He is Risen Indeed!
As we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, I want to look at three symbols of Easter. The cross, the grave clothes and the tomb.
John 20:1-8 (NIV)
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
The Cross
We might be tempted to blame the lies and jealousy of the Pharisees, or even perhaps the betrayal of Judas for causing Jesus to endure the cross. The reality is that it was our sin that put Him there.
Romans 6:23 (NIV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus willingly took our sin on Himself and dealt with it once and for all at the cross.
Colossians 2:13-14 (NIV)
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
Thank you Jesus! The lamb of God! At the cross, Jesus defeated the power of sin.
The Grave Clothes
John 19:38-40 (NIV)
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.
It must have been so difficult for John, who was witnessing these events, to see the arrival of the strips of linen that would be wrapped around the body of Jesus as grave clothes. John, along with the other disciples had thought that Jesus was the one who would set them free from the bondage and oppression of Rome and re-establish the kingdom of Israel. And now, Jesus was dead, wrapped in grave clothes and sealed behind a stone.
John didn’t know what you and I know. That was Friday, but Sunday was coming. And very early on that Sunday morning, Mary arrived with a shocking message that something had happened with the body of Jesus.
John and Peter went running to the tomb. John arrived first and looked in.
John 20:5-8 (NIV)
5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
When John saw the empty grave clothes, he must have thought what we would think. Why would someone who was stealing or moving a dead body take the time to unwrap it before they left? It doesn’t make sense. The reality of what was happening began to slowly dawn on Him. Some of the things that Jesus had tried to tell them that they hadn’t wanted to hear or just couldn’t understand began to make sense. The Bible says, “he saw and believed”.
The grave clothes went from being a symbol of death to become a symbol of hope. John’s faith was restored and renewed.
The Tomb
The pile of grave clothes and an empty tomb are a demonstration that Jesus not only defeated the power of sin, He also defeated the power of death.
Not knowing what to do next, Peter and John left the tomb and returned to town. But Mary and some of the women who followed Jesus stayed by the tomb. Suddenly an angel appeared.
Matthew 28:5-6 (NIV)
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
The empty tomb is a symbol of the power of life, eternal life, overwhelming the grave. A symbol of life everlasting. A picture of full and abundant now and forever life that points to the renewal of all things.
Revelation 21:1-5 (NIV)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Jesus defeating the power of sin and the power of death with the power of life made it possible for us to be reconciled to God and to be restored to the relationship that we were created for. This is our unswerving hope.
Jesus is risen. Let’s join with the Church everywhere as we loudly and gladly proclaim, “He is risen indeed”!
Steve Lawes is a Pastor, Church Encourager, and Church Consultant.
