The Resurrection changed everything!
Luke 24:1-12
By Ysrael De la Cruz

The cross represented the endgame for the disciples of Jesus that Friday afternoon. It killed their hopes, dreams, and expectation they had about Jesus.
They believed Jesus would be the Messiah who would restore the kingdom to Israel. But now their expected Messiah was dead. Imagine what must have gone through their minds; I guess we were wrong about him. This was not supposed to happen. Fear and insecurities gripped their hearts. From that moment on they would not go out in public for fear that the Jews would arrest them and kill them. That must have been a horrible weekend for the disciples of Jesus. Everything ended with the cross, so they thought.
Luke 24:1-12
But on the first day of the week, everything changed. All the writers of the gospel described an empty tomb early the first day of the week. They all have women as the first witnesses of the Empty tomb. These women had gone to the tomb also expecting to find a dead body. They went to anoint the body with spices they had prepared. The women did not know what to make of the tomb being empty. (v.4) they were confused as to why the body wasn’t there.
John tells us that the women thought the body was stolen (John 20:2)

Angels’ announcement (v.5)
Two angels appeared and told them the reason the tomb was empty.
“Why do you seek the living One among the dead?”
He is not here, he has risen. (v.6)
You don’t go to a tomb searching for a living body. This is the message of the angels to the women. Jesus’ body is not in the tomb because he has risen.
Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee. (v.6)

The resurrection testifies to Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. (7-8)
Jesus spoke plainly about his death and his resurrection. Matt.16:21 “The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again”
Even though Jesus spoke openly about the resurrection to his disciples, they didn’t understand it. They did not expect Jesus to die nor rise from the grave.
The women remembered what Jesus had said.(v.8)
Then they went back to share this great news with the apostles. The news that Jesus was alive. The apostles didn’t believe the women’s testimony, (v.11) their words seemed like nonsense, it didn’t make sense. Why did it not make sense to the apostles? They did not expect it to happen.
Peter went to the tomb and saw the strips of linen lying by themselves. He didn’t know what to make of that. He didn’t expect the resurrection!
The apostles could not have made up the resurrection since they didn’t expect to happen nor believed the women’s testimony.
The apostles could not have invented the resurrection since they were hiding for fear of the Jews.
The resurrection changed everything!
They got to see the risen Christ. Jesus began to appear to his followers, he let his followers see him. Two disciples were traveling on the road. Luke 24:13-33
Jesus appeared to the eleven apostles (Luke 24:36-48)

Jesus appeared to them to give them proof that he was indeed alive. He would eat with them and invited them to check out the evidence.
Luke tells us in the book of Acts that Jesus appeared to them over a period of 40 days giving them many convincing proofs that he was alive. (Acts 1:3)

The resurrection of Jesus turned coward disciples into brave witnesses.
The apostles’ fear turned into bravery. Their sadness into exuberant joy.
We can’t stop telling you what we have seen and heard. (Acts 2:22-24; 31-32; Acts 4:10-12) The religious people could not disprove the testimonies of the witnesses that saw Jesus alive.
They were willing to put their lives on the line when asked to renounce Jesus. They filled the city of Jerusalem with the preaching of the gospel of Jesus. They always presented Jesus as the one who conquered death.

The resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith; without it there is no Christianity. (I Cor.15:13-20) Paul said that if Christ did not rise from the dead, our preaching and our faith is useless. The church was founded on this; Without the resurrection there is not hope of eternal life. Eternal life is possible because the one who promised it rose from the dead. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall live.” (John 11:25)
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (John 5:25)
Our Savior lives and promises life everlasting to those who believe in him.