True Prosperity When You're SufferingSample

Jesus: His Suffering, Our Forgiveness Listen to our friend Thato tell us how Jesus turned his suffering into good news. There is an audio attachment for this devotional. You can [ download the audio ](https://plan-audio-cdn.youversionapi.com/uploads/supplemental-audio/14c1286c-c133-4e45-aadc-2aec55698187.mp3) if you wish. The women followers of Jesus followed Joseph of Arimathea to the new tomb where they put Jesus’s body. They planned to prepare the appropriate spices to properly prepare his body for burial. They thought it would be their final act of devotion. Instead, Mary was the first eyewitness to the risen Savior (John 20:16). The empty tomb changed everything. Mary was also the first person Jesus commissioned to share the good news. She ran and told his followers he was alive, and when Jesus appeared to them later in the upper room, he told them about his mission again. He explained the relevant texts from the writings of Moses and the prophets that said the Messiah must suffer for the forgiveness of sins. He also cast vision for their future ministry (Luke 24:44–49). Jesus issued the next steps for his followers—to preach the gospel, the forgiveness of sin. Just as Isaiah had prophesied, Jesus suffered so our sins could be forgiven and we could be reconciled to God. He paid the price for our sin—death—so that we could receive forgiveness and everlasting life. Jesus took on our debt, and in exchange, he gave us eternal prosperity—salvation, righteousness, restoration and flourishing we cannot even imagine. Read More If you’d like to read more about Jesus’s resurrection, take a look at John 20; Mark 16:9–11; and Luke 24:36–48.