SEEING AND BELIEVING

JOHN 20:3–10

… and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself

(John 20:6, 7).

Having received Mary’s news that someone had desecrated Jesus’ tomb and carried away the body, Peter and John ran to see the tomb for themselves. The love of the disciples is beautifully expressed in their zeal to reach the tomb. They did not languish along the way and say they would get to it sooner or later. No, they ran at full speed until they reached the entrance of the tomb. There they stooped down into the grave and observed something wonderful.

No doubt, they had expected to see the tomb in disarray, possibly even desecrated by the robbers. But here before them, everything was in order. The grave clothes were neatly folded, even the cloth that had been wound around the head. There were no signs of violence or a forced entry. The peace and orderliness of the tomb were shocking to the two frightened and out-of-breath disciples. But soon, John began to see the truth. Jesus’ body had not been stolen from the tomb; He had risen from the grave. Now the prophecy of Psalm 16:10 made sense: “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.”

Unlike Lazarus who walked from the tomb still wrapped in his grave clothes, Jesus had risen from the grave, totally transformed. He had laid aside His clothes and “put everything in its place.” His resurrection was not merely a coming to life again, but a transformation, a glorious change from an earthly body to a heavenly one. This is why Mary and the others did not even recognize Him immediately.

John was the first to realize the truth. “He saw and believed.” When the passage says that the disciples did not “know” of the resurrection previously, it means that they did not “understand” it. Now at least one did. John grasped the glory and extent of Christ’s work. It meant the death of death, an eternal victory over the grave, the subjection of sin once and for all. John came to the tomb in distress, alarmed by the unknown. The grave, a symbol of chaos and dread, was peaceful and orderly. Finally, John understood that his Master had conquered death and risen to new life.

CORAM DEO

Ezekiel 22–23

James 2

Jesus changed how the Christian looks at death. How should you look at death differently from the world? By Christ’s resurrection, what can you, as a believer, expect from the grave? What fears do you have concerning death? Meditate on today’s passage. Read 1 Corinthians 15 to learn more about your resurrection.

For further study: Pss. 8:6; 16:9–11 • 1 Thess. 4:13–18

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