Not a Time for Tears

A Word of Truth #088 (John 20:15-16) 

When a dear friend or family member dies it can be one of the most sorrowful times we face in life. Memories flood our minds and the deep sense of loss overcomes our hearts.

This is the condition in which Mary Magadalene found herself on Easter morning. She saw Jesus die on the cross. Now, she came to the grave and found Jesus’ body missing. So, she stood outside Jesus’ grave crying.

Mary soon learned from Jesus Himself that her tears were flowing from false information. Jesus had died for the sins of the world on Friday, but this was Sunday—the third day—and now Jesus was ALIVE! Tears could be dried because death was defeated.

When death comes to a child of God, we weep because of our loss on the earth. However, in the resurrection of Jesus we find the comfort to dry tears because He has conquered death: “I am the resurrection and the life he who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25).

The Resurrection Declares that Jesus is God’s Son

A Word of Truth #089 (Romans 1:4) 

Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, the Bible says there is no Christian faith. Why is that resurrection so important?

St. Paul answers that question for us in his letter to the Romans. He states, “Jesus Christ, our Lord…was…declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:3-4). Jesus, unlike the founders of all the other major religions in this world, is not a mere human being who died and stayed dead. Jesus died, as our substitute bearing our sins just as God planned, but He now lives, for He was raised from the dead. Through that resurrection God declared Him to be His Son. Jesus now possesses all power and truly is our Lord.