Here Comes The Son | Garden Grave Gone | Frank Santora

Devotional

Day 1: Here Comes the Son with Grace in Your Despair

Even when we are walking in the complete opposite direction from God's promises, He comes to find us. In our moments of deepest confusion and disappointment, when our hope has turned to past-tense regret, He draws near. He does not rebuke us for our wandering or our wrong perspective. Instead, He walks with us, listens to our pain-filled story, and begins to gently correct our narrative with His truth. He meets us in our despair with His unmerited favor. [06:03]

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:27 (ESV)

Reflection: What is the "we had hoped" story you have been telling yourself about a situation that has caused you pain or disappointment? How might Jesus be walking with you now, waiting to reinterpret that story through the lens of His grace and purpose?

Day 2: Here Comes the Son with Faith for Your Doubt

God understands that pain and disappointment can crush our faith, leaving us isolated and needing proof. In those moments, He does not condemn our honest struggle to believe. He comes specifically to us, even when we have withdrawn from community, and He offers us exactly what we need to believe again. His presence itself is an answer, and He is willing to provide the evidence our wounded hearts require to lift our faith. [17:15]

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
John 20:27 (ESV)

Reflection: Where has a painful experience or unanswered prayer made it difficult for you to believe God's promises? What would it look like to honestly bring that struggle to Him and ask for a personal encounter that could restore your faith?

Day 3: Here Comes the Son with a Second Chance

Failure and regret have a way of making us run back to the place where we hope to find grace. We wonder if we are disqualified after our mistakes, even after repeated denials and falls. But God’s message is not one of final condemnation; it is one of a folded napkin. It is a clear signal that the story is not over. His work in your life is not finished, and redemption is always possible. [25:13]

And he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.
John 20:6-7 (ESV)

Reflection: Is there an area of your life where you feel the "crow of condemnation" because of past failure? How does the truth that God is not finished with you yet change the way you view your future?

Day 4: Here Comes the Son with Personal Mercy

God’s mercy is not a generic, one-size-fits-all concept; it is deeply personal and intimate. He meets us at our lowest point, when we are weeping over what we feel is lost. Even when grief blinds us to His presence, He is there. He calls us by name, breaking through our pain with the specific, loving knowledge of who we are and what we need. His mercy is new and available every single morning. [29:53]

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

Reflection: When have you felt so consumed by grief or pain that you could not recognize God's nearness? How does it impact you to know that He sees you personally and calls you by name in the midst of your struggle?

Day 5: The Son’s Arrival Transforms Our Darkest Days

The cycle of Good Friday's pain and Saturday's silence is a reality of life, but it is never the end of the story. The resurrection power of Jesus Christ means that a new day always dawns. No matter how dark the circumstance, how deep the confusion, or how long the silence, the Son is always coming. His arrival brings with Him everything we need: grace, faith, second chances, and personal mercy to transform our situation. [02:31]

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.
Malachi 4:2 (ESV)

Reflection: Looking back over a recent "Friday" or "Saturday" season in your life, where can you now see the evidence of the Son's arrival, bringing His healing and hope into your situation?

Sermon Summary

The resurrection narrative reframes the pain of defeat and the silence of waiting as stages that Jesus meets with active and personal intervention. The timeline from triumphal entry to cross to tomb becomes a mirror for life’s “Fridays” and “Saturdays”—moments when hopes die and silence settles. On the road to Emmaus, two despondent travelers walk away from the center of revival, blinded by disappointment; Jesus pursues, walks with them, listens to their broken story, and then reshapes that story by teaching from Moses and the prophets. Doubt surfaces in Thomas’s demand for physical proof, and the risen Christ presents the very scars that restore trust, showing that faith often requires encounter as much as argument. Peter arrives bearing failure and finds the tomb’s linens arranged with meaning: a folded face cloth that signals a master not finished with his guest, announcing that failure does not nullify invitation. Mary Magdalene, once bound by seven demons, stands face-to-face with the mercy seat of the new covenant—angels at head and feet—and hears her name spoken. The calling of her name reveals mercy as intimate, not generic, and breaks the fog of grief so she recognizes the risen Lord. Across these scenes the gospel presents a God who chases the lost, enters the messy places, meets doubt with evidence tailored to the heart, offers fresh starts where shame says none remain, and addresses people by name when pain has made them strangers to hope. The themes press practical implications: sight can deceive; grief can mask miracle; community matters in recovery; and the resurrection rewrites failure into purpose. Each encounter underscores a single claim: the risen Son brings grace, builds faith, grants second chances, and extends mercy in ways that restore identity and reorient future hope.

