Easter Forever! By Dr. Phil Ryken

I find it hard not to envy the disciples a little. They were there for the first Easter. Therefore, they were the first to hear the good news of the resurrection and the first to see the risen Christ. Don’t you wish that you could see what they saw and rejoice the way that they must have rejoiced?
Happily, I have been studying and preaching the resurrection narratives in Luke for the last month or so -- an excellent preparation for Good Friday and Easter. What has impressed me most is the way that Jesus presented the gospel to Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus. One might have expected Jesus to point first of all to the physical reality of his resurrection body as the proof of the cross and the empty tomb. Certainly that would have been appropriate, not to mention effective, and Jesus did it on other occasions (see Luke 24:38ff., for example). But what Jesus did instead is more precious to us: He proved the cross and the empty tomb from the Scriptures. Luke tells us that "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). Furthermore, Jesus made it clear that these Scriptures should have been enough for Cleopas and his companion to understand the gospel (see Luke 24:25).I say this is precious to us because we have the same Scriptures they had, and more (see Matthew through Revelation!). Luke is therefore showing us (among other things) that we are not at any disadvantage for experiencing the life-changing joy of Good Friday and Easter. We have the Scriptures that Jesus had, and they should be enough for us -- enough for believing the gospel and also enough for preaching the gospel. Easter forever!