Christian it is too late to speculate on the outcome of something when that something has already been determined.
My weekly prayer is for the reader of this commentary to be spiritually inspired by God. Contact Expressions of Faith at P.O. Box 330127, Nashville, Tenn. 37203; or e-mail <watsonwr68@gmail.com>. God bless!
