The Greatness of Easter

            On the first “Resurrection Sunday” some of Jesus’ followers (a group of women) traveled to the tomb in order to finish the burial preparations that had been interrupted by the Jewish Passover holiday.  These women were surprised to find the tomb empty.  They met an angel who announced that Jesus was not there, that He had risen from the dead.  When the women reported to the other disciples that Jesus had risen, their message was not believed.  John 20 reports that Peter and John ran to the empty tomb to check things out for themselves.  Unlike the women, Peter and John entered the empty tomb to inspect things.  As they examined the grave clothes, their suspicions and reasoning powers kicked in.  The same John who ran to the tomb with Peter also writes the account in John 20.  In John 20:1, the text reads that Mary “saw” the stone had been rolled away.  John uses a common Greek word for “sight” in this verse.  But when John writes about how he and Peter scrutinized the empty tomb, he chooses a different Greek word.  He used the Greek word: “theoreo."  This word, in English, looks a lot like our word “theory.”  In fact, the Greek word does mean to theorize, to reason, to ponder.  John’s account of their visit to the tomb explains that they did more than just look around.  They were “theorizing” about what happened in the empty tomb.

            Let me share John’s description of this adventure.  John 20:3-8 records: "So Peter and [John] started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but [John] 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 came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally [John], who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.”

It needs to be understood that Jesus had often predicted that He would be crucified and would rise from the dead.  Since the disciples did not fully comprehend what Jesus had been predicting, this empty tomb mystery was perplexing.  So, John 20 describes Peter and John trying to piece together what happened to Jesus.  The abandoned grave clothes of Jesus were lying in the tomb.  The Greek word “lying” has rich meaning.  The gist of the word suggests that the cloths were arranged in an orderly way.  The burial clothes were not in an unraveled heap, which is what would have been left if someone unwrapped the body.  Nor were they torn to shreds.  What John and Peter saw made no sense.  Why would the grave clothes be lying there neatly folded?  If enemies had stolen the body, why would they remove the grave clothes at all?  If Jesus had just revived himself, why weren’t the clothes ripped and torn to pieces?  Further, how could a seriously wounded man, lying in a cold cave, take the winding grave clothes off at all?  In their minds, the disciples were piecing the evidence together.  The text tells us that John was able to come up with this improbable conclusion before Peter.  What had John concluded?  John surmised that Jesus had risen from the dead as He foretold.  The angel’s message to the women must be true!

            John 20 states that the disciple John saw and believed.  In John’s Gospel, the word he uses for belief refers to more than intellectual assent.  It is an acceptance of truth and a movement of the heart.  John (and Peter, a bit later) saw the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection and they were changed men.  They went from defeated doubters to joyful, faithful followers.  Understand, faith is more than intellectual reasoning and assent.  It is more than looking at the evidence and working the issues out in one’s mind, though it does require that process.  Biblical faith requires the mind to accept facts and the heart to believe and be changed because of what is considered.  Biblical faith is a mindset and a way of life that has been shaped by certain truths.  As we approach Easter Sunday, I encourage you to pause and ponder the great sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.  Then consider the great power that God showed when Jesus was raised from the dead.  Just as Peter and John did more than look at an empty tomb in bewilderment, so should we.  Their lives were changed when they fully comprehended the greatness of Jesus, our Risen Lord.  Keep looking up!