Raised to Life!

They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Psalm 112:7

Last week a Kenyan colleague posted a question on Facebook, “Is it only in Kenya where bad news makes up the news headlines‬? Good news is hardly aired.” One person replied, “People are attracted to bad & horrifying news.” The tragic and macabre act like a magnet for our attention – headlines, best-sellers, Emmy nominations, and blockbuster films are evidence enough! That is, as long as the unthinkable does not touch our personal reality, as Jesus’ disciple so aptly demonstrate.The Lord’s disciples could not comprehend, and refused to hear, the “bad news” Jesus insisted upon giving:

Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day, he will be raised to life!" Matthew 20:17-19

Repeatedly, Jesus predicted his death and his resurrection – the very core of the Gospel message told by the prophets. But, how could this be Good News? To credit the disciples, who could bear to hear such a dreadful disclosure? Moreover, who could get past “betrayed and crucified,” to hear the beautiful words, “raised to life?”Jesus’ followers clung to the good news as they willed it. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, people waved palm branches expecting their version of the sacred - that their Messiah would usurp the power of the provisional government and reestablish the rightful place of the Jewish nation. However, the very act of riding upon a lowly donkey hailed a future that no one expected or would have believed.After Jesus’ predictions of his torturous death had come true, the disciples were hiding, overcome with fear. When the women who found an empty tomb came bearing the Good News that Jesus had risen, most would not believe them, thinking their words were nonsense. It took the very presence of the Savior to convince them of the truth.Like the disciples, we still struggle with the Good News of the Savior. Bad news from all over the world has become a tangible means by which we measure our existence on this earth! And for those living in terrible want, surrounded by deadly disease and rampant crime, how much harder to fathom that Jesus has overcome this world. It takes the presence of the Savior to convince them of the truth.The eduKenya staff, leadership, teachers, and partners believe that God has called us, in and through Jesus Christ, to proclaim the Good News in a place that is overwhelmed by bad news. We believe every individual is beloved and created by God to experience fullness of life. We seek to treat the people we serve and communities where we work with respect and dignity. We express God’s love by offering opportunities for people to meet their needs and build hope-filled, productive futures. How lovely to be part of Jesus’ Good News – He is risen! He is risen, indeed!