Very shortly Dave and I will be leaving for “Sonrise” Service. It’s going to be a beautiful crisp morning as we join with friends to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
But that first morning wasn’t a time of celebration for the apostles and Jesus’ followers. It was a time of mourning, a time to say a proper good-bye, a time of preparing His body for a proper burial.
How startling and frightening it was for Mary and the other women to arrive at the tomb and find it empty!
They ran back to the place where they were all gathered and told Peter, John and the others that Jesus was gone and the angels said He was alive. Peter and John ran to the tomb and found it empty. They went back to the others and reported that it was as the women had said. (John 20, Matthew 28)
It was in the garden where Mary saw Jesus and knew the Lord was alive, He spoke to her. He called her by name.
Next to see Jesus were two disciples walking on the road. (Luke 24) They were talking about everything that had happened in Jerusalem – the trial, the beating, and the crucifixion. Jesus joined them on the road and asked what they were talking about. They thought He was the only one in Jerusalem who didn’t know what had happened. When they got to their destination, they invited Jesus to eat with them, still they didn’t recognize Him but when Jesus took the bread and blessed it, they knew! Instantly, Jesus was gone from their midst.
“Joining them at the supper table, Jesus took some bread and gave thanks. Then he broke some off and gave it to them. 31 Just then the men were allowed to recognize him. But when they saw who he was, he disappeared. 32 They said to each other, ‘When he talked to us on the road, it felt like a fire burning in us. How exciting it was when he explained to us the true meaning of the Scriptures!’”Luke 24:20-32 ERV
The two ran back, seven miles to Jerusalem, to tell the others what had happened. They were behind locked doors because they feared the soldiers would come for them. It was the evening of that same day and Jesus appeared in their midst.
The breaking of the bread and blessing it was something they had probably seen Jesus do many times. It was familiar to them and they recognized this gesture.
“While the two men were saying these things to the other followers, Jesus himself came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’
37 This surprised the followers. They were afraid. They thought they were seeing a ghost. 38 But Jesus said, ‘Why are you troubled? Why do you doubt what you see? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me. Touch me. You can see that I have a living body; a ghost does not have a body like this.’” Luke 24:36-39 ERV
Maybe some of you are troubled today, wondering if God has forgotten you. He hasn’t! God takes the ordinary things in life and makes them extraordinary. He gladly reveals Himself and His power to us in personal ways.
Welcome Him to your table and break bread with the risen Savior!