Resurrection
 

"Be not amazed, Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified; he is risen; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him." (Mark 16:7)

The last thing the disciples were expecting was Jesus' resurrection.  In all the turmoil of the events surrounding His crucifixion, the disciples had forgotten the promise of His resurrection.  The resurrection is not a story concocted by scheming disciples. They were too busy hiding in fear and too sorrowful to be comforted by the words of their master.

Every thought, every action by the disciples from the moment of Jesus' arrest until early Sunday morning reflected their despair.  Their hopes were gone. They could barely function.  They were not of the mindset to perpetuate a resurrection hoax.  How could they? They had were not expecting Jesus to rise from the grave.

No wonder the were amazed or alarmed when confronted by an empty tomb, two angels and the message of Jesus' resurrection.  How different those hours from the crucifixion until the resurrection would have been if they had focused upon the Word of God - the Old Testament promises and words of Jesus Christ.  Instead of turmoil, fear, depression and uncontrollable sorrow, they disciples could have spent those hours full of hope anticipating the wonder of the resurrection.

When life gets tough and the future seems so dark, we have the Word of God to comfort and encourage us.  Instead of being filled with turmoil, fear, depression or uncontrolled sorrow, we can find comfort and strength in the Word of God.  The promises of God are sure. He has promised His presence (Hebrews 13:5), His grace to strengthen us (2 Corinthians 12:9), His Spirit to comfort and teach us (John 15:26; 16: 13), to return for us (John 14:2,3) and to intercede on our behalf (Hebrews 3:14-16).  His promises are the source of our strength, our hope, our joy and our contentment.  I can say this because He kept the biggest promise of all when He said: "The son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." (Luke 24:7) He who conquered death can conquer any and all of our difficulties and give us victory. That's our hope. Not in man, not in government but in the living Lord Jesus Christ. He is risen as he said! Therefore, we should not be amazed or alarmed when He keeps His Word.