Weekly Devotional - Aaron Green

"And very early in the morning on the first day of the week..." -Mark 16:2

This is of course referencing the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Son of God, from the dead. This we know. But there are some details about this that can often go overlooked. First, let's begin with Friday. From Thursday evening to Friday evening marked the 6th day. In the Creation narrative the sixth day is when God created mankind. Hold on to that detail for a moment. At the Temple, a lamb was offered at 9am and 3pm. This perfectly coincides with Jesus' time on the cross, and it's certainly plausible to assume that as the Lamb of God is crying out at the start and conclusion of His death the lambs at the temple are also letting out their bleats as well. Back to the 6th day. It was humanities taking of the tree that brought about death, and it was the one man's faithfulness to endure death on a tree, of which we partake to receive life. So, that's Friday.
As we recall from the Scriptures, they were in a hurry to get him down from the cross and entomb him before sunset which would begin Sabbath, the 7th day. The day God rested from all of the work He had done. Likewise, the Son of God, from which all of Creation was made, and who had just accomplished the great work of conquering death, rested on the 7th day.
Now we come to our verse listed above. "Very early in the morning (the implication is that it was still probably dark out like in the opening chapters of Genesis) on the first day of the week..." What do we have here? Is it that Jesus was just ready to be done being dead? Perhaps, but more than likely the implication presented here is new creation or re-creation. Jesus walks out of the tomb in a newly created body- still Jesus- but new. Jesus is the firstborn of the New Creation- the new humanity. When we come out of the waters of baptism we come out new. A new week begins with resurrection Sunday and continues for all the days to come.

Walk in the newness of life.

- Aaron