Following Jesus can seem foolish. You talk into nothing and expect something. You read the same words in scripture for years, yet look for different and fresh meaning. You show up—where people may or may not get along—weekly hoping to find inspiration and edification. From the outside looking in, following Jesus can be perceived as nonsense. I invite you to explore how this nonsense can make sense of senseless lives.
Jesus has died but for some reason the women in this story still hold their loyalty and allegiances to him. I wonder why? Have you ever questioned why you go to the church you do? Or, have you questioned why you believe what you do? What kept you? Tell us about it here at Message using the hashtag #MessageMag on social media.
Read Luke 24:3
These women were fully devoted to Jesus, but when they arrived to pay Him respect, He wasn’t there. They had pulled together their resources only to meet disappointment. Have you ever had that experience? Have you done your best to be pleasing in the sight of God but you still ended up disappointed? If you are willing, tell us about it using the hashtag #MessageMag on social media.
Luke 24:4-6
Angels showed up! I don’t know about you but I may have had the same reaction as these women, but it would be mostly shaped in fear! There is something to be said about the presence of the supernatural in times of disappointment. Glorious relief cheered their hearts upon seeing the angel. You may have experienced something that you’ve kept to yourself because it seems too amazing to be true. Why don’t you tell us about using the hashtag #MessageMag on social media?
Read Luke 24:7, 8
Isn’t it amazing how much God has taught us that we have forgotten? Just like these women, you and I have had Jesus tell us some things that if only we would keep them at the front of our minds, maybe we wouldn’t experience so much disappointment. I challenge you to either re-read all those highlights in your Bible or review a book of the Bible that you have not explored in a while.
Read Luke 24:9-11
We are slow to believe that God still moves in miraculous ways. Even the disciples who had seen Him raise people from the dead were apprehensive. Have you ever been told something you didn’t believe but God had to show you that it and He is real? Think and tell us about it, using the hashtag #MessageMag on social media.
I find it interesting that God pre-destined the news of the resurrection to be communicated by women in a male-dominated society. God employs the smallest voices (at least, then) and grants them the loudest messages. No need to share; I just invite you to pray about the “small voices” that may be trying to guide you in your life.
Read Luke 24:12
Peter listened, even if just out of curiosity. He then went to the tomb and confirmed for himself that something indeed had happened to Jesus! He couldn’t make sense of it, but at least he now knew that Jesus was no longer in the grave. He was a witness. The “nonsense” of a few women led this man who walked side by side with Jesus for years, to see something he otherwise would not have. They caused him to think about things he might have never pondered. I pray that you keep up with the “nonsense” that Jesus has for you so that someone may come closer to seeing how alive He is.
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Rashad Burden is the pastor of the Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ozark, Alabama. He also pastors the Mt. Olive Seventh-day Adventist Church in Dothan, Alabama.
