Luke 24
Long before the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ became a hoopla of circus-like activities that mark the Holy Week these days, long before the faith that we profess had become institutionalized, long before words have lost their meaning and depth, were the lives and the words and the feelings of the men and women who were there firsthand to witness the death and victory of Jesus Christ. Men and women who have seen, felt and heard the Master. Men and women who have seen the tragedy of Jesus nailed to a cross, suffering an excruciatingly painful death. They have seen His blood flow out of his wounded side, they have heard the groaning coming from his parched throat, they have witnessed life ebbing out of his broken, beaten body.
What did they feel as they saw their Master hanging up that cross? Feelings of hopelessness, despair, defeat? I could just imagine what they were going through as they saw their master, Jesus, hung dying on the cross that Friday afternoon. The long expected triumph dashed forever. As they lay his body in that borrowed tomb, they must have keenly felt the bitterness of humiliation, of sadness, of surrender. But the whole point is, these were men and women, ordinary, frail, human. Before they were exalted and put on pedestals and made stalwarts of the faith, they were just like anybody you'd meet in the street - some of them illiterate, some of them with questionable past, some battling their own private wars and inner turmoil. They were like you and me. They were human beings.
And yet something has changed them. Something higher, something nob1le, something grand had caught their eyes and they have been looking and aiming high since then. Something so extraordinary happened that from that moment on, their lives are never the same again. Something in the lilt of their voice, something in the look in their eyes, something in the spring of their step tells us that something unique, something amazing had taken place and they have seen it. They have seen it and they have proclaimed its majesty and its splendor by their lives, by being what they are, by their words. They were ordinary men and women, let me reiterate. Men and women who would look exactly like you. Men and women whose ways and personalities and frailties are very much like yours and mine, and yet they were changed forever by that one morning, nearly 2000 years ago. A morning that was like any other morning, and yet a morning unlike any other mornings. It was an extraordinary, life-changing morning. It was the morning of the Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection!
In anticipation of the coming Holy Week, let us try to get a glimpse once more at these people - these ordinary, everyday people who was in an extraordinary times, with an extraordinary person. Let us gain lessons from their lives, these voices of Easter, these faces of faith. Let us glean precious lessons and inspirations from their lives. For we discover that they were not too different from all of us after all, and the way they have responded to the wondrous revelation of the divine could have been our responses too, and we could have insights into their lives. Let us look at the portrait of these men and women and learn from them.
I. The Women: Voices of Glad Tidings
When the women went to the tomb early that Sunday morning, they had no expectations of something divine or wonderful was going to happen or has happened. All they knew was that their hearts were heavy with grief. All they knew was that they saw their Master's dead body and that it was taken to a tomb offered by a good and righteous man three days ago. All they knew was that they had to go to the tomb and give their dead Master a decent burial. They have come bringing spices with them to prepare his body. And yet it was to them that the most wonderful news was first revealed. The Master is risen! He is alive, just as He said! Imagine the joy they felt! Imagine the excitement! Mary Magdalene could hardly contain herself and almost embraced the Master! They were blessed to be the first ones to know that Jesus had defeated death. They were the first ones to know that Jesus has won the greatest victory. But let's be reminded about one thing. They were women, who typical of the time they were in, were often ignored and discredited. They were not important people. They were ordinary. Their words and what they think were often ignored, doubted, questioned. And yet their words were the first ones to declare God's victory. It was their feet that first brought the good news to the grief-stricken disciples. Imagine that! At least one of them had a questionable past with men and demons, and now they were bearers of the most awesome news in the world. Now their names are forever etched in the word of God, and we remember these women.
God does not need impressive credentials, status or position to reveal Himself to anybody. Not at all. These women were there, and they were the first ones to know. God is not a respecter of societal conventions nor is He afraid to use anybody -whatever their past is, whatever their reputation is. We learn that the power is in the message, and not in the messenger. Let us remember that the next time we feel inadequate, ill-fitted, ill-qualified to do His will. We also learn something more. After that resurrection morning, the women went back to their ordinary, even ignored lives. They hardly get a mention in other portions of the New Testament, but they continued to live quiet, yet powerful lives for the Lord. They did not care if they lived life in obscurity. The important thing is that they have seen the risen Lord, and that they have devoted their lives to Him. They were women who were changed. They were women of faith. Women whose faith refused to die even the worst have happened. Women who remained steadfast even when they continued to live lives that went unnoticed, obscure, ignored. They were faithful.
