Early Sunday morning, in the inky blackness before dawn, soldiers stood guard over Christ’s tomb. Knowing that to go to sleep on duty was an offense punishable by death, the highly trained unit remained alert. Some may have been rolling dice or stoking the fire to keep warm, but there was no question that all were awake and on duty. Their lives depended on it.
Suddenly, “there was a violent earthquake.” If, by chance, the soldiers had been distracted in their night watch, God now had their undivided attention! Almost simultaneously, the predawn darkness was split by a light so brilliant it looked like a laser of lightning! The “lightning” took the shape of an angel who seemed to reach from heaven to earth. Against the inky blackness of the night the terrifyingly awesome being fearlessly descended, walked over to the stone that blocked the tomb’s entrance, flicked it away as though it were dust, and then sat on it! And the gaping hole where the stone had been, revealed there was nothing inside the tomb! The tomb was empty!
God the Father split history in two when He flexed the divine, eternal muscle of His will and exerted His power on His Son’s behalf! How He must have eagerly anticipated and rejoiced in the vindication and resurrection of His Son! His power was so mightily tremendous that Jesus was:
Raised up from the dead!
Raised up without our sin!
Raised up to life!
Raised up through the walls of the tomb!
Raised up past the guards!
Raised up through all His invisible enemies!
Raised up to a position of authority over the entire universe! Raised up to be seated at the right hand of God!
Jesus was raised up! He’s alive!
Upon hearing the news of the empty tomb, Peter and John ran to see for themselves. Peter confronted the evidence, but he was confused. At that instant, he must have been angrier than ever. He must have surmised that the enemies of Jesus who had dared to crucify Him, had now taken the body for who knew what purpose!
John quietly looked around. He noticed that the grave clothes were totally unlike those of Lazarus, which had been just a pile of stinking rags by the time Martha had finished unwrapping him. These grave clothes were lying, not as though someone had removed them from the body, but as though the body were still inside! The face cloth was situated where the face would have been, with the few inches of the neck separating it from the rest of the shroud. As he studied the evidence, it must have gradually dawned on him that the grave clothes looked like an empty cocoon! They looked as though the body had just evaporated up through them! Then John knew! (John 20:8). The body hadn’t evaporated. Jesus had risen from the dead!
Jesus was glad Lazarus had died without Him?! What does that mean? We know it doesn’t mean He enjoyed knowing that Lazarus had died or that He enjoyed thinking about the family’s grief and despair.
Jesus was teaching His disciples – and you and me – a life lesson. And what a life lesson it is! The lesson is this: There is a greater miracle than physical healing! It’s the miracle of the Resurrection! Be encouraged!
Even if your prayer is not answered
and your loved one is not healed
and your marriage is not reconciled
and your financial problems are not solved
and your child is not found –
there is hope! Jesus was glad because He knew God would be glorified to a far greater extent by the death and resurrection of Lazarus than He would have been by Lazarus’ healing and recovery from sickness.
Would you rejoice with Jesus for the greater miracle that IS coming to you?
