“The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead.” Matthew 27:62-64
They still thought it was all a deception and those disciples were clever men. Somehow, they had planned the escape of Jesus. The Pharisees were going to make sure that didn’t happen! So, they asked Pilate to super glue the tomb shut. Pilate went a step further and posted guards at the tomb. No one was getting out… so they all thought.
“There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.””
Two women come to the grave, mourning as they walk, only to see two guards lying on the ground, unconscious, and an angel sitting on top of the stone of the open tomb. Imagine if you were going to visit someone at your family graveyard thinking about the person and the directions to the gravesite. But when you look up in the direction of the grave, it is open, there are strangers lying on the ground as if they are dead and an angel sitting on the tomb. Shock for sure. Would you stop right where you were? Would you be staring at the grave? And then the angel speaks to you and tells you your loved one is alive. Whoa!
That’s about as close as we can get to imagining the reaction of the two women. I imagine it took a moment to sink in. Jesus had said he would rise in three days, but did they really believe it? They did now. And then, they were off to tell the disciples.
That moment of realization—the sudden shift from doubt to belief—is something I witnessed firsthand this week. I saw the shock on my granddaughter’s face and heard it in her voice when I told her that David really did kill a giant with a stone. “It’s true?!” she asked. "Yes, it is."
The Bible is filled with true story after story of God’s love, intervention, supply and care. That same God promises you abundant life through his Son. Seems impossible to some, but it is true. Are you ready to acknowledge the Son of God who defied death and rose from the grave? He’s waiting for you.
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Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash.com
