Monday within the Octave of Easter
The patriarch David . . . foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ. (Acts 2:29, 31)
Think about a priest giving a homily about the resurrection of Christ. You would likely expect him to talk about the empty tomb and the victory Jesus won over sin. But in today’s reading, Peter talks about something different. He says the resurrection proves that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Why?
Put yourself back into first-century Palestine. God had promised to send his anointed one (which is what the words “messiah” and “Christ” mean). He would establish an eternal kingdom, so the Israelites were longing for this Messiah. Because they were suffering under Roman domination, they expected the Messiah to liberate them from Rome and restore them to the glory of Solomon’s kingdom.
That’s why Peter was so excited to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. God’s promises had been fulfilled. Jesus is God’s Holy One who was not abandoned to the netherworld. He is the everlasting king that David spoke about. But to their surprise, he did not come as an earthly king who would rescue God’s people from a particular problem they were having. He came to save them from the problem, the source of all oppression and suffering. He came to save them—and everyone—from sin. And he did that by dying to sin on the cross and by opening heaven to them in his resurrection.
You probably didn’t grow up longing for a messiah in the same way the ancient Israelites did. But still, your longings might be similar. Maybe you are looking for Jesus to solve a problem for you or to deliver you from a particularly difficult situation. Maybe somewhere deep down, you believe that following him should give you health and prosperity.
Just as he did back then, Jesus wants to upend your expectations now. He wants to release you from sin so that you are freer to love. He wants to restore you to your Father in heaven so that you can live in confidence, no matter your situation. He wants to help you overcome whatever drags you down so that you can be filled with his joy and peace.
Let Jesus do this for you, and you’ll know a freedom that far surpasses anything this world can offer.
“Come, Lord Jesus, and give us your freedom!”
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11
Matthew 28:8-15
