A New Last Word

May 2, 2019

A New Last Word

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

Matthew 28:1

Matthew 28:1-10 is an account of the first Easter Sunday. Matthew is telling about the women going to the grave of Jesus. It is a solemn occasion, but Matthew can’t help himself. He has to crack a joke. The last they saw Jesus he was dead, and buried. But Jesus isn’t dead, and the guards are ‘like dead men.’ (v.4)

God is love and the opposite of love is fear. That’s why the angelic host always begins their encounter with mortal humans with the words ‘do not be afraid.’ The earthquake was like a drum roll introducing the angel who is making an announcement. At this time, at this place, the history of mankind is changed. The women had crossed the border from the old world into the light of the Kingdom of God. Behind them was the world where hope was constantly abused, where power ruled, where peace was scoffed at, where the rich got richer, usually on the backs of the poor, and there was always some despot using their power to oppress the people. Oh, and in that world, the dead stayed dead.

The women stepped into the new world of light and love and hope and peace in the life of the Risen Savior. This is not to say that those who choose to live in the old world can no longer be abusers; it is to say they can no longer be victorious. No more is their voice the last word. God has established that He and He alone has the last word.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

(2 Cor. 5:17)

My Takeaway: I recently read about God using Tom Mix to lead to Christ a very prominent newspaperwoman. I knew Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. I didn’t know he was also a Shakespearean scholar. And I didn’t know he too had heard Matthew’s Easter Sunday announcement and had become a follower of Christ, and an unabashed sharer of the Good News. I know Easter was two weeks ago, but maybe today I will encounter someone who hasn’t heard Matthew’s announcement. Maybe you will also.

Sē’lah

Alex

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.