Right before our reading today happens, we hear about the empty tomb for the first time. Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is risen! I hope you were able to find a way to get to an Easter celebration in a church near you. The songs of Easter are still ringing in my ears! The joy and marvel of Jesus’ resurrection – what do we do with it?
Our Easter faith simply means we put our trust in Jesus as our Messiah. We must never forget his great sacrifice for us. He did all the work, and now it’s our turn to believe. We might find ourselves blinded like those men on the road to Emmaus. We read that “God kept them from recognizing him.” Ask God to reveal himself to you.
I found a wonderful video portrayal of the encounter on the Road to Emmaus, and you can watch it here. If you’re a visual person, like me, this will be very enjoyable, although you might need a tissue. (It is almost 32 minutes long, so be mindful of that.) You’ll see firsthand a depiction of how a few of Jesus’ early followers shared about Jesus. Then their eyes were open and their Easter faith was unleashed.
These men thought they were talking to an non-believer at first. They were already bubbling up inside with their feelings about what had happened to Jesus. They had to share. Share everything. They didn’t have fear but were surprised someone could have been unaware of such news. Little did they know that their faith would only get stronger once Jesus revealed himself to them.
It wasn’t long, and the eager believers encountered Biblical truth from Jesus himself (even though they still didn’t recognize him). That trip home must have gone so fast hearing how everything they had ever learned about God all pointed to Jesus.
Without the shedding of blood, there would be no forgiveness of sins. They knew that from childhood, but had never connected the dots that it was truly fulfilled in Jesus. What they had just witnessed was orchestrated because of God’s great love for us. John 4:10 says, “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” How do you respond to such love?
We can never be good enough with our actions. I know I sure try to impress God with everything I do anyway. I will always fall short. The evil one takes advantage of my weaknesses. That’s the very reason Jesus came – to set us free from our sinfulness. Jesus is the perfect, spotless sacrifice.
The power of his resurrection sets us free! Our sins are forgiven. How would you describe the feeling of being redeemed like this? We need to keep the joy of the resurrection alive until that day when we see God face to face.
We’re free, forgiven, and right with God right now! Hallelujah! That is the Easter faith we need to celebrate EVERY day! And, we need to spread this message. Can I get an AMEN?
Let’s pray. Thank you for opening my eyes to see you so clearly. I will rely on you to help me complete the mission you have given me. I can feel the Holy Spirit stirring inside me. Guide my steps, fill my mouth with the right words, and bring the people into my path who need to hear from you. Clothe me with your righteousness so others will see you in me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
