Monday, April 6, 2026
The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you.” So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell his disciples the news. Just then Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came up, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.” Matthew 28:5-10
The Comeback From Despair
Have you ever felt despair? Most of us in this broken world are familiar with the feeling of despair. This past Sunday we celebrated Easter - the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Pastor Jim walked us through four different serious pitfalls of life that can knock us off our path and take us out if we are not careful– despair, defeat, doubt, and death. We learned that we can comeback from these because Jesus defeated death and rose again. As our key truth from the “Risen” series says, Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection provide hope and life for all who will believe.
The four gospels tell the story of Jesus in different ways because they were talking to different groups of people. In Matthew we find the account of two women coming to the grave of Jesus on the third day after he was buried. These two women, Mary Magdalene and another Mary, were followers of Jesus and they loved him very much. They were in great despair because of his suffering and death, and they were on their way to a tomb that they believed held the dead body of their Messiah. Death on this earth is final. It is the hopeless end to a mortal life, at least as they believed it to be that day. But when they got there they met an angel sitting on the stone that had sealed the grave. The stone was moved, and the tomb was open, but their Jesus was not inside the tomb. The angel spoke to them and told them that he was not there – he had risen just as he said he would. He told them to come see and then go and tell the disciples. They rushed off to find the disciples and met Jesus on the way. He told them to not be afraid but to tell the disciples to meet him in Galilee.
Those two Mary’s went from the finality and despair of death to the hope and eternal life a resurrected Jesus brings. He spoke to them and told them to not be afraid. Jesus defeated death and despair that day.
Are you staring at a tomb of despair today? It may not be an actual grave in a cemetery for you. Maybe there is another kind of death in your life that has you hopeless and filled with despair. The death of a marriage, friendship, or family relationship? A chronic illness, job loss, a prodigal loved one, or financial loss? Some things in this life it seems we cannot overcome because of the devastation to our hearts and lives, but just as Mary could not see the resurrection before her that day, we cannot always see the comeback Jesus has for us in our despair. It is there if we will just hold on. Keep going down the path where he meets us and calls our name – where we find hope and life for all who believe.
Something that happened so long ago has completely changed our lives and continues to change our life every day. Because of his comeback we can come back from anything and everything, including despair and hopelessness. He calls our name and tells us not to be afraid just as he did Mary’s on the path that day. Because of the resurrection of Jesus we can have hope and life instead of despair.
Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus that gives hope and life for all who will believe? If you have not and want to place your trust in him today to find that hope and life please talk to someone. You can text CONNECT to 72318 to speak with a member of our staff or you can call our church office at 817-599-8612.
If you have believed and you are lost in hopelessness and despair, remember the comeback of his resurrection and how it provides hope and life in the face of despair.
