“On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.”
Seeing is believing, except when we don’t understand what we are looking at. Even writing that sentence makes me think of the famous line uttered by Chico Marx in the movie, “Duck Soup.” Speaking to a woman who questioned what he was doing there since she had seen him leave the room only moments before, Chico said, “Who ya’ gonna’ believe? Me? Or your own eyes?” [2] Sometimes, what we see doesn’t fit with our experience, and we can’t believe what we are seeing. However, because we have never experienced something before does not mean that the event is a figment of our imagination.
Admittedly, believing that Jesus rose from the dead denies human experience, defies logic. It is impossible to believe that the Son of God conquered death, hell, and the grave if God Himself does not reveal this truth to us. If believing that the dead can come to life is difficult, should we be surprised that the disciples of Jesus struggled to accept that He did precisely what He said He would do?
The message of the first disciples was centred on the fact that Jesus was crucified, buried, and that He had risen from the dead. In Thessalonica, Paul preached Christ risen from the dead. Doctor Luke reports, “Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with [those in the synagogue in Thessalonica] from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women” [ACTS 17:2-4].
And it should encourage us that “some of them were persuaded.” When the message of Christ was proclaimed in that city, some who heard believed, just as some will always believe as we tell them that Jesus has conquered death, and that He now offers this same resurrection power to all who willingly receive Him as Master over life.
In Athens, compelled to address Epicurean and Stoic philosophers gathered in the Areopagus, the Apostle to the Gentiles declared the message of life. As he drew his address to a close, he testified, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” [ACTS 17:30-31]. To be certain, when they heard of the resurrection from the dead, some mocked and others hesitated. However, we read that some believed [see ACTS 17:34].
The Spirit of Jesus always works through the people of God as they declare the life that is offered to all through faith in the Risen Lord of Glory. And you who believe can be assured that this same Spirit works in you as you tell others of the life God offers through faith in His Risen Son. Let this knowledge encourage you that Christ lives, and His Spirit lives in you who believe, and He is working in power in your life. Amen.
WHAT THE DISCIPLES WITNESSED — “On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed” [JOHN 20:1-9].
Jesus had told the disciples that He would be crucified, and that they all would run away in fear of their lives. Jesus had warned, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” [MARK 14:27-28]. As you might imagine, they all denied that they would ever desert the Master. Peter boasted, “Even though they all fall away, I will not” [MARK 14:29]! Jesus bluntly told Peter that before the evening was past, the bold man would deny three times that he knew Jesus. Peter vigorously protested that this would never happen. He said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you” [MARK 14:31]! He was only giving voice to what each of the disciples wanted to say but were too reticent to speak, because as soon as Peter spoke, all said the same thing.
I doubt that any of us would have done better. One need but consider the silence of many professing Christians witnessing the antisemitism of recent days. How many goyim have stood against the mob shouting bitter calumny against Israel and against Jewish people? How many professed ministers of Christ have openly opposed terrorism and acts of violence against God’s Chosen People? It requires supernatural courage to stand against a mob that is motivated by satanic hatred. Don’t boast of what you would have done had you been present when Jesus was seized and crucified. You will have opportunity to stand in time, but for now, recall the times you were silent as His Name was abused and mere men blasphemed. We have all had opportunity to stand, and we excused ourselves more often than we stood boldly with the Son of God.
The Master had been telling the disciples repeatedly that He would be crucified, but He been just as adamant in telling them that He would rise from the dead. They had heard Him say on each occasion that though He would die, He would come back to life—He would conquer the tomb. Travelling toward Jerusalem on the day where He would soon surrender his life as a sacrifice for fallen, broken mankind, Jesus spoke yet again of what was going to happen. Levi records Jesus as saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day” [MATTHEW 20:18-19].
The disciples heard what Jesus said, but they had no understanding of what He was saying. His words made no sense! How could One who manifested such power over nature, One who was able to heal the most terrible physical maladies and crippling deformities, One who spoke such powerful words, how could a Person such as Him be killed? Everything these men had witnessed argued against accepting what He was saying. Jesus simply could not die! No one could take His life from Him! The words they were hearing made no sense!