Long before the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ became a hoopla of circus-like activities that mark the Holy Week these days, long before the faith that we profess had become institutionalized, long before words have lost their meaning and depth, were the lives and the words and the feelings of the men and women who were there firsthand to witness the death and victory of Jesus Christ. Men and women who have seen, felt and heard the Master. Men and women who have seen the tragedy of Jesus nailed to a cross, suffering an excruciatingly painful death. They have seen His blood flow out of his wounded side, they have heard the groaning coming from his parched throat, they have witnessed life ebbing out of his broken, beaten body.
What did they feel as they saw their Master hanging up that cross? Feelings of hopelessness, despair, defeat? I could just imagine what they were going through as they saw their master, Jesus, hung dying on the cross that Friday afternoon. The long expected triumph dashed forever. As they lay his body in that borrowed tomb, they must have keenly felt the bitterness of humiliation, of sadness, of surrender. But the whole point is, these were men and women, ordinary, frail, human. Before they were exalted and put on pedestals and made stalwarts of the faith, they were just like anybody you'd meet in the street - some of them illiterate, some of them with questionable past, some battling their own private wars and inner turmoil. They were like you and me. They were human beings.
And yet something has changed them. Something higher, something nob1le, something grand had caught their eyes and they have been looking and aiming high since then. Something so extraordinary happened that from that moment on, their lives are never the same again. Something in the lilt of their voice, something in the look in their eyes, something in the spring of their step tells us that something unique, something amazing had taken place and they have seen it. They have seen it and they have proclaimed its majesty and its splendor by their lives, by being what they are, by their words. They were ordinary men and women, let me reiterate. Men and women who would look exactly like you. Men and women whose ways and personalities and frailties are very much like yours and mine, and yet they were changed forever by that one morning, nearly 2000 years ago. A morning that was like any other morning, and yet a morning unlike any other mornings. It was an extraordinary, life-changing morning. It was the morning of the Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection!
In anticipation of the coming Holy Week, let us try to get a glimpse once more at these people - these ordinary, everyday people who was in an extraordinary times, with an extraordinary person. Let us gain lessons from their lives, these voices of Easter, these faces of faith. Let us glean precious lessons and inspirations from their lives. For we discover that they were not too different from all of us after all, and the way they have responded to the wondrous revelation of the divine could have been our responses too, and we could have insights into their lives. Let us look at the portrait of these men and women and learn from them.
I. The Women: Voices of Glad Tidings
When the women went to the tomb early that Sunday morning, they had no expectations of something divine or wonderful was going to happen or has happened. All they knew was that their hearts were heavy with grief. All they knew was that they saw their Master's dead body and that it was taken to a tomb offered by a good and righteous man three days ago. All they knew was that they had to go to the tomb and give their dead Master a decent burial. They have come bringing spices with them to prepare his body. And yet it was to them that the most wonderful news was first revealed. The Master is risen! He is alive, just as He said! Imagine the joy they felt! Imagine the excitement! Mary Magdalene could hardly contain herself and almost embraced the Master! They were blessed to be the first ones to know that Jesus had defeated death. They were the first ones to know that Jesus has won the greatest victory. But let's be reminded about one thing. They were women, who typical of the time they were in, were often ignored and discredited. They were not important people. They were ordinary. Their words and what they think were often ignored, doubted, questioned. And yet their words were the first ones to declare God's victory. It was their feet that first brought the good news to the grief-stricken disciples. Imagine that! At least one of them had a questionable past with men and demons, and now they were bearers of the most awesome news in the world. Now their names are forever etched in the word of God, and we remember these women.
God does not need impressive credentials, status or position to reveal Himself to anybody. Not at all. These women were there, and they were the first ones to know. God is not a respecter of societal conventions nor is He afraid to use anybody -whatever their past is, whatever their reputation is. We learn that the power is in the message, and not in the messenger. Let us remember that the next time we feel inadequate, ill-fitted, ill-qualified to do His will. We also learn something more. After that resurrection morning, the women went back to their ordinary, even ignored lives. They hardly get a mention in other portions of the New Testament, but they continued to live quiet, yet powerful lives for the Lord. They did not care if they lived life in obscurity. The important thing is that they have seen the risen Lord, and that they have devoted their lives to Him. They were women who were changed. They were women of faith. Women whose faith refused to die even the worst have happened. Women who remained steadfast even when they continued to live lives that went unnoticed, obscure, ignored. They were faithful.
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