Easter Devotional - Day 8 - Resurrection Sunday
He Is Risen
Scripture: Matthew 28:1–10
"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.'" — Matthew 28:6–7
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, two women, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, made their way to the tomb. They had watched Jesus die. They had seen him buried. And now they were coming to mourn.
They were not expecting what they found.
There was a great earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled back the stone, and sat on it. Matthew says the angel's appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow. The guards were so terrified that they shook and fell like dead men.
And then the angel looked at the women and said words that would echo through all of eternity: 'Do not be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.'
Just as he said, Jesus had told them this would happen. He had promised that on the third day, he would rise. And now the tomb was empty. The grave had no power over the Son of God.
The women ran; the Bible says they were afraid, but also filled with great joy. That's such an honest description, isn't it? Sometimes the most amazing things leave us feeling both at once. And as they ran, Jesus himself met them on the road. He said, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.'
Go and tell. That was the first Easter assignment. Don't keep this to yourself; go and tell.
This is the moment the whole week has been leading up to. Palm Sunday's parade, the Last Supper's bread and cup, the darkness of Good Friday, the long silence of Saturday, all of it was leading here. Death was defeated. The grave was empty. And Jesus was alive.
This changes everything. Not just for the women at the tomb, not just for the disciples hiding behind locked doors, not just for people who lived two thousand years ago, but for your family, today. Because the same Jesus who rose from that tomb is alive right now, he knows your name. He loves you. And he is not finished with his story, or with yours.
He is risen. He is risen indeed.
PRAYER
Jesus, you are alive! Thank you for defeating death so that we don't have to be afraid of it. Thank You for the empty tomb. Thank You that this is not just a story from the past but a truth that changes everything about our lives right now. Help us to go and tell, to live in a way that shows the world You are risen. We love You. Happy Easter. Amen.
DISCUSSION
If you had been one of the women at the tomb that morning, what do you think you would have done when you saw the angel?
The angel said, 'Just as he said' — Jesus had promised he would rise. Why is it important that Jesus kept that promise?
The first thing the angel told the women to do was 'go and tell.' Who is someone in your life you could tell about the resurrection this Easter?