But then there had been that terrible day when He was seized and taken captive. He had gone into the garden to pray, taking with Him just Peter, James, and John as He went deeper into the garden. The remainder of the disciples waited near the entrance to the garden. Peter, you will remember, had boasted of his commitment to the Master. Following that last observance of the Pascal meal, they began the trek to the Mount of Olives. As they walked, Jesus had said, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” [MATTHEW 26:31-32].
Perhaps none of them really heard what He said, but Peter seized on Jesus’ opening words. Perhaps sweeping his hand around, indicating the others, the Big Fisherman blustered, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away” [MATTHEW 26:33]. Who can doubt that he meant it? Nevertheless, Jesus gently rebuked him, warning Peter, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times” [MATTHEW 26:34]. You might have thought that Peter would have learned some humility in the face of Jesus’ prophecies, but upon hearing this cautionary warning, he boasted, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you” [MATTHEW 26:35a]. It is important to note that all of the disciples were saying the same. No one wanted to appear cowardly. No one wanted to seem to be uncommitted to the Master.
Judas led a contingent of armed men to seize Jesus, and just as the Master had said, all the disciples ran away. Oh, Peter stood and fought for a moment, but his boldness quickly evaporated when he realised that he wasn’t stopping the arrest. And so we read, “They all left him and fled” [MARK 14:50]. One of His followers ran away so fast that he left the linen cloth that he had been wearing as a garment, fleeing naked into the night [see MARK 14:51-52]. So much for the boasts the disciples had made.
Like the other disciples, Peter fled into the night. He didn’t run far, but it was far enough that he could breath without fear of being recognised as one who had followed Jesus. He was close enough that he could see Jesus being led away to be interviewed by the high priest. John, Jesus’ cousin, had gone into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter hung back, standing near the door. John noticed Peter and spoke to the girl watching the door so that she would open to Peter.
Those who normally attended the high priest were milling about in the courtyard. They had built a fire there which permitted them to warm themselves in the evening chill. Peter, feeling more chilled than usual because of the excitement he had felt and undoubtedly due to a measure of exhaustion, edged closer to the fire hoping he could somehow drive away the chill invading his body. No one said anything immediately, so the Big Fisherman felt safe enough to relax somewhat.
Peter was startled from his reverie when a servant girl peered closely at him before exclaiming, “This man also was with Him” [LUKE 22:56]. Peter didn’t have time to prepare himself to react; thinking only to protect himself, he blurted out, “Woman, I do not know him” [LUKE 22:57]. Her charge had caused others in the knot of people standing near the fire to look more closely at Peter in the flickering light. And they began to say, “You also are not one of His disciples, are you” [JOHN 18:25]? Now, fear was creeping up Peter’s spine, and in an act of self-preservation, the frightened disciple denied the charge, “I am not” [JOHN 18:25].
Twice, Peter had denied knowing who Jesus was. At this point, “One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, ‘Did I not see you in the garden with him’” [JOHN 18:26]? It was too much for the man who had once boasted of his commitment. Peter invoked a curse, denying that he ever knew Jesus [see MATTHEW 26:74; LUKE 22:54; JOHN 18:27]. As soon as he spoke this time, a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered how Jesus had said, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times” [JOHN 13:38].
Shame flooded over Peter, and he turned and rushed into the darkness. How could he have done this? What had possessed him to deny that he had ever known Jesus? What had happened to his courage, his bravado, his determination to stand firm against evil? However, after he had rushed away from the fire and into the darkness, there was no turning back. What had happened was reality. Like Peter, most of us will talk a good game, but few of us will be able to stand boldly until forced to do so by events. And even then we will cavil and quail and flee into the darkness unless the Spirit of God stiffens our spine in that dreadful hour.
Peter wasn’t so frightened of standing for the Master that he was prepared to quit hanging out with other disciples near the warmth of a fire. After rushing into the night, he felt that he was not much of a leader, not much of a man who would stand firm when the going got tough. He was willing to still be with the other believers, but he would just hang back, standing on the fringes of the group. In the Scriptures, we note that when Mary Magdalene saw that the stone sealing the tomb had been rolled away from the mouth, she rushed to tell the disciples. And did you notice how John describes those to whom she ran? The Word of God informs us, “She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved” [JOHN 20:2a].
