“And the angel answered and said unto the women, ‘Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay’.”
Matthew 28: 5-6 (KJV)
In the days leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus spent a good deal of time preparing His disciples for His death both in His public pronouncements and in His private conversations. In one instance He turned on Peter, who said that the death Jesus foretold was not going to happen. “Get thee behind me, Satan,” He said in rebuke.
However, even the best of people have poor memories, and even poorer understanding, when told something that they don’t want to hear. Perhaps they were so overwrought by the news that He was to die, that they disregarded the fact that He also said He would rise from the dead.
Whatever the case, as the first day of the week dawned a group of women came to the tomb expecting to complete His burial. Some of these women probably saw Him raise Lazarus from the dead. The eleven were mourning and in hiding.
Nobody seemed to remember, and judging from their actions, nobody even began to understand what had transpired since darkness covered Calvary. The women arrive at the tomb. It was the right one; they had been there before. The Roman/Jewish guards were gone. The massive stone had been rolled away and the grave was empty save for the burial garments.
They were beyond amazed—they were utterly nonplussed—baffled to a degree that makes planning and decision making impossible. So, the Father intervened. He sent an angel to explain it.
As miraculous as His resurrection is. As wonderful as the fountain of salvation His resurrection opened is, greater still is the assurance it was all just as He said. Never for a moment were events out of His control.
He was telling the absolute truth when He told Peter to put up his sword because He had more than twelve legions of angels at His command. He will one day prove that at Armageddon. He is The Truth.
As he said, a Comforter is given to us; where two or three gather in His name, He is in their midst. As He said, He will never leave us nor forsake us. Let us not be without understanding and try to gloss over the most stunning truth yet to be fulfilled. Just as He came to save the world, He is coming back to judge the world—just as He said.
Maranatha
