He is Risen: Rejoice!

March 2020, the world went into various levels of lockdown, dependent on the severity of the Covid19 virus outbreak. A year later and people around the world are still experiencing the lockdown in one form or the other. When you reflect back on this, it is very easy to let the seed of hopelessness bear fruit. It is very easy to believe there is no light at the end of the tunnel and things will not change or improve. The beauty of Easter is that it is the perfect representation of hope and trust in God and the fact that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel.

2000 years ago, on the day we now call Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (as per the prophecy, Zech. 9:9) to shouts of Hosanna (Mark 11:1-10)! 5 days later, he was crucified on the cross with two criminals (Matt. 27:32-38). Imagine how his disciples and followers felt. In the space of 6 days, they went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. The low was so low that one of his disciples, Peter, would deny any knowledge of Him before He was killed (Luke 22:54-62, Matt. 26:69-75). In a moment like this, I can imagine the amount of despair people felt.

For people that had seen someone as their Savior, the one to free them from the bondage of Roman rule, three days is a mighty long time. The good news is that the despair they felt was only temporary. On the third day, still in the sad mood, two women went down to see his tomb (Matt. 28:1) and guess what? He was no longer there! Imagine the shock they must have felt when they saw the stone had been rolled away and there was no body inside (Matt. 28:2-6). But all this was forgotten when Jesus appeared to them and said: REJOICE (Matt. 28:9)! Suddenly, they had gotten to the end of the tunnel and seen the light! Suddenly, their hope and joy were restored!

There are times in life that we feel hopeless because of a disappointment or a betrayal. Maybe it is because you have so many dry bones in the valley and it seems impossible for those bones to live again. I’m here to tell you: rejoice! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, is the same power that can restore your broken bones or restore life to your dry bones (Eze. 37:1-14). He has never failed and He will never fail! Rejoice in the knowledge of that and become a prisoner of hope; God will restore double to you (Zech. 9:12)! He is Risen, rejoice!

 

Happy Easter