Read
Jesus Is Alive
(Matthew 28.1-10; Mark 16.1-8; Luke 24.1-12)
1On Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2She ran to Simon Peter and to Jesus' favorite disciple and said, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb! We don't know where they have put him.”
3Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4They ran side by side, until the other disciple ran faster than Peter and got there first. 5He bent over and saw the strips of linen cloth lying inside the tomb, but he did not go in.
6When Simon Peter got there, he went into the tomb and saw the strips of cloth. 7He also saw the piece of cloth that had been used to cover Jesus' face. It was rolled up and in a place by itself. 8The disciple who got there first then went into the tomb, and when he saw it, he believed. 9At that time Peter and the other disciple did not know that the Scriptures said Jesus would rise to life. 10So the two of them went back to the other disciples.
Reflect
The scene before us pictures three people coming to the empty tomb and seeing the evidence but each one coming to a different conclusion. There is a progression here from an erroneous conclusion in the first case to genuine belief in the third. Mary comes first to the scene and notices that the stone has been rolled away but does not enter the tomb. An incomplete examination of the evidence leads her to an erroneous conclusion. Many have followed in Mary’s footsteps and likewise reach the wrong conclusion. Some, like Mary, have also argued that the body has been stolen. Others suggest that the disciples came to the wrong tomb. None of these conclusions hold up if the evidence is examined carefully.
The second visitor to the tomb is Peter who sees the stone rolled away but goes inside and sees the strips of cloth that had been wound around the body lying as if the body had come out of them. He realizes something unusual and perhaps even supernatural has happened but he is not sure what it is. Luke tells us, “He went away, wondering to himself what had happened” (Luke 24:12).The same approach is often seen today as we approach Easter. People had a vague feeling that we are celebrating something unusual and mysterious but do not go so far as to embrace the truth of a bodily resurrection.
The third individual eventually enters the tomb as well and not only sees but believes (9). This third individual is probably John, the writer of the fourth Gospel. His faith is still incomplete because verse ten tells us he and the others did not yet believe Christ had risen from the dead. He probably recalls the words of Jesus who told them he was going away. By the end of the chapter their belief in the resurrection is complete because they have met the risen Christ.
The section challenges us to evaluate what the resurrection means to us personally. Is it merely a historical fact that we celebrate once a year or a living reality and assurance that this Christ is with us each day until the end of time?
Respond
Lord Jesus Christ, make me conscious of your living presence in my life every moment of my earthly journey. Even today, may my journey with you be so real that I sense and rely on your presence for everything I do and say.
Roy Matheson
Roy Matheson holds the Th.M. and Th.D. degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary, and completed post doctoral studies at Wycliffe College and St Michael’s College, University of Toronto. Since 1970, he has taught at Tyndale University and Seminary, and presently is Professor Emeritus of New Testament. Since 1979, he has been Teaching Pastor at Chartwell Baptist Church in Oakville Ontario, and is presently Pastor Emeritus. Roy has taught in numerous settings within Canada as well as other countries: Colombia, Kenya, Malawi, France, Kazakhstan, India, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Mongolia. He is married to Joy and they have three married children and seven grandchildren. Publications: Loving God’s Family: A Commentary on First John (Victor Books) along with a number of articles in Moody Monthly, Faith Today etc. Recently, Songs of the Servant: A Lenten Devotional on the Servant Songs of Isaiah (self published).