Unlocked Devotional: EasterSample

THE GUARD

“This is ridiculous,” I said, adjusting my helmet while keeping my spear crooked in my arm. “Why do we need all of these soldiers here. The man is dead, isn’t he?”

The guard next to me shrugged. “They say he made lots of noise about rising from the dead. So they are worried about his disciples coming back and stealing the body.”

“Well,” I said, glancing back at the crowd of soldiers gathered outside the small garden tomb, “Good luck to them. It’s all sealed up, and they would have to get through all that.”

I shifted on my feet, wishing for my cot. “Nice morning anyway.”

He grunted, signaling the end of the conversation.

Resentful, I stepped a few paces away. I looked up into the night sky, seeing a few stars remaining, even as the sky was brightening. Strange, one of the stars was moving…

A roar filled the garden, and the earth shook with an impact. I was thrown to the ground, my spear clattering on some stones. It took me a moment to regain my breath, and, when I did, I shrank back against a tree.

A bright figure, completely clad in what looked like glowing robes, was stalking toward the tomb. His footprints left the ground smoking.

The other guards were shrieking, stumbling over each other to get away even as he raised his bright hand, placed it on the stone, and pushed.

The last thing I remember before fainting was the sound of stone ripping.

– Kevin Zeller

THINK ABOUT IT

Can you imagine being one of the guards at the tomb? How do you think you would have reacted?

How did Jesus’s resurrection begin the new creation breaking into our world? (Romans 8:11-24; 2 Corinthians 5; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21:1-5)

KEY VERSE

He [Jesus] said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” Mark 9:31 (NLT)