The Bible Courseනියැදිය

Resurrection and ascension – the victory of Jesus

Reflect:

Have you ever had a day where everything changed? Life has many ordinary days, but some stand out. Some involve decisions or events that alter the course of your life, such as wedding days and job interviews – once these days and moments happen, everything changes.

The Bible story is shaped like an hourglass. It all funnels down to a narrow point as the Messiah dies and rises again. It all centres on one weekend that changed the world.

What do the words ‘he is not here; he has risen’ mean for us today?

Luke records women arriving at the tomb to tend to Jesus’ body with spices, as was the custom. The least they could do was give Jesus a dignified burial. Jesus really did die on the cross – you only bring spices to a tomb when you know there’s a dead body there.

But they’re met by two men who ask them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?’ (verse 6). The one they’re looking for isn’t in the grave, and there’s no need for spices because he’s alive again.

When Jesus rose to life, he lifted humanity to new heights. He was the same person, yet totally transformed. This was a physical resurrection. This was a new creation.

What do we learn from the disciples’ experience on the road to Emmaus?

The two who walked away from Jerusalem felt hopeless and deflated. They really had let themselves believe that Jesus was the one who would free them from the oppression of Rome (verse 21). They’d believed in a story, but it wasn’t quite the one that God had written.

The risen Jesus met them on the road and took them through the Scriptures, explaining how the whole story centred on him (verse 27). God was setting people free, not from Rome, but from their captivity to sin.

Like the two disciples, when we recognise Jesus and the significance of all that he has done for us, our hearts begin to burn and our spirits soar. God’s promises and plan did not fail and nothing can derail the hope we have in Jesus. Because the resurrection of Jesus really happened, our lives don’t end in hopelessness; instead, we have a sure and certain hope of eternal life.

Respond

Followers of Jesus are people of hope. How could you extend that hope to a hurting and disappointed world today?