Mid Week Meditation

Mid Week Meditation pt. 42

Based on Biblical Text:Luke 24:32

“And they said, one to another, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?’”

Passion Week presented opportunities to bring us together in celebration, contemplation, retrospection and introspection. We had occasion to examine ourselves and our relationship with our Lord and Savior. We, in many instances, allowed ourselves time to reflect on our behavior and our intentions as they relate to our promised service to the Kingdom. We found, in our quiet time, opportunity to meditate on how faithful we have been in our service and how well we have lived up to the command to love God and each other. We excitedly celebrated that the tomb was empty signifying that Jesus had risen just as He said He would.

The truth is that the Resurrection of Jesus is a present reality of the victory that set human existence on a new path of life. However, it is impossible to truly appreciate the Resurrection message unless we thoughtfully consider how it affects and impacts our past, our present and our future.

Jesus’ resurrection is not an example of God attempting to excite the emotions of His followers. Nor is it an incredible feat perpetrated to amaze and antagonize His enemies. The fact is that the “Empty Tomb” presents a critical message. It is a message that was vitally necessary for that age and is critically relevant for this age, and for every age until Jesus returns to receive His own.

The bodily Resurrection of Jesus relieved doubts and brought much needed clarity to the things He had been teaching. Clarity and understanding were essential to move the disciples and early followers forward to build the early Christian church. Jesus attempted to prepare His disciples for His imminent sacrifice and substitutional death. However, they never really grasped the concept fully due to their limited understanding. Truthfully speaking, the concept was so foreign to their prevailing Messianic belief, that they considered it impossible.

Jesus worked to convince the disciples that His death was necessary, but their intent was to persuade Him to stay away from Jerusalem and avoid those who would seek to persecute, and worse, kill Him. Jesus’ mission drove Him to ignore their efforts, persisting in His plans to go to Jerusalem. There, of course, Jesus was greeted with false accusations and the unjust trials that led to His ultimate crucifixion.

Jesus was a very popular leader thus His death was a great public tragedy. He had been publicly condemned as a criminal. The ultimate punishment of crucifixion, in spite of the injustice, brought shame to His family and His followers. It is no mystery why many, if not most followers fled in fear and despair.

The good news is that following His resurrection, it is recorded, "Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45). Hallelujah, after the resurrection, folk had confirmation that Jesus’ substitutional death on the cross had been God’s plan from the very beginning demonstrating His determination to redeem us from the tyranny and waste of sin.