And they remembered His words. Luke 24:8
How did you do on your high school exams? When you looked over the questions on the examination sheet, how well did the answers flood into your mind, and how well did those answers transfer to the page on which you were writing? If you were anything like me, your responses to the examination questions depended on how well you remembered the lessons that your teacher delivered in the classroom. If you had made good notes, and if you carefully followed the textbook references, you could prepare well for the exam, because you could recall what the teacher had said would be important. It’s the same with us as we encounter the tests and challenges of our Christian life; our success depends on how well we remember the words of our Lord.
In our text, the women are remembering the words of the Lord Jesus as He told them of His resurrection. His words of promise became very precious to them, as they do to us. The promise of resurrection extends not only to His own victory over death, but of ours as well. The great promises that God has given to us in His Word give us a firm foundation in a world of uncertainty. The hope that His promises give us are described as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast (Hebrews 6:19). The promise of His soon return for us sustains us and gives us reason for joy in a dark world.
Beyond words of promise, the Lord Jesus had words of provision that we do well to remember. He had told the disciples that the Father took delight in hearing the prayers of His children. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, and most of us have experienced powerful proof of His great provision for us. Not only does He provide for our material needs, He also provides for our spiritual needs in His Word, His people, and His presence.
Beyond His words of promise and provision, the Lord Jesus had words of a pattern that we do well to remember. Matthew 18:20 launches this pattern with the following words that are precious to us: where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them. This pattern takes us outside the camp of rigmarole, tradition, and human reasoning that is denominationalism, and brings us directly to the Word of God for our operating manual. Just as all who trust Jesus Christ as Saviour have the assurance of His personal presence, so those who follow the pattern of Scripture for the gathering of the saints have the assurance of His corporate presence.
Beyond His words of promise, provision, and pattern, the Lord Jesus had words of purpose that we do well to remember. Before He left His disciples to return to Glory, He issued His great commission: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). Mark’s version of the same commission says: Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). If we remember His words, we will have a great purpose for our lives, that of preaching and supporting the Gospel and of teaching and supporting the teachings of the Word of God.
So much more than we can imagine is contained in the words of the Lord Jesus; let us remember them. -Jim MacIntosh