The Day After Easter

Now before I share anything let me say that I am trying to use the term “Resurrection Sunday” instead “Easter” mainly because for some the word “Easter” is a word that causes ire due to its supposed pagan history. Though I can easily use the words interchangeably without feeling I have comprised as most do not see the word “Easter” as something sinister within itself. 

Let me say also that we must remember that Jewish days begin at sundown and not at midnight as our days do today.  Thus a Jewish day runs from sundown to sundown because the Jewish people who wrote the Bible were following God’s description of days in Genesis 1:1, 8, 13, and so on, as “the evening and the morning.”  Thus when we look at days in the Bible, it is often dependent that we recognize the timing of events is based upon their view of what constitutes a day not our view.

What was the day after the Resurrection all about?  Remember it began on what would have been our Sunday evening at sundown and ended on what would today be considered Monday evening.  The events are recorded in Luke 24, and the other Gospels, as follows:

1. The women, on Resurrection Sunday morning early, went to the tomb and found it empty.  Some of them were told to go to the disciples and tell them that Jesus had risen and they immediately left to see the disciples (Luke 24:1-10).  Mary, however, lingered and actually got to see the Lord and then afterward also went to report to the disciples (John 20:11-18).
2. Peter and John heard the women’s words and ran to the tomb and find what they had doubted from the women’s mouths was actually true - Jesus WAS alive (Luke 24:11-12).  They obviously returned to the other disciples and reported the body was gone (Luke 24:34).  
3. But evidently two of the disciples, Cleopas and an unnamed disciple, did not stay in Jerusalem but decided to travel to Emmaus for some reason. For sake of understanding, the village of Emmaus was about 7.5 miles from Jerusalem. 
4. These two walked away from Jerusalem but along the journey Jesus met them in His resurrected state (Luke 24:15).  But they did not recognize Him at first and continued on their journey talking with Him on the way until the day was nearly done (Luke 24:28, 29).  These two then asked Jesus to stay with them and the three sat down to eat the evening meal and, then, finally, the two disciples recognized Jesus (Luke 24:30, 31).
5. They immediately return to Jerusalem, probably running all the way (Luke 24:33a), where they find the other disciples waiting for something to happen (John 20:19-23).  I say running because they obviously made it before the end of Sunday at evening as Jesus appears on this “first day of the week” per John 20:19.
6. But this meeting, for sure, went well into the night, thus being the “day” after Resurrection Sunday.

But now the point I wish to make, and, it’s about telling others of Christ’s Resurrection!  You see, as soon as these two road to Emmaus disciples stated they now believed Simon Peter’s words because they had seen the Lord after He broken bread and then accepted His Resurrection as true (Luke 24:34-35), they were obviously saved.  They were literally at that moment before the other disciples saying, “We now believe!”  And what immediately followed that confession?  Jesus appears in the midst of them all.  Notice the words of Luke 24:36, “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them…”  I believe that Jesus had waited to appear to the other disciples until these two returned in belief and confessed Him before the group.

Today the same can be true for us.  Jesus will show Himself to others when we confess Him publicly as our Savior.  You do not have to be a great orator to share the Gospel, just tell them what you believe and Who saved you and let Him do the rest.  Today is the day after Easter and it’s a great day to start sharing the Gospel afresh