Matthew 28:6-7; Mark 16:6-7 “He Is Risen”
Perhaps the greatest news of all time was expressed in three short words: “He is risen” (Matthew 28:6; Mark 16:6). These words were spoken by angels, and there was also an invitation added: “Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you” (Matthew 28:6-7; see also Mark 16:6-7; Luke 24:6-7).
- In what ways can we “come, see” for ourselves that Jesus Christ lives?
Each Sabbath day, as we partake of the sacrament, we are reminded that we are to internalize the emblems of Jesus’s body and blood “in remembrance” of Him, and that we will “always remember Him” (Mormon 4:3; 5:2; D&C 20:77, 79).
- How do you remember daily the Savior’s atoning life and sacrifice?
- How can we prevent the frequent repetition of the sacrament from becoming “routine” to us?
John 5:33-39 Witnesses of Him
Also, as we take the sacrament bread and water, we “witness” to Heavenly Father our remembrance of the Savior, along with our willingness to take His name upon us and to keep His commandments. In this sense, we become His witnesses. Consider other witnesses of Christ, which help us know and feel of His divinity as the Redeeming Son of God. Read the following, as taught by Jesus in John 5:
- The witness of John the Baptist (verses 33, 35).
- The witness of Jesus’s miracles and other works (verse 36).
- The witness of the Father, through the Spirit (verse 37).
- The witness of the holy scriptures (verse 39).
- Let us listen to living prophets, consider Jesus’s great teachings and works, be still and listen to the Spirit, and pay the price of daily devotion time in the scriptures.
Additional Witnesses
And there is more. The New Testament writers have provided the identities of many mortal witnesses of the Resurrected Christ. Consider the following:
- Matthew 28:9-10, 16-18
- Mark 16:9-10, 14-15, 19
- Luke 24:13-52
- John 20:11-30
- John 21:1-24
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
- Also, every general conference we hear testimonies of Christ’s living reality from those we sustain as modern prophets, seers, and revelators.
His Blessings in Our Lives
The sacrament prayers end with the promise that we may always have His spirit to be with us—and “His spirit” refers to Jesus. This means that in addition to the gift of the Holy Ghost, we may also have the Savior’s sweet spirit with us during our mortal lifetime. Here are examples of ways in which He can be with us:
- Luke 1:50-53—Mary exults over the great blessings of mercy, strength, lifting, and filling our hunger with “good things.”
- Luke 1:68-75—Zacharias thangs the Lord for visiting and redeeming His people, providing salvation, saving us from our enemies, performing mercy through His holy covenant and oath, and helping us to serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness.
- Matthew 11:28-30—Jesus invites us to come unto Him and to learn from Him, and He promises us rest.
- John 14:27—Jesus gives His peace, including freedom from feeling troubled and afraid.
- John 16:33—Jesus promises peace despite tribulation, inviting us to be of good cheer.
- Matt 28:20—Jesus promises, “lo, I am with you always[s], even unto the end of the world.”
- John 20:31—John states that he wrote His gospel so that we “might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing [we] might have life through his name.”
- Romans 8:31-32, 35-39—Paul testifies that “If God be for us, who can be against us?” and that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Thus, “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
- And so it goes—on and on, day by day, one gift after another. He lives!
