He Is Risen!
Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021
Rachel Amidei, Creative Arts Producer
Daily Scripture
John 20:1-31
1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
11Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
24Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Daily Devotional
Revealed in this discovery of Yeshua’s resurrection there is detail and deliberation. It is as if John wants to confirm for us once and for all Jesus’ Kingship and that he has come from the Heavenly Father, the one the people of Israel had known for so long.
One standout detail is that the napkin around Christ’s head is said to have been wrapped together or folded. At the time of Jesus, servants would know their masters were done with a meal when the master’s napkin was wadded up and placed on the table. However, when the napkin was folded it meant, the master was not done. It communicated, “I’m coming back.” This little detail gives us a glimpse into the promise of the second coming of Christ and was a sign to those that saw it of his imminent return.
The second standout detail is that there are two cherubim, “sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.” In Exodus 25 God tells Moses to make an ark, a mercy seat of pure gold, with Cherubim at the two ends of the Mercy Seat. God’s voice would speak to the people from between the wings above the mercy seat. We also learn in Leviticus that the high Priest would take the blood of a bull sacrifice and sprinkle it on the mercy seat to atone for the national sin of the people.
When Mary peers inside the tomb for the second time, she sees the mercy seat (the place where Jesus had lain with an angel at the head and foot). It is a picture of the Ark of the Covenant, the place where, now, the blood of Christ had been sprinkled to become our atonement. We are given the picture of a prophecy fulfilled with a promise of a second return and the hope of full restoration.
In his perfection, God provided us with every detail of what He was doing in His death, burial and resurrection. He clearly intends for us to understand He was from the beginning, is our King today and will be victorious for all of eternity. There is intention in each detail given in this story so that we may know WHO it is that was risen from the dead and WHO holds the power over death.
Prayer
Our Heavenly Father, We praise you and lift you high today. We recognize your dominion over all things, even death. We thank you for the resurrection power in our lives. Thank you for being intentional and caring with our hearts. Thank you for giving us the assurance of your identity and the hope of your return. Lord, help me to live in your resurrection power and carry your goodness into the details of my life. Be with me in every moment that I may rejoice knowing that I am always blessed above and beyond. I’m blessed because you have rescued me. I’m blessed because you conquered death. Every moment I am blessed. Thank you. Amen.
Reflect
- Can you think of other details about Jesus’ life that fulfill prophecy from the Old Testament or communicate His identity as God?
- Why might it be important that the picture of the Ark of the Covenant is present at the resurrection of Christ?
- Where does the spiritual Ark of the Covenant now reside and how has this changed our interaction with God?
Family Discipleship
Illustrate
Needed Supplies: large marshmallows, melted butter, brown sugar, dough (for example, Pilsbury crescent rolls)
Explain to your child(ren) that we are going to make special Easter rolls today!
Have them pretend that the marshmallow is Jesus’ body. They are going to help prepare it for burial.
The Bible tells us that several women were coming to Jesus’ tomb on the morning of Easter to prepare his body for burial. They would have been ready to anoint his body with oil and spices.
Have your kid(s) roll their marshmallows in the butter (oil) and then the brown sugar (spices).
Then have them wrap their marshmallows with the dough just like Jesus’ would have been sealed in his tomb.
Bake the dough according to the directions as you read through today’s lesson.
Read
John 20:19-20
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Discuss
- Early on Easter morning, a group of women including Mary went to Jesus’ tomb to continue preparing his body to be buried. When she got there, she saw that Jesus’ body was missing! Peter and John came and also saw that the tomb was empty. They did not understand why someone would take Jesus’ dead body.
- After the disciples left the tomb, Jesus greeted Mary and asked her “why are you crying?” (John 19:15, NIV).
- Mary went and told the disciples the good news. They were gathered together behind locked doors. Jesus then came and greeted his disciples. He told them, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 19:21, NIV).
- Jesus came to save us all. He has asked us to share his story and our faith with the world. Jesus declared victory over the cycle of sin and death! He has conquered the grave! This is why Christians will greet each other on Easter by saying, “He is risen! He is risen indeed!”
- How can our family show Jesus’ love and tell others about him?
- Once your rolls are baked, enjoy them as a family. You will notice that the marshmallow has disappeared from the bread just like Jesus rose from the dead!
Pray
Dear Jesus, thank you for dying on a cross for us. Thank you for rising from the dead so we can have a relationship with you. Show us how we can share your love and tell others about you and your gift of salvation. Amen.