Easter Sunday- April 17, 2022
Easter Sunday- April 17, 2022
The angels directed the women’s thoughts to Jesus’ words… his words of prophecy now become fact. Delivered into the hands of sinful men, check. Crucified (died and was buried), check. Risen on the third day, check. Jesus fulfilled the criteria for a true prophet sent by the Lord (cf. Jer. 28:9 & De. 18:22). Confronted with the inexplicable and unexplainable mystery of the resurrection, these women receive the certainty that the Lord sent Jesus. Whatever doubts and questions might be on their minds, they now know beyond doubt that Jesus had known these things, had prophesied them, and his prophesy had come to pass.
The angels’ message also delivered the women into another certainty: their God… their Lord… does not lie. The truly divine in their lives has no guile… no deceit… there is no falsehood in their God’s faithfulness. Such truthfulness and faithfulness contrasts with the deceit and unfaithfulness of the people as descendants of Jacob, the deceiver (Ge. 27:36; 31:20; 31:26 & others). And it contrasts against Satan, the arch-deceiver and Father of Lies (Jn. 8:44). Jesus affirms this truth when he asserts in the midst of his disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (Jn. 14:6).
On this day celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord, you would do well when hearing Jesus’ words, “Do this in remembrance of me…” to remember he is a true prophet… to remember that he is your Lord who does not lie… to remember that he is truth itself. Your preacher speaks to you as those angel messengers spoke to the women gathered at the empty tomb. Your preacher speaks with the authority of Jesus himself who assured those whom he sent out, “He who hears you, hears me” (Lk. 10:16). Your preacher speaks to you repeating the words delivered by those angelic messengers, “Remember how he told you…” Remember how he told you that he has gone to prepare a place for you? Remember how he told you that he would come again and take you to the place he is going? (Jn. 14:3-4). Remember how he told you that the forgiveness of your sins is in his body and in his blood? Your preacher speaks the reality of this forgiveness in the words of the absolution. They are true, they are real, for the Lord who speaks has no guile.
Table Talk: Discuss the necessity of having a true God who speaks truly.
Pray: Father in heaven, put in my ears the truth of my Lord Jesus. Amen
Luke 24:1-12
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise. 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.