Thursday within the Octave of the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord
Posted on April 21, 2022 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
In the game of hide-and-seek, the goal is to find someone.
The angel knows exactly why the women have come to the tomb that Easter Sunday morning. They are seeking a dead, crucified Jesus. However, the angel also knows that they will not find Him. Even a moderator’s clues that you might be getting warmer or colder in your search will not work. No, they can seek, but they will not find! The angel says, “He is not here; for He is risen.” They can see where Jesus formerly was—His body laid on the cold stone shelf cut into the tomb’s wall. He was, indeed, dead! That is true. And that substitutionary death means life for us. However, the divine purpose and goal, for which the women went to the tomb, was so that they would not find Him. The women were supposed to come up empty in their seeking. There will be a time in which Jesus will appear to Mary, Peter, the Emmaus disciples, the eleven, etc. However, they will not find Him by their seeking. They will see Him because the risen Jesus will reveal Himself to them!
Our Lord sent His Church to make disciples by baptizing and teaching. He promised, “and lo, I am with you always.” Now that Jesus has risen and ascended, we have His promise, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7).
Prayer: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who have celebrated the solemnities of the Lord’s resurrection may, by the help of Thy grace, bring forth the fruits thereof in our life and conversation; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Collect for the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord
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 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.
