Read: Matthew 28:1-10
He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. (Matt. 28:6)
What a story! Several of the women who were closest to Jesus went out to the garden tomb early Sunday morning to finish the job they had not had time to complete on Friday afternoon. As they reached the grave they saw to their astonishment that the stone sealing the tomb had been rolled back. The women were even more startled by the angel’s incredible news: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here” (vv. 5-6). The angel meant that literally—the announcement to the women wasn’t referring to Jesus’s soul; it was referring to his body.
This Easter announcement has never been contradicted. To the angel’s “He is not here,” no one has ever been able to respond, “Wait! He is over here. There’s his body.” Jesus’s resurrection was a physical event. The New Testament says as clearly as it can that Jesus rose bodily from the tomb. Skeptics argue that the resurrection is symbolic, not literal—but the earliest accounts in the Bible are clear. Jesus is risen!
As Christians, we base our faith on the fact that Jesus rose. More than that, we are staking our whole future on it. If we’re wrong about this, says the apostle, we’re wrong about everything (see 1 Cor. 15:14-19). Not to worry; we live in a world where a resurrection has happened. And because it has, something similar will happen to us one day.
As you pray, praise God and rejoice in Jesus’s resurrection!
About the Author
Rev. David Bast
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, includingWhy Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
