For an angel of the Lord…came
and rolled back the stone and sat on it. (Matthew 28:2)
 |
| Annibale Carracci The Holy Women at Christ's Tomb, circa 1597 |
“Mr. Graham, outside of the resurrection of Jesus, I do not know of any other hope for this world.” (The response of Konrad Adenauer, chancellor of West German from 1949-1963. In a meeting with Billy Graham, he looked Graham in the eye and said, “Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead?” Graham, somewhat surprised by the directness of the question answered, “Of course, I do.” Can Man Live Without God? Ravi Zacharias, p. 164-165)
The resurrection of Jesus is not
an epilogue, rather it is the climax. Christ’s rising is not a footnote or an appendix, it
is the main event. The
resurrection validates all that Christ said, claimed and did; it affirms His
miracles and His teachings.
If the gospels stopped at the cross, then we have a religion built upon
the weak shoulders of just another good guy who came to a tragic end. But the empty tomb has the final word; now we know we are
forgiven and reconciled with Almighty God! There is no lasting hope, deeper joy, or greater news, than
Christ has risen from the dead!
Paul, speaking of our hope because
of the resurrection of the “First Fruits” (see 1 Corinthians 15:23), said: “If
the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised
Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11) Therefore with great joy and courage we can say with Paul,
“If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we
die, we are the Lord’s,” (Romans 14:8).
Now after the
Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary went to see the tomb, (v. 1). They were unaware that they were about to witness the
greatest moment ever in the history of mankind! The two Marys that Matthew mentions, along with several other
women, shared the weak faith of the disciples, seemingly ignorant of His
promise to rise from the dead. In fact, they had come to anoint his body with
spices and they wondered who would roll away the stone so they could enter the
tomb (see Mark 16:1-3).
And behold, there
was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came
and rolled back the stone and sat on it, (v. 2). The women had their answer but it was
not among the list of options that they had considered. But isn’t that like our Jesus? Often times He answers our prayers in ways we don’t expect.
The more we learn to trust Him, the bigger we see Him.
The appearance of
the angel was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow, (v. 3). There are common themes in the
Bible that describe what a glorified being looks like, whether an angel or even
the Lord. When Jesus was transfigured “his clothes became radiant, intensely
white,” (Mark 9:3). Paul was
blinded by a light from heaven that out shown the desert noontime sun when
Christ appeared to him, (Acts 22:6,11). Even Moses’ face shone after his encounter with God
(Exodus 34:29-30).
And for fear of
him, the angel, the guards trembled and became like dead men (v.
4). Again, this is a common
response when mortal man is confronted by a heavenly being. The shepherds “were filled with
fear,” (Luke 2:9); John fell at the feet of the glorified Jesus “as though
dead,” (Revelation 1:17). Man,
both saved and unsaved, have a view of God that is way too small. I have talked to “atheists” who
say they cannot wait to challenge God on the Day of Judgment. Fools!
But we, as his redeemed
children,, have tasted the kindness of our God. For He is the universe’s greatest expression of love,
power, and justice. The
cross and the empty tomb speak of the wonder of our God. Gaze into the night sky and worship the
Creator of the stars! He has
conquered death! Therefore may we
live lives, not rooted in self-preservation, but in His resurrection! “He is not here, for He has
risen!” (v. 6)
No comments:
Post a Comment