The Monday After...Peace

a week has passed. it's monday! this was probably the best monday in history ever! Jesus is alive! not only that, he is the King of all kings! he is the Man! he is the Son of God and he proved it beyond the shadow of all doubt. he's alive! yes!

now, the Bible doesn't mention it, but i imagine there may have been another impromptu parade for Jesus. he's walking down the streets of jerusalem, his old stomping grounds. the place where they hailed him as king, shouted hosannas, and the place where he was crucified in the worst way. but bazinga! after being in the grave for three days, there he was walking down the street in the flesh!

the crowds gather quickly: some screamed in disbelief, some did double-takes, others frowned and scowled at him, children ran up to him to touch his nail-pierced hands and run away laughing and cheering. his disciples held their heads up high as they walked alongside their risen King. the leader, prophet, teacher, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was thought to be so defeated is back like no one could ever believe or imagine!

ohhh, but the powers of darkness had been crippled! far below the nail-pierced feet of Jesus, satan sat in darkness. a look of awe is on his face. demons scurried around not knowing what to do. hell would never been the same. the Son of God came down with a shout. he burst through the gates of hell, walked up to satan and snatched a set of keys from his belt. there was a struggle...i don't have to tell you who won! but on the third day, he arose from the grave in victory with the keys of death, hell, and the grave in his right hand!

suddenly, it all made sense. the eleven disciples remebered everything he had said, everything he had taught them. it was time to grow up and become real men (and women) of God. it was the beginning of a new phase in their ministry with Jesus. what a wonderful peace, the kind that passes all understanding, that must have rested upon them.

"we must write this down," they say to each other.
"surely, this is the Son of God, and we have been in his presence!" said thomas.
"we will record everything so that we do not forget the love that he has for us," said john with tears in his eyes as they walked with Jesus on the streets of Jerusalem.

there were dried up blood stains along the via dolarosa, the path that Jesus took to calvary. a startling reminder of how traumatizing, how overwhelming, how amazing, how good last friday was. how precious is that flow of blood still! it was by his blood that we are saved, and by his resurrection from the grave that we can still celebrate and declare that he is indeed Jesus the Son of God. glory to God in the highest!

questions
does it mean something personal to you, that Jesus is alive? do you get so excited that you can feel it in your bones?

read
matthew 28, mark 16, luke 24, and john 20-21

song in my head
'He's alive! He's alive! He's alive and lives forever and so can i! He's alive!' -from the easter cantata at my church