The Words of our Risen Lord

Lately I have been pondering the words of the Risen Lord. I am not speaking of the words contained in the Gospels except for those few recorded after his death, burial and resurrection. I am speaking specifically of those words recorded that Jesus spoke after His resurrection. We find these words recorded in various places; some in the Gospels, some in Acts and in some of Paul’s writings and those most famous being recorded in the book of the Revelation to John.

In this opening post I wish only to look at the first mention of the words of the Risen Lord that we find in Matthew which starts as a rather anxious scene. Mary of Magdela and another Mary whom we are told is the mother of James and Salome walk outside the city to care for the body of their Lord. Jesus, it should be remembered, was rather hastily placed inside a burial cloth and placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb after His death. The women would be approaching the tomb to anoint the body with spices and oils. There must have been some trepidation on their part, after all there were Roman guards who may or may not comply in allowing them to complete their task. Even if they did allow them to there most certainly would have been some level of harassment for them to endure.

The loss of their Lord would also have caused them some fear and certainly grief. It is possible that these women felt that Jesus would not die despite his comments to the contrary. He was after all the Messiah and so far as these women knew He certainly had not filled all of the prophecies concerning the Messiah. So they approach the tomb, perhaps dumbfounded, perhaps faltering in faith, likely fearful and most assuredly cautious.

Some have argued that these women approached the burial place expecting to find the grave empty. I do not believe this position to be likely, these women after all were human beings and at least one of them watched Him die. (or so tradition tells us) Most certainly they had spoken with those who had watched Him die. We also know from Matthews’s account that they were discussing who would remove the stone from the opening to the tomb. These women were not expecting to find the Risen Lord they were expecting to anoint the body of their Lord because He was dead.

But…As they approach the tomb we are told of some pretty spectacular events. First we are told of an earthquake, then of an Angel descending and moving the stone from the front of the sepulcher. We are told the guards became as if they were dead. Then the Angel who was a spectacular site to behold told the women that he knew why they were there and that Jesus had arisen and was going ahead of them.

Then, and I want to make this clear, they were sent by the Angel to proclaim the resurrection of Christ. That is correct for those who oppose women preaching the Gospel, the first that were sent to tell of the Risen Lord, to witness to his resurrection, were women. We know from this passage alone that women can not only be sent to preach but that the first preachers of the Risen Lord were women.

They hurry away fearful yet also full of joy, their Lord is risen, He is going before them and they would see Him soon, Oh how joyful the Apostles and the other disciples would be, his family would rejoice even the Joseph and Lazarus would be speechless.

Then completely unexpected there He was! They fell at His feet and He spoke to them. He said…………



[More to come my friends I have finished the rough draft but still need some finishing touches]