Did you get that? Peter was hanging out with John! It is true that the once boastful man had denied knowing the Lord when his testimony might have proven effective, but Peter’s heart was still knit with the disciples and he would hang out with them even though he felt he had disgraced himself. He was no longer the boastful man who imagined himself superior to all the other disciples. Peter realised the truth—he was nothing without the power of God. He couldn’t even stand boldly when accused by a little girl. It was easier to deny knowledge of Christ than to openly own knowing Him.
CONFUSION BEFORE UNDERSTANDING — “Simon Peter came, following [John], and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead” [JOHN 20:6-9].
Mary Magdalene rushed breathlessly into the house where Peter and John were, telling them that the tomb was empty. She had been there with the other women and they had seen that the stone was rolled back and verified that there was no body in the tomb. Therefore, she blurted out, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him” [JOHN 20:2b].
You can be certain that Peter and John were shocked. When they heard what Mary said, the men stood as though rooted there for just a moment. Turning at almost the same time, they pushed out of the house and began to run toward the tomb. No thought of Roman soldiers or Jewish tormentors could stop them from running. They had to get to the tomb to see for themselves if what Mary said could be true. John, being the younger of the two men, outran Peter reaching the tomb first. It was true! There was the open tomb, and just as Mary had said, the stone no longer barred anyone from entering the tomb. John peered inside, and as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness inside what he saw left him confused. There were the linen cloths that had been wound tightly around the body of Jesus, but it was obvious that there was no body in that tomb.
Just then, Peter came up and without hesitation he went into the tomb. He had proven fearful and timid once, but he wasn’t about to act timidly again. Peter saw what John saw, only in greater detail. Indeed, there were the winding cloths, lying collapsed on the rock ledge as though they had once encased a body, but there was no body! Stranger still, he saw the face cloth that had covered the bloody and bruised face of Jesus as he was gently laid on the rock ledge. But it was lying by itself apart from the other cloths, folded over neatly. Since Peter had rushed into the interior of the tomb and no harm had come to him, John at last dared to go into the interior of the tomb. He verified what his first glance had told him and agreed with all that Peter saw.
Four times in the Gospels we witness Jesus asking, “Do you believe?” Approached by two blind men, Jesus healed them; but before He gave them their sight, He asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this” [see MATTHEW 9:27-30]?
Questioned by the Master, the men confessed that they did believe that He could do what they asked. They had, after all, seized the opportunity to cry loudly enough to attract His attention as He passed by. Then, without following through on the conversation they had initiated, Jesus entered the house without acknowledging these two men, but they came into the house asking Him to heal them. They were sufficiently convinced that they were prepared to keep pushing themselves into His presence just so they might receive what they longed to have, which was the ability to see.
When Natheniel was called to follow Jesus, his cynicism evaporated when Jesus told him what he had been doing and what he had been cynically saying when Philip invited him to come, listen to Jesus. Jesus drew Nathaniel into faith when He said, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these” [JOHN 1:50].
Nathanael was wary, hesitating when Philip first invited him to come meet Jesus for himself. At first, he dismissed Philip’s enthusiasm with a derogatory statement concerning those coming from Nazareth: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth” [JOHN 1:46]? Philip persisted, and Nathanael trudged along, if somewhat reluctantly. As the pair drew near to Jesus, the Master said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit” [JOHN 1:47]!
Nathanael, startled or perhaps even thinking that Jesus was simply feeding him ear candy, responded, “How do you know me?” only to hear the Master say, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” [JOHN 1:48]. That knocked his sandals off! He exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel” [JOHN 1:49]! And that was when Jesus promised that He would see yet greater things than that because he did believe.
After healing a man born blind, the religious leaders kicked the man out of the synagogue. Jesus, hearing that the man was kicked out of the synagogue, sought him out and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man” [JOHN 9:35]? Despite pressure from religious leaders to denounce Jesus, or at least refuse to credit Him with healing the man who had been blind since birth, he had insisted that the man named Jesus had put mud on his eyes, which when he washed in the Pool of Siloam, gave sight to his once blinded eyes. The man was dogmatic in asserting that a man named Jesus had given him sight. This resulted in him being kicked out of the synagogue.
