It really would have been quite a shock. From our vantage point in
time, we know the end of this story. But on that morning the two Marys
didn't have the information we have. The only part of the story they
knew was that Christ is dead.
When they arrived at the tomb,
the scene was not at all as they thought it would be. The stone had
been rolled away. Therefore, when they walked into the tomb and saw the
young man in a white robe, they were understandably startled.
Some
say they were startled by the presence of the young man. Some say they
were startled by the fact that Christ's body was not there in the tomb?
Maybe it was both. In any case, this was not the most startling part of
the story. It's the words of the man in white that had, and still have,
the most "surprise" value. He said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You
seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here.
See the place where they laid Him." That is a startling statement.
On
another front, the surprise they experienced on that morning was
nothing compared to the surprise and shock the Power of Darkness felt
when he realized his best, most powerful weapon was useless against the
power of almighty God, Creator of the universe.
The one who
planned this final attack was only a mocker, a mere builder. He could
create nothing. He could only use what was allotted him by the act of
creation itself. He had planned and timed this final blow to be
completed at a point where he would gain it all. Creation...God would
finally bow done and worship him; there would be no end to his kingdom.
But with the sound of this shocking news, the realization set in-his
final moment of victory was turned into his final defeat and the
greatest victory for all of creation was fulfilled. Satan was shocked!
It was a crushing blow directly to the head.
The shock wave of
that victory is felt today throughout Central Europe and the world. The
power of the resurrection is still impacting the people of Central
Europe as we see children, teenagers, men and women come to the
knowledge of this astonishing fact: He is risen!
On this most holy of days, we remember His death, and His resurrection and we celebrate together the joyful news. HE IS RISEN!
Happy Easter.
Jim & Sherry Sabella
Yesterday evening I had the privilege of speaking at the Fox Valley Christian Fellowship in Kimberly, Wisconsin. Making the evening even more meaningful was the fact that they are sending a building construction team to help with the new church building at Vienna Christian Center in Vienna Austria. We took a moment at the end of the service to pray for the team members. See photos. 
