It Was Always There: Fulfillment in Christ

 April 21, 2026

John 20:19–22

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

 

Luke 24:1–12

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

 

What was always there is now fully revealed.

From the very beginning, God has been planting hints, little whispers of resurrection woven into his  story long before anyone saw Jesus' empty tomb.

In Genesis, God bends down to dust and breathes life into humanity. In the prophets, God promises that dry bones will rise. In the story of Abraham, a beloved son walks up a mountain carrying wood on his back. In the psalms, the Holy One will not be abandoned to the grave. In Israel’s deep longing for redemption, we see that hope kept shining even in the darkest places.

It was always there.

And now, in the garden outside a borrowed tomb, it bursts into full daylight.

Jesus rises, not as a symbol, not as a spiritual idea, but in flesh and bone. He stands among His disciples, speaks peace over their fear, and breathes on them. John wants us to hear the echo: Genesis 2:7. The God who once breathed life into dust now breathes new creation into His people.

Luke shows us the women at the tomb, faithful, grieving, and confused, becoming the first witnesses of the world’s turning point. The angels’ question is striking,  “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen.”

From dust to deep waters, from dry bones to the beloved son, from prophetic promises to their fulfillment, everything comes together in Jesus' resurrection. All the threads we have been looking at come together into one, all the shadows give way to a new reality, and every hope finds its Yes in Christ.

And now His life becomes ours.

He breathes His Spirit into fearful disciples. He breathes courage into weary hearts. He breathes hope into places we thought were permanently sealed off. He breathes resurrection into us.

The life that was always promised is now fully revealed—and fully offered. Thanks be to God!!

Let's Pray

Risen Jesus, breathe Your life into me. Let Your resurrection reshape my fears, my habits, my desires, and my future. Help me live as someone made new by Your victory over death. Amen.