Sunday Is Coming

 

Ruben's Women at Christ's Empty Tomb

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: (Luke 24:1-4 KJV)

Rubens’ painting The Women at Christ’s empty tomb captures those verses in a unchanging moment in time. That morning changed every moment forward, though.

The previous first day of the week we now call Palm Sunday because of the celebratory reception of Jesus in Jerusalem. Monday and Tuesday couldn’t have been too bad, but it was an odd week. Not just because Passover would be observed, but how quickly the celebratory crowds changed.

By mid-week Judas chose money over Jesus’ message of prophecy fulfilment and how God related to mankind. He made a choice. Jesus instituted what we call The Lord’s Supper – a communion of believers understanding that He handed over His body and blood, and we should never forget that He gave them – they were not taken from Him. The lesson didn’t take, did it. Even Peter, who followed to see what would happen, denied, with a curse, that he knew the man being tortured.

He was laid in a borrowed grave. How can we forget the danger that Joseph put himself in by offering that solace to Mary?

Those who called for His death also called for guards so His body would not be stolen. The women who came that morning spent the evening before:

And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. (Luke 23:55-56 KJV)

They were at the cross. They watched Him die as well as watched as He was placed in the tomb. They prepared as best they could, but Sunday was coming when they would have more time to do the burial properly.

Tomorrow is July 11 – a Sunday. When I attend Sunday School at First Baptist Church of Cottondale, we’ll be studying scripture that testifies to Jesus’ life and His death, burial – and His resurrection. His resurrection is the reason we gather on the first day of the week, because that’s what His followers did:

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:7 KJV)

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. (1 Corinthians 16:2 KJV)

Where and when do you go to learn more about God and His interactions with mankind? When Paul preached the story of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, the Bereans turned to scripture. Not Paul’s letters that make up the greater portion of the New Testament, but the Torah. According to the Vatican:

The origin of Old Testament texts and the history of the formation of the canon have been the subject of important works in the last few years. A certain consensus has been reached according to which by the end of the first century of our era, the long process of the formation of the Hebrew Bible was practically completed. This canon comprised the Tôr~h, the Prophets and the greater part of the “Writings”.

The Bereans listened to Paul. Instead of kicking him out of town, as the Jews in Thessalonica:

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. (Acts 17:11-12 KJV)

Nothing written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Jude, or Peter – simply the testimony of Paul’s conversion, his belief in Jesus as Christ, plus the scriptures we call Old Testament.

What did it take for you to believe?