“He is risen”! This joyful exclamation marked Jesus arising from death after his crucifixion (see Mark 16:6). It was first spoken by the angel at Jesus’ empty tomb to the women who came to look for him, and quickly became the happy greeting of the early Christians as a triumphant reminder of Jesus’ proof of everlasting Life.
Easter is the commemoration that nothing is impossible to God—that there is no fear so great, no obstacle so big, no darkness so absorbing, nor any death so final that God can’t redeem it. All this, Jesus’ teachings and works have proved and his resurrection has confirmed.
It is a profound and humbling thing to study Jesus’ teaching and healing work and to take in Jesus’ expectation that “he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also” (John 14:12). His patient care toward his disciples brought them, step by step, to a greater understanding of God and who they are as children of God. They believed on Jesus—but this wasn’t just wishful thinking or based on blind faith. They practiced what he taught, and they healed. Following Jesus’ teachings, I’m learning, step by step, that it is possible to do the works that Jesus has done, even if only modestly. But each healing, be it considered a small victory or something more significant, teaches me something different and more spiritual about God and me as His creation.
