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28 April 2012
Jesus has risen from the dead- Extracted from the holy Gospel according to Luke, Chapter 24:
1 On the first day of the week (Easter Sunday), at the first sign of dawn, they went to the tomb with the spices they had prepared.
2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb,
3 but on entering they could not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 As they stood there puzzled about this, two men in brilliant clothes suddenly appeared at their side.
5 Terrified, the women bowed their heads to the ground. But the two (the Angels) said to them, 'Why look among the dead for someone who is alive?
6 He is not here; he has risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee:
7 that the Son of man was destined to be handed over into the power of sinful men and be crucified, and rise again on the third day.'
8 And they remembered his words.
9 And they returned from the tomb and told all this to the Eleven and to all the others.
10 The women were Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. And the other women with them also told the apostles,
11 but this story of theirs seemed pure nonsense, and they did not believe them.
12 Peter, however, went off to the tomb, running. He bent down and looked in and saw the linen cloths but nothing else; he then went back home, amazed at what had happened. |
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13 Now that very same day (the same Easter Sunday), two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem,
14 and they were talking together about all that had happened.
15 And it happened that as they were talking together and discussing it, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side;
16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
17 He said to them, 'What are all these things that you are discussing as you walk along?' They stopped, their faces downcast.
18 Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, 'You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.'
Sharing: Don’t you see that Jesus likes to joke? Obviously, He knew that they were talking about Him and they were very depressed of His death. And yet He still asked them such a question as if the entire event was none of His business. Don’t you know that He is not only the God of “The Impossible”, but He is also the God of “Joy”? Every True Christian who is at peace with God would also have this special attribute in him, because this God of Joy is with him. 8-)
19 He asked, 'What things?' They answered, 'All about Jesus of Nazareth, who showed himself a prophet powerful in action and speech before God and the whole people;
20 and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified.
21 Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have now gone by since it all happened;
22 and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning,
23 and when they could not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive.
24 Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.'
25 Then he said to them, 'You foolish men! So slow to believe all that the prophets have said!
26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer before entering into his glory?'
27 Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.
28 When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on;
29 but they pressed him to stay with them saying, 'It is nearly evening, and the day is almost over.' So he went in to stay with them.
30 Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them.
31 And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight.
32 Then they said to each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?'
33 They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions,
34 who said to them, 'The Lord has indeed risen and has appeared to Simon.'
35 Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread. |
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36 They were still talking about all this when he himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you!'
37 In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost.
38 But he said, 'Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts stirring in your hearts?
39 See by my hands and my feet that it is I myself. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.'
40 And as he said this he showed them his hands and his feet.
41 Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, as they were dumbfounded; so he said to them, 'Have you anything here to eat?'
42 And they offered him a piece of grilled fish,
43 which he took and ate before their eyes.
44 Then he told them, 'This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, was destined to be fulfilled.'
45 He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures,
46 and he said to them, 'So it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
47 and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses to this.
49 'And now I am sending upon you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city, then, until you are clothed with the power from on high.' (Interpretation: Jesus was referring to the anointing of the Holy Spirit.)
50 Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and raising his hands he blessed them.
51 Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven.
52 They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy;
53 and they were continually in the Temple praising God.
28 April 2012
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