On the third day He will be raised to life

On the third day He will be raised to life

Scripture:-

When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

Matthew 17:22-23

Observation:-

“They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life” declared the Lord concerning His impending death and resurrection. His disciples were shocked and filled with grief. How could their Master suffer and die? They could not comprehend or understand the significance of their Lord’s raising from the dead. They did not understand that it was necessary for their Lord to die to bring forgiveness for the sins of men and be raised to life to give men eternal life.

Application:-

Meditating on Jesus’ words here, we are reminded of four things. Firstly, considering the description Jesus gave himself in this context “The Son of Man”, we remember that Jesus Christ came as a fully human person. Being wholly human, he would come to understand exactly how a human would feel, how a human would live and think and speak and eat. He would understand the frailty of the human body, and endure the maximum pain a human could endure on the cross. Jesus understands how we feel because He became human just like us, subject to all the temptations and emotions and feelings that we humans face.

Secondly, think about how the Lord was to be delivered into the hands of men. It was not men themselves who seized the Lord in their own power. Instead, the Lord was delivered into them, all according to God’s will, as part of God’s incredible plan of redemption for the human race.

Thirdly, remember the Lord’s death. They killed him in the cruelest possible way. He had to die because He had to be the spotless Lamb of God, the ultimate sacrifice that would redeem mankind back to God. He had to die so that He could conquer death and pave the way for eternal life for all who would believe in Him.

Finally, remember the Lord’s resurrection. The disciples would not have been grieved for long if they only understood the Lord’s triumphant resurrection that would change everything, making life eternal possible to every human being who would choose to believe in Jesus Christ. It is because of the Lord’s resurrection that we need no longer fear death, for He has conquered death for us, and we who hold fast to Him, can look forward to a glorious and eternal future in His kingdom serving the Great King!                                                                                                                                         

Prayer:

We praise You, Lord Jesus, for You came to us, humble and frail, to be one of us. You were born in a manger, a poor son of a carpenter. You experienced what we experience. You felt what we feel. You were fully human, just like we are. Blessed be Your holy name, O Lord!

We praise You, Lord, that You answered Your calling, that You yielded Yourself to be part of God’s plan of redemption, to accept the suffering and death of a sacrificial lamb, knowing Your death would bring life to so many. Blessed be Your holy name, O Lord.

We praise You, Lord, that You suffered and died for us, in the cruelest of ways. You sacrificed Yourself because You loved us, and You were obedient to the Father until death. You finished Your Work, You made life available to us. Blessed be Your holy name, O Lord!

We praise You, Lord, that You did not stay dead, but was raised to life on the third day, triumphant and victorious, Conqueror of Death and Hades! We trust in You, O Lord, for You hold the keys of eternal life! In You, we will put our trust and hope always. Blessed be Your holy name, O Lord! In Jesus name, Amen