He is risen; He is risen indeed.
Thus begins this Easter, this Resurrection Sunday.
Believers in Christ greet one another this way, as a message of hope, joy and shared belief …
for it is the resurrection of Christ that unites us, as believers in him
It is a wild and out-there thing to believe that Jesus, the man, rose from the dead. Yet this is our hope of salvation … this empty tomb, this rising from the dead.
His horrific crucifixion death was the covering or substitute for us and the sin that we had no ability, no resources to pay for. He stepped in, as the sacrificial lamb, to pay our debt, to cover our sins, so that we can face our God.
It was, on that first Easter Sunday that we are introduced to the origins of this Easter greeting.
The women came to the tomb, to discover that it was empty. They were, no doubt, filled with horror and grief that the body of their Jesus had been stolen. Then angelic messengers greeted them, saying :
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise” (Luke 24:5-7).
Then, later, while a couple were having a meal with a stranger, their eyes are opened to the identity of the stranger, when Jesus breaks bread for them, then he disappears. They immediately go back to Jerusalem and tell the disciples, “The Lord has risen indeed” (v. 34).
God, in his ultimate wisdom, knew that we humans would need more than one confirmation of his rising from the dead!
So, as a community of believers in this sacrifice we excitedly awaken this morning and greet one another with the most unifying greeting possible,
He is risen,
He is risen indeed.
“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”
Matthew 28:6
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