He Is Risen Indeed

Easter Sunday message by Phil Rogers 8/04/07

To listen to Phil's message click here mp3

It was early Sunday morning. Just as the first light of dawn was breaking Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women set off for the tomb, carrying spices they had prepared to put on Jesus’ body. He was buried so hurriedly on Friday evening before the sabbath his body had not had the proper preparation. They were wondering how they would roll away the huge stone that sealed the tomb, perhaps the soldiers would help them, but when they arrived they found the stone already rolled away from the entrance and no sign of any soldiers. They went inside but it was empty, not a sign of their master Jesus’ body. They did not know what to think. Suddenly two men in shining white clothes were standing there. The women were absolutely terrified and and crouched down on the ground. But the men said, "Why are you looking for someone who is alive here in a cemetry amongst the dead? Jesus isn't here! He’s been raised from death. Remember while he was still in Galilee, he told you, 'The Son of Man will be handed over to sinners who will nail him to a cross. But within three days he will come back to to life.' " Then they remembered what Jesus had said.

When the women got back and told the eleven apostles and the others what had happened, they thought it was so much nonsense, and they refused to believe them. So Peter ran to the tomb stooped down and looked in, all he could see were a few grave clothes. The tomb was empty. He went in and saw the linen wrappings and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself, as if his body had just evaporated! Peter was bewildered and he returned, wondering what had happened, he didn’t yet understand that Jesus would rise from the dead.

That same day two of Jesus' followers were going home to the village of Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. As they were walking along, they were discussing all that had happened. Jesus came along and began to walk with them. But they did not recognise who he was. "What were you talking about as you walked along?" he asked them. The two of them stopped and looked at him with gloomy expressions. One of them, Cleopas, asked Jesus, "Are you the only person from Jerusalem who doesn't know what’s been happening these last few days?"
"What do you mean?" Jesus asked.

“We were talking about what happened to Jesus from Nazareth. The things he did and said showed that he was a great prophet, who pleased God and was popular with all the people. But our own chief priests and officials had him arrested and sentenced to death by crucifixion. We had hoped that he was the one who would set Israel free! But it’s now the third days since all this happened.

Some women in our company amazed us. They went to his tomb early this morning, but there was no sign of Jesus’ body. When they got back they were full of this story of seeing a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of the men went to the tomb and it was just like the women had told us, but there was no sign of Jesus, or any angels.

Then Jesus asked the two of them, "You just don’t get it, do you? How can you be so slow to believe what the prophets said -that the Messiah would have to suffer before he was given his glory?" Then starting with the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets, Jesus went through all the Scriptures explaining everything written about himself. When they arrived at Emmaus, Jesus said, goodbye and went to continue his journey. But they urged him to stay with them. “Do stay. It's already late, and the sun is going down." So Jesus went with them into the house to stay the night.

They all sat down to eat some supper, and as was the custom they offered Jesus, their guest, the flat bread which he took and blessed and broke into pieces and, as he was passing them the bread, all once they suddenly recognised who he was, just as he vanished from sight. After a moment’s stunned silence, one of them said to the other, "When he was talking with us on the road, explaining the Scriptures to us, didn't our hearts burn inside us?" They got ready and returned to Jerusalem that same hour. They walked in on the eleven apostles and the others, all talking about Jesus really being alive. Apparently he had shown himself to Peter. So these two told them all about what happened on the Emmaus road and how they recognised that this man was the Lord when he broke the bread.

While they were all discussing what had happened, Jesus was suddenly standing there in the middle of the room and said “Hi guys!” (lit. Peace be with you!) They were both startled and dead scared. They thought they were seeing a ghost. "Why are you so frightened?” Jesus said. “Why have you got such doubt in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet. Look it’s me! Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don't have flesh and bones as you can see I have." Then he held out his hands and showed them his feet. The disciples were so overjoyed and amazed that they could hardly believe their eyes so Jesus asked, "Is there anything to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish, which he took and ate as they all stared at him.

After they had eventually all calmed down, Jesus began to tell them, "While I was still with you, I told you that everything had to be fulfilled that was written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms." Then he began to explain to them the Scriptures, that the Christ would suffer, but on the third day would rise from death and that, in his name, people of every nation would be told that if they would change the direction of their lives to follow him, they would be forgiven all of their sins. This would start in Jerusalem and they would travel from there telling everyone they met everything they had seen with their own eyes.

“But before you go off telling everyone this great news,” Jesus told them, “I am going to send to you the One my Father promised, the Holy Spirit who will come alongside you to empower you to share this story with others. So you must stay in this city until you receive this power from heaven.”