Resurrection - Now What?

Read John 20-21:31, Mark 16:9-20 Matthew 28:1-20, Luke 24:1-53, Acts 1:6-26
 
Luke 24:1-3 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.
 
YOU understand how these women, Jesus’ faithful followers, are feeling that morning, don’t you? You work hard to do things well. You follow instructions, meet deadlines and adjust to others’ demands and needs. But often your efforts seem to become fruitless labor when too many unplanned things happen. You have likely wondered, “Now what do I do?”
   The women had been faithful to Jesus during his ministry. At his death, they had been faithful to God’s commands to rest on the Sabbath. Then they were even faithful to Jesus’ dead body. They went to properly prepare his body to lay in the tomb, even as they were unsure of how they would enter the tomb. Their lives had suffered a traumatic three days, as they tried to stay true to all they knew.
   But then the tomb was empty. What had happened to Jesus’ body? What new trouble would they experience? Should they just give up and go home? But I don’t believe these women had “I give up.” in their vocabulary. Two very important character elements of discipleship are perseverance and integrity. These women had persevered with Jesus for some time as they journeyed with him and the other disciples. Some of them had personally received God’s favor as Jesus healed them and removed demons from their bodies. Others had witnessed close relatives and many others healed and saved. Their personal experience with Jesus taught them to answer the “Now what?” with “Have faith in God!” (Mark 11:22)
   Mary and her friends persevered to act with an integrity of faith and obedience. They went to the tomb when it could be a danger to their own lives. No excuses came from their lips. Instead, they looked into the tomb. Then they stayed to discover what they must do next.
   What they were about to do would lead to the greatest discovery ever. Their next steps would begin to change the world as they encountered the Living Savior.
   Discipleship is like that. We can be easily overwhelmed when our plans fall short. Daily challenges and disappointments can quickly weaken our determination. “Now what?” is too often a common phrase in the church and our lives when too many unplanned events change our plans. We can ask the question as an excuse to quit. Or we can ask the question as an opportunity to see what life-changing events the LORD has planned for us.