Preschool
He is risen, as he said (Matthew 28:6).
The Stone Was Rolled Away
Memory Verses
Primary
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said (Matthew 28:6).
Junior
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay (Matthew 28:6).
Background Scripture: Luke 24
Lesson Scripture: Luke 24:1-12, 36
Introduction
There is a figurative stone over the door of every man’s heart. Jesus came to roll that stone away. God first rolled the stone away that kept Jesus in the grave; this was no mere act of man but the mighty work of God. The stone is also rolled away from our own hearts by the wonderful grace and power of God. “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Cor. 12:3). Is your heart dark and cold? Perhaps a stone needs to be rolled back so once again a spiritual resurrection can bring forth new life in a blaze of glory. May this lesson renew an appreciation of the resurrection as we again ponder the mightiest work of God.
Key Verse
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God (Col. 3:1).
Lesson Scripture
Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
Studying the Lesson
Never has an event been more heralded and more anticipated by a group of people than the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. The children of Israel had a tumultuous history. The pendulum of destiny had swung from great material success and political dominance to poverty, servitude, and slavery. In the climate of servitude and despair, hope came on the scene, first with John the Baptist and then with Jesus. Throughout the history of the Israelites, God spoke to them in prophetic signs and wonders. The promise of the Messiah was on their minds, and it was greatly debated whether Jesus was the promised One. The rulers of that day rejected Jesus as an imposter, but the poor people gladly received Him.
All the Jewish people had no way of really knowing what the Redeemer and his kingdom would be like in real life; it was obscure. Nevertheless, they had a perception of how they thought it would be. In their minds, it would be a bastion of peace and prominence. It would be deliverance from captivity and poverty. For a small group of the faithful, though, it was slightly different; Jesus was to be their hope, the salvation of God’s people.
The historical setting of today’s lesson is the aftermath of all these hopes and ideas being dashed by Jesus’s crucifixion and death. Upon hearing of his resurrection, a little hope returned that maybe something was going on that they did not fully understand. One can only imagine the vast array of emotions the followers of Jesus felt. The two on Emmaus’s road were the embodiment of those conflicting emotions and torrent of thoughts that many were experiencing.
Those who did not accept Jesus did everything they could through the evil power of Satan to destroy Jesus and keep Him in the grave. A point of special note is that the forces of evil perpetuated the saving plan of God. God has used evil many times to bring about something good for a believer, and it is the overcoming of evil in our lives that brings about the power and glory of God.
Many things have been hidden from man until God chooses to reveal his plan. Until the stone was rolled away, the empty grave observed, and Jesus revealed Himself, the disciples were in utter despair. Their hopes of a king that would make everything right were upended. We first see the angels and then Jesus revealing Himself to his disciples. It thrills us yet today to sense the joy and wonder they felt when they realized the grave no longer held their Lord but that He was indeed risen from the dead. In a measure, we all feel what the disciples felt when we are born again. God reveals Jesus to us, and we become a new creature in Christ. We go from the bondage of sin, self, and Satan unto the glorious liberty of Christ.
Practical Truths for Today
The background scripture gives us insight into how God reveals Himself. When the two disciples traveling to Emmaus were joined by Jesus, his identity was hidden from them. As they walked and conversed together, Jesus first opened the Scriptures; then He opened their understanding, and finally, in the breaking of bread, He opened their eyes, and they saw Him for who He was. The revelation of Jesus is not merely an intellectual exercise. Without God revealing Christ to us, there is no salvation.
God created man with many gifts, talents, and abilities, and God uses the gifts He has given to his own glory and honor. It is only as man humbles himself that he can benefit the kingdom and participate in the propagation of the gospel.
The plan of God is for everyone (1 Cor. 1:25-29). In a very wonderful, God-directed way, Jesus came as the lowest to the lowest. Nobody can truly say that Jesus was too good for them, He had it better, or had so much of an advantage. The Scripture states that Jesus had nowhere to lay his head. In a sense He was homeless, devoid of any material assets.
The qualifier for being a Christian is having a humble and contrite heart. Jesus dwells in and identifies with the humble and lowly. The moment our estimation of ourselves is elevated, it becomes a hindrance to being a servant of God. We naturally want to bring something of value to God to gain his acceptance. We also desire to be likable, attractive, and popular to our fellowmen so we can be accepted and receive a commendation from them. This is of no value to God; rather, it is a hindrance to God’s work in our lives.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Needing to understand everything to accept or believe is a big hindrance to faith. Intellectually, man cannot comprehend the ways of God. Faith comes at the expense and loss of man’s ability to try and understand God. God will never be reduced to the level of man’s understanding. True faith pleases God because it honors, glorifies, and trusts Him.
This brings us back full circle to the fact that a true experience of spiritual resurrection is a revelation of our sinfulness, our need of a Savior, and who Jesus really is. This is the stone being rolled away from the door of our hearts. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). This all works in conjunction with the Spirit of God as He enlightens us to the eternal truths of the gospel.
The two disciples of so long ago experienced this on the road to Emmaus. We can still experience this in the twenty-first century as we allow God to work his grace in us by humbling ourselves. It is an act of the will, and without it no man will see God. Christian life is a volunteer program. Jesus stands at our door and knocks; the Scripture tells us that if we open the door, He will come in and sup with us. May God increase our understanding of the resurrection in a very personal way.
Questions
- How much does man really have to do with being saved?
- Jesus opened the Scriptures and expounded to the disciples. What happens to the seeking soul who has no one to open the Word to them?
- Does understanding the deep inner cry of our soul, which is part of the knowledge of good and evil, bring us into favor with God? If not, what does?
- Are we to anticipate the return of the Lord like the Jews anticipated the coming of the Messiah?
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).