Wandering about the city, no doubt marvelling at what he saw for the first time, he was suddenly confronted by a man that he had never seen, though he had met the man. Let’s pick up John’s account of what happened at this point. “Jesus heard that they had cast … out [the man born blind], and having found him He said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen Him, and it is He who is speaking to you.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped Him” [JOHN 9:35-38].
On yet another occasion Jesus asked if those to whom He spoke believed. We find this account in John’s Gospel. Mary and Martha had sent word to Jesus that Lazarus, their brother, was seriously ill. Jesus delayed going to them, and when He at last arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already died.
Let’s pick up the account as John recorded it at this point. “When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world’” [JOHN 11:17-27]. Martha still had not witnessed Jesus conquer death, but she was convinced that if there was any hope that her brother could be raised from the dead, it would be because Jesus had power over death. Therefore, she was prepared to set aside her grief for a moment to affirm confidence in Jesus as the life giver.
The two blind men believed out of desperation and because they had heard what Jesus could do. Nathanael believed based on the way in which Jesus interacted with him. The man born blind believed because Jesus had demonstrated power over human misery. Martha believed because she hoped in the resurrection and she anticipated life in Christ. Nothing was perfect in the faith of these who came to Jesus. And your faith isn’t perfect yet. We are waiting for that time when faith will become sight. We are waiting until perfection comes. The Apostle seized that transformation we await when he wrote, “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” [1 CORINTHIANS 13:12].
For you who are twice born, think of what brought you to faith in the Son of God? Was it desperation and because you had nowhere to turn? Was it because Jesus provided answers to hard questions then nagging at you? Was it because the Master heard your cry for help and gave you what no one else could give? Was it because you chose to look away from the mess that we call “now” to look forward to what He has promised to do in the future? We have varied reasons for coming to the Master, but it is the same Lord to whom we come. Though our faith isn’t perfect, the One in whom we believe is perfect.
It is true as I said that our faith isn’t perfect. Ask yourself, how much faith does a drowning man need to reach out when a hand is extended to lift him out of the angry waters? How much faith is needed when the physician offers an elixir or a treatment that will relieve the malady that is threatening your well-being, or even threatening your life? He tells you that this will make you well again and it will resolve your health condition. You don’t hesitate to take the medication, or you quickly arrange to receive the treatment because you are desperate to be well. In an analogous manner, how much faith does it take to accept the grace of God offered in Christ the Son of God? It is not the quality of your faith that is in view, it is the One in whom you believe that is essential
I have spoken of the faith of two blind men, the faith of Nathanel, the faith that gave sight to the man who had been blind from birth, the faith Martha had in the Saviour. Reading the accounts of these individuals reveals that their faith wasn’t perfect, but each focused faith in the Son of God. Perhaps you are one of those dear souls who has yet to come to the Master! Why would you delay? Have you not heard that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He conquered death, hell, and the grave? Have you not heard that all who call on the Name of God’s Beloved Son are delivered from fear? Dear friend, hear this, if you hear nothing else this day, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” [ROMANS 10:9-10]. The promise of God is that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13]. And surely that promise is intended even for you.
THE TRUTH DAWNS — “The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead” [JOHN 20:8-9]. Some things are hard to believe, not because we are incapable of believing what we are called to accept, but because we have so little evidence on which to base our belief. That was the case for Peter and John when they witnessed the empty tomb. Jesus had told them that the tomb could not hold Him, but they hadn’t truly grasped the reality of what He was saying. The dead don’t come back to life, so how could they accept what Jesus said?
Well, preacher, didn’t you just make the case for why so many don’t believe the resurrection of Jesus? Yes, if you discount what has happened in the ensuing two millennia since Jesus rose from the dead! However, we have received many and continuing proofs that Jesus truly did conquer death, hell, and the grave. What proofs, you ask. And I will give you just some of those proofs, proofs that Peter and John did not have when they raced to the tomb.
The witness of Peter and John, and the testimony of the women who went to the tomb is stunning proof that Jesus is alive. How so? Well, these who are named were eyewitnesses that the tomb was empty. Their testimonies would serve as evidence admissible in a court of law. After the Apostles and the other women had left the tomb, Mary Magdalene remained. And as result of being there, she saw not only the empty tomb, but she spoke with the Risen Saviour. Here is John’s account of that meeting. “Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned and said to him in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’—and that he had said these things to her” [JOHN 20:11-18].
