Getting up in the mornings is not my strong suit. I like my sleep. Getting up for work, or exercise, or the mundane tasks of the day does not have me bolting out of bed. However, for things I am excited about, the wake-up calls are the starter’s gun for fun events taking place that day, the start of vacation, visitors coming (or going 😉), or any other thing that holds “happy” for me. And I always wake up better if the sun is shining.
Last week I talked about “Good” Friday. It is a tough day to “celebrate” even though Jesus gave His best gift to us – His payment for our sin through His death on the cross. But I promised to pull us out of our sorrow by reminding us that JESUS WOKE UP!! Not from any deep, trauma-induced sleep, but from DEATH. He resurrected Himself!! He is the only guy who borrowed a tomb and then gave it back. This man, who claimed to be the Son of God, promised us eternal life if we believe in His name. Then He showed us that He could make good on that promise by coming out of His grave! This is what we celebrate on Easter Sunday – Resurrection Day!! On that day, the SON was shining!
During Jesus’s ministry, He raised 3 people from the dead.1 This showed His power over life and death, but some needed more before they could believe in Him as God’s Son or the Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, the apostle Matthew testified that a lot of dead people came to life!!! Can we focus for a moment on the fact that no one ever focuses on this fact?! “Many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’s resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” (Matthew 27:52-53) I can’t for the life of me understand why this isn’t made into a bigger deal…I guess because there was also an earthquake and pitch-black darkness in the middle of the day that Jesus died…both of which were overshadowed 2 days later by Jesus raising from the dead – so many things to make into a big deal! But we get it right when we focus on Jesus – the main reason being that He raised HIMSELF! Everyone else needed Jesus to do it for them! This is foreshadowing, people! He promised He would raise us to life if we believe in Him because WE CANNOT DO IT OURSELVES! We need Jesus to do it for us! For us to wake up to eternal life, we need to wake up now and see that Jesus is our only way!
Over 500 people witnessed Jesus’ great comeback! (1 Corinthians 15:6) We all know skeptics who cannot be convinced of something even if they see it with their own eyes. 500 eyewitnesses would do it for me. And you know they couldn’t keep their mouth shut about it… If I see someone alive who professional killers pronounced dead, then was buried for a few days, I’m telling everyone I know and lots of folks that I don’t! It was probably also mentioned that Jesus had said He was going to do just that!2
Jesus is still alive. He went straight on up to heaven after hanging out on earth, ALIVE, for about 40 days. There were witnesses for that, too.3 He didn’t die again. Once we are raised with Him, by Him, we won’t die again, either.
BUT there is a catch.
We have to take hold of the fact that we are sinners and need Jesus to pay for our sins. He already extended the gift to all, but we have to take it. Then we must live like we trust Him enough with our life – mortal and eternal – to obey Him and share the good news of His gift!
This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:14-16)
No matter how hard your life has been, what you have had to fight through or fight for – no matter what has held you down on this earth – with and because of Jesus, you will shake it off like dirty laundry, just like Jesus shook off the burial shroud He was wrapped in. And you will be raised to walk in a new life with Him! (Romans 6:4)
But you had better hurry! When Jesus went to heaven, He promised to return again – this time in all His glory – to defeat satan once and for all! But that is a blog for another day!
Happy Easter! He is risen, as He said!
1 (Luke 7:11-17, Matthew 9:18-26, John 11:1-44)
2 (Luke 9:21, Luke 18:31, Matthew 16:21, 17:9, 23, 20:19)
3 (Luke 24: 50-51, Acts 1: 9-11)
