Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion (32 page)

John 20:8 says, “Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.” This verse says that when John saw the empty stone slab where Jesus’ body had previously lain and the burial clothes lying to the right and to the left, forming the empty spot where Jesus sat after He was resurrected, John then “believed.” I find it truly amazing that even though Peter had spent a longer time than John inside the tomb, he was still uncertain as to the meaning of it all. Luke 24:12 says that Peter “…departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.” John, on the other hand, left the tomb believing Jesus was alive.

Later that evening, Jesus would appear to all the apostles and breathe the Spirit of God into them, giving them the new birth (John 20:22). But at this moment, because the Holy Spirit was not yet resident in them as their Teacher, there was much they could not understand. Even though Jesus had told them He would die and be raised from the dead, they simply were not yet able to comprehend it. That’s why John 20:9 says, “For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.”

Although the apostles had heard this scripture from Jesus Himself, the reality and full impact of its truth had not registered in their hearts. After this historical and momentous day, the Bible tells us, “Then the disciples went away again unto their own home” (v. 10).

It is remarkable to me that Peter could stand in the middle of Jesus’ empty tomb and still leave uncertain about what it meant. How in the world would it be possible to be in the very room where Jesus’ dead body had lain, to see the neatly folded napkin, to recognize the spot where He sat upright between those garments, and to still not be able to figure out that Jesus was now alive?

Yet it starts making sense when I think about it. God has done so many unquestionable miracles for you and me as well. How many times have we walked away unaffected by the power and miracles we’ve seen and experienced? God has delivered us, saved us, and rescued us from harm time and time again; yet we still tend to wonder if God is really with us or not. How in the world could we ever question the faithfulness of God after all He has already done for us?

We need to make sure we don’t remain unmoved and unchanged by the miracle-working power of God that has already worked in our lives in the past. Instead, we should make the decision to fully embrace every good thing God has done for us — to acknowledge His work in our lives so entirely that it changes our outlook on life and transforms us from the inside out. God is good! He has been good to every one of us. If we fail to remember this, it is only because we’re not opening our eyes to see His hand of protection, provision, and safety all around us.

Make a conscious choice to recognize all that God has done and is continuing to do in your life. Then remember to thank Him for it, and determine never to forget His faithfulness to perfect all that concerns you as you trust in Him.

Peter and John were both fervent in their love for Jesus, yet always radically different in their responses to Him.

How do you respond to Jesus in worship, in prayer, and in your daily life? What do your responses reveal about your devotion and obedience to Jesus?

Everything about the scene in the empty sepulcher was orderly. When Jesus removed His burial garment, He neatly folded the facial cloth and set it aside. In Pilate’s court, on Golgotha’s hill, in the garden tomb, Jesus maintained a focused presence of mind. He always
acted
and never
reacted
.

Is self-composure a trait that you would attribute to yourself? What evidence in your life can you give to support your answer?

Have you ever experienced the miracle power of God? If so, how did that affect you? Does the memory of it still leave you with a sense of awe, or has time (or cynicism) dimmed your fervor and affection for God and dulled your appreciation for His goodness?

Chapter 32:
The First Woman Preacher

When Peter and John left the garden, Mary Magdalene remained behind. She had followed the two men, possibly hoping to obtain a clearer understanding of what she had experienced that day. All she knew was that her day started with a desire to come to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. But when she arrived, the stone was rolled away and an angel was sitting on top of the great stone (Matthew 28:2)! Then when she entered the tomb, she first discovered another angel (Mark 16:5) and then suddenly found herself in the presence of
two
angels inside the tomb (Luke 24:4)!

The angels had told Mary, “He is not here, but is risen…” (Luke 24:6).
But if Jesus was risen as the angels had said, where was He? How could she find Him?

