He’s Alive!

He’s Alive! Is a statement that is often made in churches around the world at Easter. However the good news is appropriate at any time.

He Is Alive, Risen From the Dead

Let’s read the story of resurrection morning in Mark 16:1-8, from the English Standard Version.

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.  And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.  And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Mark 16:1-8

Talking People

Do you remember the times when Jesus commanded people to be quiet and they talked anyway? But here the young man commands the women to go tell the message -the crucial message – and they are silent. The fear of the women dominates the ending of the story. It forces us to face our own fear, in our daily story. No matter how much we “know” or “see”, we still must make the hard choice in the end – whether to be silent like the women or to proclaim the good news, even in the face of persecution.

“And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe.”

Angels Awaiting

It’s an angel. The angels have waited and waited for this moment: angels had announced or attended his Conception (Lk 1:31; 2:21) and his Crucifixion (Mt 26:53); his Birth (Lk 2:11) and his Burial (Mt 28:2); the Wrapping of his body (Lk 2:12) and the Unwrapping of his body (Mt. 28:6); his Descent to earth (Lk 2:12) and his Ascension to heaven (Acts 1:10,11)

At both birth and burial, there was an army of many angels engaged in service: (Lk 2:13; Mt 26:53)

At  Birth: They appeared to Joseph (Mt 1:20), to Mary (Lk 1:30), to shepherds (Lk 2:15) and to Zacharias (Lk 1:12-13). Now, finally, at Jesus’ Burial: rolling away the stone (Mt 28:2), announcing resurrection (Lk 24:23), keeping  watch (Jn 20:12-13).

He is Risen

When the Bible says “He is Risen” in verse 6, it uses only one word Greek word. One word to state the most significant miracle in human history. In one Harmony of the Gospels, there are 6 pages describing the road to the crucifixion and 9 pages describing the events after the resurrection.  Only one word to describe the resurrection.

There is no explanation of the resurrection, because it is beyond our words to capture. There is no long conversation among the angels about what happened — probably because they are just happy to be there. The resurrection is not written as poetry, because not even David could not have write that Psalm.

We Did Not Think

We did not think that man could gloat over God, but Jesus was scorned by mankind and despised by the people. We did not think that the Creator could be crushed, but He was crushed for our iniquities. We did not think that harm could heal, but with his wounds we are healed.

We sometimes hear that an occurrence was “Of Cosmic Proportions”. Christ’s humiliation was Cosmic. The Creator was Crucified. The Omnipotent Creator: The one who put the Milky Way into place with a slight touch of his finger. The One who made the firefly and the fires of our sun. The One who steers galaxies in their orbits and holds sub-atomic particles in their orbit.

Radiance of God’s Glory

What did that God do? Hebrews 1:3 tells us the answer, the One who,

“is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and [who] upholds the universe by the word of his power, after making purification for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

(Hebrews 1:3)

Do you believe He’s alive? Why or why not? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio,  or comment below.