In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.

Devotion based on Luke 24:5-8

It didn’t make sense to them when Jesus spoke those words. They had seen his power. Power over sickness. Power over nature. Power over spiritual forces. But when Jesus spoke about dying—death at the hands of his enemies and sinners—it didn’t make sense.

How could their Messiah die? And what did he mean about being raised again? No one had ever done that. Sure, people like to call their shot, but no one has ever called their own shot about coming back from the dead. Once you died, that was it! At least until Jesus came.

The angels reminded the women that everything had happened as Jesus said it would. He was delivered to his enemies and crucified, but now it was the third day. And Jesus was raised to life. The woman remembered that Jesus had predicted this all along. It wasn’t just that Jesus had predicted this; it was the implications.

If Jesus can predict his death and resurrection from the grave and then has the power to pull it off, what can’t Jesus do? And if Jesus kept his promise to rise from the dead, he would keep all his promises. Jesus is exactly who he says he is. Jesus does exactly what he promises to do. His resurrection from the dead proves it.

We could spend our entire lives marveling at what that means; it still wouldn’t be enough time. Thankfully, Jesus’ death and resurrection mean that his believers will spend an eternity with him, not just marveling at what it means but experiencing it. Because Jesus has power over his death, it means he has power over your death. Trust him.

Prayer:

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