Another evidence of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the boldness of His disciples following the resurrection. Remember the response of those who were closest to the Master? Frightened, they all ran wildly so they could save their hides! Here is Mark’s account of what happened that night. “While [Jesus] was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.’ And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, ‘Rabbi!’ And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, ‘Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.’ And they all left him and fled” [MARK 14:43-50]. Bold men, indeed!
But how did they respond after His resurrection? At first, they huddled in an upper room, terrified that they would be ferreted out by the Jewish mafia. But the presence of the Spirit of Jesus transformed these timid, frightened men into lions! On the day of Pentecost we witness Peter, together with all 120 of the disciples who had been gathered in an upper room, openly charging those in Jerusalem, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” [ACTS 2:36]. There is nothing timid about that! “You who listen, you have murdered the Messiah, the Anointed One sent by God. You are responsible!”
Haled before the Jewish Council, the very body that had condemned Jesus, Peter and John deliver a stinging rebuke to these religious leaders, saying, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” [ACTS 4:8-12].
The Council commanded the disciples to cease preaching in the Name of Jesus. Listen as these once timid men respond, boldly confronting the leaders of their nation. “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” [ACTS 4:19-20].
Nothing timid or frightened in these men now! In fact, having left the Council, they returned to the remainder of the disciples and they prayed for even great boldness. Together, all the disciples prayed, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus” [ACTS 4:24-30].
And does not the conversion of Saul of Tarsus argue for Jesus’ conquest of the grave. This man, by his own testimony was “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor” [1 TIMOTHY 1:13a NASB95]. Yet, he was transformed when he met the Risen Saviour as he was travelling to Damascus as part of his mad scheme to rid the earth of these hated worshippers of the Galilean. Thus, he would testify, “But I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, and our Lord’s grace was abundant, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them” [1 TIMOTHY 1:13b-15 NET 2nd]!
All those transformed lives were recorded in the historical record. But we witness to this day the transformation of multitudes who met the Living Lord of Glory. The testimony of most seated in this auditorium today is that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and He lives today, reigning on high with the Father. They are prepared to testify that because He lives, He forgives the sin of all who come to Him in faith, transforming them into saints who are being fitted for Heaven itself.
Focus on the latter portion of what has been recorded in our text—the disciples did not yet understand the Scripture, that Jesus must rise from the dead [see JOHN 20:9]. Like many in our world today, these men saw the evidence, but they could not believe it. It wasn’t that they did not want to believe that He was risen, but what they witnessed went against all they knew from experience. These disciples had yet to come to the realisation that “We walk by faith, not by sight” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:7].
I know that many people seem persuaded that if only God would give them some tangible proof that Jesus was alive, or if God would only reveal Himself to them, they would believe. We who are redeemed understand that “We walk by faith, not by sight” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:7]. We need to remember that we enter into this blessed state of salvation by faith, and only after receiving the gift of life are we given the ability to see God through the eyes of faith. God does not casually reveal Himself to those who refuse to acknowledge Him. God does not pander to the puerile demands of one who refuses to believe.
Even we who are born from above often struggle to believe the promises of God. Jesus had travelled to Bethany at the request of Mary and Martha, only to arrive after Lazarus, their brother and Jesus’ friend, had already died. Martha protested when Jesus ordered that the stone sealing the tomb was to be rolled away from the entrance. When she protested, Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God” [JOHN 11:40]? That is excellent advice for each twice-born child of God. We must believe if we have any hope of seeing the glory of God!
And for all who are outside this holy Faith, you will never see the glory of God until you believe. Confronting a group of religious Jews, Jesus cautioned them, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” [JOHN 8:31-32]. Freedom comes through knowing and appropriating the truth. And we are incapable of appropriating the truth until we submit to Jesus as Lord.
Why do you hesitate to believe this Good News? Why would you not come to this Risen Lord, receiving Him as Master over your life? This is the promise of God: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” [JOHN 6:37-40].
The invitation of this church is for you to believe this Good News. Believe the message of life and receive Christ Jesus, the Son of God as Master over your life. Do it today; do it even now. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Chico Not Groucho: Who Ya Gonna Believe, Me or Your Own Eyes - Duck Soup - Firefly Chicolini, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHxGUe1cjzM, accessed 28 September 2023