Feeling dejected and alone, Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. The Greek tense means
continually weeping,
highlighting the fact she was extremely troubled about the inexplicable events that were happening. Most of all, she wanted to know what had happened to Jesus. John writes, “…She stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre” (John 20:11). The word “stooped down” is
parakupto
, the same word used in John 20:5 to portray John taking a
peek into
the tomb. Now it was Mary’s turn to bend low and peer into the empty sepulcher — but when she looked inside, she saw something she didn’t expect!

John tells us, “…She stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain” (John 20:11,12). The word “seeth” is the Greek word
theaomai,
which tells us assuredly that Mary
fixed her eyes
on the angels and
determined to look them over and to take in the whole experience.
First, she saw that the two angels were “in white.” This agrees with all the other experiences of angels that eventful day. All of them had been dressed in shining white with a lightning-bright appearance. All the angels seen that day also wore the same type of robe — like the long, flowing regal robes worn by warriors, kings, priests, or any other person of great power and authority. The usage of the word
theaomai
(“seeth”) tells us that this time Mary
visibly studied
every single detail of the angels she saw in the tomb.

John goes on to inform us that Mary saw these angels “…sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.” This statement is in perfect agreement with the interior of a rock-hewn tomb during biblical times. Past the entrance of such a tomb, a smaller separate room with a table-shaped pedestal, also carved from stone, was usually located to one side. On this rock slab the body was laid to rest after being dressed in burial clothes and perfumed by loved ones. The head would be slightly elevated, causing the trunk of the corpse to lie in a sloping downward position with the feet resting against a small ledge or in a groove, either of which was designed to keep the body from slipping from the slab.

When Mary saw the angels, she noted that one was seated at the top of the burial slab and the other was seated at the foot. In between these angels, she could see the empty place where she had personally viewed Jesus several days earlier. Luke 23:55 tells us that after Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb, Mary Magdalene and other women who came from Galilee “…beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.”

The word “beheld” (
theaomai
) means
to gaze upon, to fully see,
or
to look at intently
. These women
inspected
the tomb,
gazing upon
the dead body of Jesus
to see
that it had been honorably laid in place. Because Mark 15:47 uses the imperfect tense to tell us how the women looked upon Jesus’ dead body, it means these women took plenty of time to make certain He was properly laid there. Now Mary saw the same spot where she had so carefully labored days before, but the dead body she cherished was no longer there.

As Mary looked and wept, the angels asked her, “…Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus” (John 20:13,14).

Stricken with sorrow, Mary withdrew from the tomb just in time to see a Man standing nearby. Due to Jesus’ changed appearance, she was unable to recognize Him. Verse 15 tells us what happened next: “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”

At that very moment, Jesus tenderly said, “Mary.” Upon hearing that voice and recognizing the old familiar way in which He called her name, “…she turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master” (v. 16). Although Jesus’ appearance was different now, Mary knew Him by His voice. This reminds me of John 10:27, when Jesus told His disciples, “My sheep hear my voice.…” Mary knew His voice and recognized that it was her Shepherd who stood before her.

In Revelation 1, John tells us about his vision on the island of Patmos. In the midst of this phenomenal divine visitation, he says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet…. and I turned to see the voice that spake with me...” (Revelation 1:10,12). Like Mary, when John heard that voice, he recognized it as the voice of Jesus. This is why John writes, “…I turned to see the voice that spake with me.”

Of course, it is impossible to “see” a voice, but John recognized the sound of that voice and turned to match the face with the voice he heard. He knew it was Jesus. But as Mary had also discovered, Jesus’ physical appearance looked radically different from the Jesus whom John had known in His earthly form. But the voice of Jesus never changed, and John immediately recognized it.

It appears that Mary reached out to cling to Jesus with her hands, but Jesus forbade her, saying, “…Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17). With this one statement, Jesus let it be known that everything had changed because of the Cross.
Now a new relationship with God was available to the apostles and to all who would call upon the name of Jesus Christ!

Jesus let it be known that everything had changed because of the Cross. Now a new relationship with God was available to the apostles and to all who would call upon the name of Jesus Christ!