Easter Angels

 "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" Matthew 26: 53, 54

    While taking a walk last week, I saw a few Easter decorations in someone's yard. One, a little angel, gave me pause thinking that should be more of a Christmastime adornment until I remembered the Easter angels. When Christ was in great anguish in Gethsemane, an angel came to Him and strengthened Him. On their way to the tomb, the two Marys wondered who would roll the stone away from the entrance when they were met by an angel who had done it for them, giving them view of the empty tomb. 

    These angels were messengers sent by the Father to address imminent needs, but there were many, many more who were not dispatched, though they waited for the command. Jesus could have called for assistance, but He knew He must go through with the Salvation Plan.

    Ray Overholt, who was born in Michigan in 1924, took to music at a young age. He'd written his first song at age ten so his father bought him a guitar for three dollars the following year. After much success from performances and a television show, the effects of his success led him to a life of nightclubs until Ray found he'd become a profane man in need of a Savior.

    Vowing to clean up his act, he opened his Bible and felt inspired to write a song about Jesus. Perhaps you are familiar with "He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels?" It wasn't until after he had performed this song at a small church that Ray knelt at the altar and invited Jesus into his heart. "I knew I needed Christ," reflected Ray, "so I knelt there and accepted, as my Savior, the One whom I had been singing and writing about."

    In order to save people like Ray Overholt, Jesus would not save Himself. It was only His sacrifice on the cross that would enable Him to save us eternally. 

"He could have called ten thousand angels

To destroy the world and set Him free.

He could have called ten thousand angels,

But He died alone for you and me." - Ray Overholt

"The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said." Matthew 28:5, 6