The Thursday within the Octave of the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord
Posted on April 9, 2026 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 28:1-8 (NKJV)
28:1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
Devotion
“You seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen.”
The women approach the tomb in this, St. Matthew’s, account of that first Easter morning. As we read earlier this week in St. Luke’s account, they were coming to pay traditional respects to the dead, and instead heard the angelic message of Christ’s resurrection. Pay attention to the tenses of the verbs! “Was crucified.” “Is risen.” The crucifixion of our Lord was of absolute importance, of course. “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). By His death on the cross, our sins are atoned for.
But that is finished now! We commemorate that wonderful saving event especially with crucifixes, but we do not imagine that our Lord’s sacrifice is ongoing. He was crucified. He is risen! And that will forever be the continual, ongoing state of affairs. We pray to, and are loved by, a risen and ever-living Savior. For the sake of His resurrection we look forward to our own, and to the eternal blessings that await us at His right hand in the life of the world to come.
Collect: Almighty God, Who, through Thine Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life: We humbly beseech Thee, that, as Thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by Thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
