Christ Himself pointed out the benefit of His Sufferings and Resurrection when He Said to...

[Anonymous]

Christ Himself pointed out the benefit of His Sufferings and Resurrection when He Said to the women: “Fear not: go tell my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there shall they see me.” (Matthee 28:10) These are the very first words they heard from Christ after His Resurrection from the dead, by which He confirmed all the former utterances and loving deeds He showed them, namely, that His Resurrection avails in our behalf who believe, so that He therefore anticipates and calls Christians His brethren, who believe it, and yet they do not, like the apostles, witness His Resurrection.

The Risen Christ waits not until we ask or call on Him to become His brethren. Do we here speak of merit, by which we deserve anything? What did the apostles merit? Peter denied his Lord three times; the other disciples all fled from Him; they tarried with Him like a rabbit does with its young. He should have called them deserters, yea, betrayers, reprobates, anything but brethren. Therefore this Word is sent to them through the women out of pure Grace and mercy, as the apostles at the time keenly experienced, and we experience also, when we are mired fast in our sins, temptations and condemnation.

These are words, full of all comfort, that Christ Receives desperate villains as you and I are and calls us His brethren. Is Christ really our brother, then I would like to know what we can be in need of? Just as it is among natural brothers, so is it also here. Brothers according to the flesh enjoy the same possessions, have the same father, the one inheritance, otherwise they would not be brothers: so we enjoy with Christ the same possessions, and have in common with Him One Father and One Inheritance, which never decreases by being distributed, as other inheritances do; but it ever grows larger and larger; for it is a spiritual inheritance. But an earthly inheritance decreases when distributed among many persons. He who has a part of this spiritual inheritance, has it all.

However, what is Christ’s Inheritance? His Heritage is Life and Death, Sin and Grace, all that is in Heaven and Earth, Eternal Truth, Power, Wisdom, Righteousness; He Governs and Rules over all, over hunger and thirst, over fortune and misfortune, over everything imaginable, whether in Heaven or on Earth, not only spiritual but also secular affairs; and the sum total of all is, He Has all things in His Hand, be they Eternal or temporal. Now, if I believe on Him, I become partaker with Him of all His Possessions, and obtain not only a part or a piece; but, like Him, I obtain all, Eternal Righteousness, Eternal Wisdom, Eternal Strength, and become a lord and reign over all. The stomach will not hunger, sins will not oppress, I will no more fear death, nor be terror-stricken by Satan, and I will never be in want, but will be like Christ The Lord Himself.

- M. L., Church Postil, Easter Sunday, 2-5.