Gospel

Racing to Real Truth

by Roland Crim
01/06/17
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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. 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!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) John 20:1-9 NIV

Mary Magdalene is the only woman mentioned here, but she says “we” do not know where they have put him, thus signifying that she was not the only woman who had gone to the tomb.

My guess is that before Mary even finished her conversation with the two disciples, they were gone, gone to see what had happened at the tomb. Then came the race with the two disciples, with John arriving at the tomb first. Why did John not enter the tomb when he first arrived? We don’t know for sure, though there are several thoughts. Then comes along Peter, and as we might expect, he went directly into the tomb. I can imagine him being the detective, performing a thorough investigation of the scene.

Notice in the reading that the cloth used for Jesus’ head was still lying in its place and it was separate from the linen. The burial linen which Joseph of Arimathea used for Jesus’ body was for royalty. If someone had come to steal the body of Jesus they certainly would not have taken the time to unwrap Him and neatly put the cloth and linen back in place. Nope! Jesus was resurrected within the tomb and removed the cloth and linen Himself and left them there for a reason. When John did enter the tomb, he saw the cloth and the linen lying separately, and the Lord’s body not there…..AND HE BELIEVED!!

Jesus rose from the dead, just as He said He would! He is the first fruit! He was raised from the dead so that we who believe in Him will know that we too will be raised from death and given a glorious new body for our eternal reward in heaven!

Are we Peter’s or John’s as we enter that vacant tomb? Do we need more proof, or can we just BELIEVE?