If you are a follower of Jesus and I said: Jesus is alive! Likely, you would say “of course He is.” Sadly though, many of us (myself included) have struggled to live our lives with that truth in mind. I don’t think that we are really so different than first century believers.

In the Scriptures, we see the closest followers, family, and friends of Jesus huddled in fear and no doubt dealing with grief, confusion, frustration, and sadness after the crucifixion of Christ. A reading of the Gospels reveals that even the closest disciples lacked a clear understanding of God’s plan of redemption as revealed in the Law, Prophets, and Psalms. In Luke 24, we get an intimate look at the response of Jesus disciples after His death on the cross.

First, we are reintroduced to several faithful women who had followed and served Jesus. These women came early the first Easter Sunday with spices to anoint the body of Jesus. Although the text doesn’t explicitly state their state-of-mind, their purpose was clear: They wanted to honor their rabbi by anointing what they thought would be His dead body. This clearly shows us that there was not even a glimmer of hope among Jesus’s disciples that He might rise in resurrection (even though He taught He would repeatedly during His earthly ministry).

Next, we get a glimpse of Peter as he hears from the women that the tomb was empty. Peter, and the rest of the apostles, just thought these women were making things up. This again shows us clearly that no one had any expectation that they would ever see Jesus again. Sadly, as much as they had learned and all the growing the had done as they followed and served Christ, they still failed to take Jesus at His Word or to truly understand the Old Testament Scriptures. Peter ran to the tomb, found it exactly as the women had, and he went away marveling yet still not fully understanding or believing.

Then, we meet two of Jesus’s disciples on the road to Emmaus. As they walked and poured out their hearts together, it is clear that even though the tomb was empty, even though they knew the women had reported a vision of angels, and even though they had hoped Jesus was who He claimed to be, they still thought it was all over. Although they didn’t know it, Jesus came walking up and began to have a conversation with them about all they had recently encountered and experienced as Jesus was arrested, crucified, and buried.

As Jesus interacted with Cleopas and another unnamed disciple, finally Jesus gets to the heart of the problem: And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26 ESV) So many of us, just like the first century disciples, fail to fully grasp, understand, appreciate, or even believe all that the Word of God has to say. If we truly believed the Scriptures, I think our lives would look radically different as did theirs after Jesus opened their hearts and minds.

So… back to the question. Do you believe that Jesus is truly alive? Or, are you still living your life like He is dead, in the tomb? Today it is my prayer for you and I that we would come to recognize the incredible truth: Jesus has risen, just like He said He would! Because Jesus is alive, everything changes. Because Jesus is exactly who He claims to be, you and I can live lives filled with hope, peace, joy, contentment, freedom, and eager expectation. It is time for us and the Church to boldly proclaim the hope of Jesus Christ to a world still chained in deep darkness and bondage.

The King is alive! Let’s go out and live like it.