Key Takeaways

1. Grace pursues those walking away Jesus chases down discouraged travelers rather than waiting for them to return. That pursuit reorients broken narratives by listening first and teaching second, which reminds that grace often arrives by presence and patient correction instead of immediate correction. This active pursuit reframes failure as a crossroads, not a destination. [09:18]
2. Faith often needs embodied proof Doubt frequently springs from deep pain, not mere stubbornness, and encounters with the risen Christ provide evidence tailored to the wounded heart. Physical reminders—scars, presence, tangible signs—serve as footholds for trust to grow again. Encounter, not only explanation, restores belief. [17:15]
3. Second chances bear clear signs The folded face cloth in the tomb communicates intentionality: the work remains unfinished and restoration still awaits. Symbolic details can announce divine favor when words fail, and they invite those bowed by failure to return without pretense. Renewal often begins with a simple sign that the past does not dictate the future. [24:21]
4. Mercy calls by name Mercy reaches into shame with specificity, addressing people as known and remembered rather than as anonymous sinners. Hearing one’s name breaks the isolating power of grief and re-establishes relational identity before restoration begins. Mercy, therefore, is both personal and transformational. [31:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:39] - Opening Declaration and Scripture
[02:31] - Sermon Title: "Here Comes the Son"
[05:26] - Emmaus: Grace for the Despondent
[14:25] - Thomas: Faith and the Need for Proof
[19:20] - Peter: Failure and the Empty Tomb
[25:35] - Mary Magdalene: Mercy and Recognition
[31:33] - Personal Name and Restoration

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Luke 24:13-35 (NKJV)

Observation questions

In the story from Luke 24, what were the two travelers discussing as they walked, and how did they describe their emotions?
What specific detail about the tomb's contents did Peter notice that indicated something deliberate had happened, rather than a robbery? [23:28]
When Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene, what prevented her from recognizing him, and what was the one thing he did that finally opened her eyes? [30:08]
What was Thomas’s specific condition for believing Jesus was alive, and how did Jesus respond to that condition directly? [16:12]

Interpretation questions

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were walking away from Jerusalem, the place Jesus had told them to wait. Why might someone who is discouraged and confused retreat from community and God's instructions?
Jesus chose to appear to his disciples with the scars from his crucifixion still visible. What does this reveal about how God often chooses to build faith, especially after a season of pain or disappointment? [18:31]
The folded face cloth in the tomb was seen as a sign that the master was not finished. In what ways can a person’s past failures make them feel like God is finished with them, and how does this sign challenge that feeling? [24:21]
Jesus called Mary by name, and that was what broke through her grief. Why is being personally known and called by name such a powerful catalyst for recognizing hope and mercy in a moment of deep pain? [31:33]

