The most powerful Being helpless, on a cross, portrayed like a lamb being sacrificed. Another enigma of the Christian faith. Unlimited power relinquished, and like a lamb, allowing himself to be crucified – and all for my benefit, for our benefit.
”I have purposely portrayed myself as a lamb. Held captive and falsely accused, I chose not to retaliate but to submit to the unreasonable, unfair, farce of a trial, so that my purposes would be accomplished. So, whenever you see or think about a lamb – think absolute submission for your personal sake. But don’t stop there, I have also called myself the lion of Judah, a picture of the king of all the animals. I have risen from that grave and taken up my full power again, Lord and King of all creation. And My rule and power is all available to my people. You too, as we build my kingdom together”.
Jesus, the most remarkable man ever to have lived is dead. Was He just a “Super prophet”? Or was He more than that? There have been many prophets in the history of the Israeli nation who died and that was part of their history. What was going to be different here? These questions must have been churning around in the minds of the disciples. Jesus had on several occasions warned them that the Son of Man MUST die and will be raised again after 3 days. Yet hearing, they didn’t hear. Just like we so often do when we read the scriptures or have it taught to us. So Jesus often will go over to action to wake us up to the reality of what He has said.
So today we enter into the new reality of the world after Jesus’ physical death on the cross. I am reading John 20:1- 9. These scenes are so familiar that we need to stop and take stock that we don’t miss the thread of the story, as it unfolds.
According to John the first person to reach the tomb was Mary Magdalene. Interesting. The body had been taken down from the Cross and buried by two respected Jewish elders who had both become believers in Jesus. But what a contrast, the fact that the tomb was empty was discovered by Mary Magdalene. Remember who she was? She was a loose woman (maybe a prostitute) who Jesus had rescued. In that male dominated society no woman had any standing. Yet Jesus chose her, of the lowest caste to be the first to discover the empty tomb. His whole ministry had shown that He had come to rescue the lost and restore them to full shalom in Himself. What a lovely way of showing the extent of His ministry. He has come for the sake of everyone here on earth, especially the lost and hopeless, the poor and destitute. Yet the more affluent and educated were also part of His plan.
After running to tell Peter they return and are astonished to not only find that the tomb was empty, but that the grave clothes were neatly folded up. Such an important detail. Remember the raising of Lazarus? When Jesus called him out of the tomb he was still wrapped in the grave cloths 11:44. Clearly what had happened here was on a different level. A level where everything was carefully under control. Notice that John thinks this detail is important by giving it so much space in his gospel story.
Then in vs 8 “the other disciple”, presumably John himself, arrives. He enters the tomb and there is a remarkable statement: “He believed”. But what did he believe? I think he just believed, at this point that the body was gone. You see ultimate, saving faith seems to have only dawned on all the disciples at the end of this chapter. But whatever is the case virtually every person who comes to a saving faith often goes through steps of belief before full understanding and saving faith comes. And even then we all only see through a glass darkly now and will finally understand when we are face to face with our Saviour.
What is important to us, the reader is that all this, and the following detail should deeply convince us of the truth of the events being described here.
May God bless you all for this coming week