Nougat 1

We continue reflecting on the miracle of the Resurrection in Today’s Holy Nougat

“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

Just Like He Said

So what exactly did Jesus say? Because Jesus said many things. But we’re not curious about every single thing Jesus said throughout His ministry. Rather, we are in search of what He said about His death and resurrection. And, since our Nougat is found in Matthew, let’s see what He had to say there.

In Matthew 16, Jesus’ legitimacy as the Messiah and Son of God, is publicly questioned yet again by the Pharisees. The request is straightforward – they want proof. And, in verse 4, Jesus publicly grace the first clue about His resurrection: He gave them the sign of Jonah. It was easy to have missed the significance. For one had to remember that Jonah lay under water, in the belly of a fish for three days before being returned to earth. He was alive!

Later, while conducting His internal tête-à-tête with the disciples, Jesus confirmed that they clearly grasped Who He is (ie the Son of the Living God). He began to prepare them for the future. And, in that shared moment, Jesus advised them of His death and resurrection (see v21). It was evident that the disciples, particularly Peter, did not grasp the spiritual significance of this, as he even rebuked Jesus for negative speech. But Jesus had already spoken, and, like God, His words do not return to Him void.

Knowing that they missed the Truth, Jesus repeated His prophetic word. And that time, He even included the betrayal (see ch. 17:22-23). The disciples were perplexed, and like many of us, opted for silence.

Silence is Golden, they say; but there are times when it is important to ask salient questions, even if we’re labeled stupid. In their ignorance – literal and spiritual – the disciples missed the core reason for Jesus’ incarnation. He was literally born to die and be raised from Death! For any Human can die; but only One raised Himself from Death. In His own words, Jesus is ‘the Resurrection and the Life’ – and our ability to revert to factory settings (God’s will and perfection), is dependent on His resurrection.

So we know that Jesus had promised to return them. This is critical for us who are looking for more than Resurrection past. We are looking for the day when we shall join Him as He’d prophesied. Let’s not be guilty of disbelieving. Until that day, let’s prepare.

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May all we seek be found in Christ