Application questions

Grace pursues those who are walking away in their disappointment. [09:18] When have you experienced a "Friday" or "Saturday" where you felt like walking away from hope? What did it feel like when you sensed God drawing near to you in that place, even if you weren't seeking Him?
Faith often needs an encounter, not just an explanation. [17:15] What are some of the "scars" or tangible reminders in your own life—answered prayers, provision, past deliverance—that you can look back on to lift your faith when you are waiting in a season of doubt?
The folded cloth was a clear sign that the past does not have the final word. [24:21] Is there a failure or mistake from your past that the enemy uses to tell you that your story is over? What would it look like to accept the sign that God's work in you is not finished?
Mercy reaches into our pain by calling us by name, making it personal and not generic. [31:33] In the middle of a struggle, do you more often feel like an anonymous sinner or a known and loved child of God? How can intentionally listening for God's personal call to you change your perspective in grief or shame?
Pain can cause a person to stare right at a miracle and not recognize it. [26:33] What are some of the "miracles" or blessings in your life right now that your current grief, stress, or disappointment might be blinding you from seeing?
Isolation is a dangerous place to be for too long. [15:35] When you are going through a difficult time, what tends to make you pull away from community? What is one practical step you can take to stay connected with others who can speak life into your situation?

Sermon Clips

And then he sees the napkin, which was the face cloth. They wouldn't wrap the face, they would just put a napkin over it. He sees the face cloth, and the linen strips are lying over here, and the face cloth is lying over here. But the face cloth is folded, And Peter begins to look, and he said, wait a second. This can't be a crime scene. This can't be a robbery because what thief? Because that was the rumor that they started. The pharisees said, go tell him that the body was stolen. Because even the pharisees knew that if he was resurrected from the dead, it meant that he was who he said he was. The resurrection is real. [00:23:11] (39 seconds) #FoldedClothProof

Can I encourage you? God wants to fix your story. Maybe you're here today, and maybe you're confused, and maybe you're broken, and maybe you thought your Friday was final. Maybe your Saturday of silence you thought would last forever. But can I tell you what God does? Here comes the son with grace. [00:13:39] (28 seconds) #GodFixesStories

And Jesus, he didn't have to come back with scars. He coulda came back with a fully resurrected body, no scars, no holes, no nothing. But he came back with scars. You know why? Because those scars became the place of Thomas's faith. [00:17:47] (33 seconds) #ScarsBecomeFaith

John chapter 20 verse number three. Peter therefore went out and the other disciple, and they were going to the tomb. And you know the story, John outruns Peter. Gets there first, but he doesn't go in. And then Peter shows up, and Peter goes straight in. And some people think, well, that's because Peter was just impetuous and, you know, just he couldn't control himself. I think the reason why Peter went straight in is because he was carrying something John wasn't. Peter was carrying failure. And you know what I know? That even when you and I fail, there's a part of us that wants to run back to that empty tomb. [00:19:15] (32 seconds) #RunningToTheTomb

And the cross didn't just crucify Jesus. It crushed Thomas's faith. And then came Saturday of silence and confusion. And Thomas wasn't even in the room when Jesus first appeared. He wasn't there because that's what Fridays and Saturdays will do to you. It'll cause you to become isolated. It'll cause you to retreat. I don't wanna talk to nobody. I wanna just be by myself. It's a dangerous place to be by yourself for too long. Everybody needs a minute some of their time, but can I tell you, you were born to be in community with people? It is not good for man to be alone. You need somebody to wake you up. You need somebody to speak life into your circumstance. You need company. You need companionship. You need fellowship. [00:15:16] (46 seconds) #CommunityHeals

she stood outside the tomb, John chapter 20 verse number 11, weeping because the one who set her free was gone. She looks in. She sees two angels. She doesn't get it yet. Grief can have you staring at a miracle and you won't notice it. But then here's what I love. John chapter 20 verse 12. She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet. This is not a detail. This is a picture of the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant. In the Old Testament, there was something called the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God was. Right? Where the stone tablets were, where the manna was, where Aaron's leaf that budded was. Right? It was in the holy of holies. [00:26:35] (42 seconds) #GriefHidesMiracles

And the system was flawed though. And the reason why the system was flawed was because the blood of animals couldn't permanently take away the sin of people. And so every year, year after year after year after year, they had to do it over and over again. And now Mary comes to this tomb. And when she comes there, she sees one at the head, angel, one at the feet. One at the head of what? One at the feet where the body was. [00:28:10] (49 seconds) #TombAsArk

