AN EMPTY TOMB

JOHN 20:1–2

“They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we, do not know where they have laid Him”

(John 20:2).

Returning now to our studies in John, we pick up in Chapter 20 and the resurrection of Christ. Mary Magdalene woke up early to anoint Jesus’ body with oils, not having any expectation other than that of finding a corpse. It was to Mary’s credit (and the other women with her as is indicated by the other gospels) that she tended to her task with diligence. She wanted to honor her Lord by rising before sunrise to visit the tomb.

The women were quite alarmed when they arrived at the garden and found the stone removed from its place. It had not been simply rolled back, but it had been lifted right out of its groove. Such a feat could not have been performed by just one man, for the stone was very heavy. Alarmed, the women ran into the tomb only to find the body of their dear Teacher missing. Mary quickly ran to find Peter and John and tell them that someone must have removed the stone and stolen Jesus’ body.

It is too bad that Mary and the disciples did not reflect more on Jesus’ teaching, for then they would not have been so distraught. Instead, they thought as an unbeliever would think, as the world thinks. They saw evidence of Jesus’ teaching right before their eyes and yet they did not grasp the truth. They immediately assumed that someone had stolen the body.

How typical such a response is among the followers of Christ. Too often, we walk into an alarming situation thinking like the world thinks, that the explanation must be this or that. It couldn’t possibly be as Jesus said it would be. It couldn’t possibly be evidence of the glorious and powerful work of God. It couldn’t possibly be something greater than we ever imagined. This is an attitude of unbelief. When we approach life in such a way, we will often fail to see the glorious work of God in our lives.

That morning in the garden, Mary did not look at the open tomb in light of the teaching of her Lord. She looked at it as the world did, and so she missed the glorious truth, at least until Christ graciously revealed Himself to her. May we not believe as the world does, but always look through the eyes of faith and in doing so see glory even in the most difficult circumstances.

CORAM DEO

Ezekiel 20–21

James 1

Having one’s thoughts molded by the teaching of Christ is the goal of every Christian. When something happens, do you react as the world does, or do you step back and think, “What has God taught us about this sort of thing in His Word?” Before you react, always ask, “What would God have me think and feel?”

For further study: Matt. 28:1–8 • Mark 16:1–8 • Luke 24:1–12

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november