We know him as doubting Thomas. I love that. How we label people in their low moments. That's what we do to everybody, don't we? We see the mistake, we see the low moment, and we we stamp the label on them and and I don't know what we think we're doing as if that label has to stick forever. As if that label is not gonna fall off as soon as they come to Jesus. Because you know what the scripture says, any man who be in Christ is a new creature. Old things are passed away become all things become new. And we call him doubting Thomas, but he's really not doubting Thomas. He's Thomas filled with pain. He's hurting Thomas. Thomas had walked with Jesus. He believed. He loved deeply. [00:14:35] (41 seconds) #ThomasWasHurting

He would speak and leprosy would leave, and he would walk on water, and he would feed 5,000 with just a few fish and a full few loaves of bread. You should have seen him. We thought for sure that he was the one. We thought he was the one, but he's not because he's dead. Here's what I love about Jesus. He just lets him tell the wrong story. Has God ever allowed you to tell the wrong story? Has God ever allowed you to just get it off of your chest? [00:11:43] (27 seconds) #GodLetsYouTellIt

And so today, I wanna look at the lives of some people in the scriptures who have lived through the Fridays of life and who have gone through the Saturdays of life. And they saw, here comes the sun. They saw the son of God entering into their situation and changing it for the better. And so we're gonna look at a few people from the resurrection account. And for our first lesson, we turn to the two despondent disciples on the road to Emmaus. Their story is found in Luke chapter 24 beginning in verse number 13. In the first lesson, Here comes the son with grace. [00:04:59] (35 seconds) #EmmausJourney

Jesus said, tarry into in Jerusalem till you be endued with power from on high. The spirit of God is gonna descend in the upper room in Jerusalem, and they're walking direction. Seven miles away from Jesus. But how many of you know seven is God's number? It's God's number of perfection. It's God's number of completion. And so God is about to take people who are walking in the complete opposite direction, and just like Jesus, turn them completely around. How many of you know he's a turnaround God? [00:06:46] (33 seconds) #GodOfTurnarounds

They first hailed him as king. On Monday, he overturned the money changers' tables. On Tuesday, betrayal was set into motion. On Wednesday, he wept over Jerusalem and warned them. On Thursday, he prayed in the garden. He surrendered. He was arrested. And then came Friday, the day it all seemed to have fallen apart, the crucifixion. The day where hope seemed to be nailed to a cross. That day was the thought the day that they thought would change everything. They thought he was the savior, now he's dead. He's hanging on a cross, and it seemed like all help was gone. How many of you hate those Fridays? [00:03:12] (37 seconds) #FridaysOfLife

and believed and it didn't work out the way we thought. Prayed and asked God and nothing happened. And so now we get to places in our lives where we're vulnerable. We're like, God, I believe but help my unbelief. You know that's in the scripture, by the way. I believe but help my unbelief. In other words, I believe in you Jesus, but right now I'm just struggling. Right now I need a faith lift. [00:16:31] (24 seconds) #HelpMyUnbelief

in your life. No matter what you've done, no matter how many times you've done it, if you've got life and breath, redemption is possible, restoration is possible because he's the God of a second chance. But then lastly today, point number four, lesson number four, if he's not finished with you, what happens when you're at your lowest? Point number four, here comes the son with mercy. For this lesson, we go to none other than Mary Magdalene, the first to the tomb and the last one to leave. Luke says this is the one Jesus cast seven demons out of. She knew what it was like to live in bondage. See some of those people who came up here today? They knew what it was like to live in bondage, so they're not afraid to give God their praise. [00:25:15] (71 seconds) #SecondChanceGod

Here comes the son with faith. Some of you did you don't need more knowledge. You don't need somebody to break down a scripture for you. Thank God for that. But you know what you need? You need an experience with God to lift your faith. [00:18:24] (37 seconds) #SonWithMercy