There are two pivot points on which hinge the entire history of mankind. One pivot point is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ; the other is His resurrection. Since the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is important, all of the gospel writers give record of its events. To gain a complete understanding of the events of the day, it would probably be a good idea for you to read Matthew 27: 32-44, Mark 15: 22-32, Luke 23: 33-43 and John 19: 16-27.

In my studies over the years, I have read both that crucifixion was invented by the Assyrians and the Phoenicians. Though there seems to be some disagreement about its origins, all agree that it was the Romans who perfected its use as a political deterrent. The only record of the Jews using this method of ending a life can be found in Josephus where he describes the Maccabean King Alexander, who apparently lacked a sense of human decency and a sense of his own religion, when he had eight hundred of his enemies crucified at the same time. During the final siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, it is said that so many Jews were crucified that the Romans ran out of wood to make the crosses.

It cannot be overemphasized that the suffering crucifixion brought was intense and severe. Frederick Farrar, in his book, “The Life of Christ,” says, “For indeed a death by crucifixion seems to include all that pain and death can have of horrible and ghastly; dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, tetanus, shame, publicity of shame, long continuance of torture, horror of anticipation, mortification of untended wounds, all intensified just up to the point at which they can be endured at all, but stopping just short of the point which give the sufferer the relief of unconsciousness. The unnatural position made every movement painful; the lacerated veins and crushed tendons throbbed with incessant anguish; the wounds, inflamed by exposure, gradually gangrened; the arteries, especially at the head and stomach became swollen and oppressed with surcharged blood; and while each variety of misery went on gradually increasing, there was added to them the intolerable pang of a burning and raging thirst; and all of these physical complications caused an internal excitement and anxiety, which made the prospect of death, the unknown enemy, at whose approach man usually shudders most, bear the aspect of delicious and exquisite release.”

First the cross member was laid upon the ground to which Jesus’ arms would have been bound by ropes. Then the soldiers would have pounded two sharp nails into first the right hand and then the left. The cross member was then hauled into place up the vertical member, which had previously been placed in a hole used solely for that purpose. When Jesus reached a suitable height, the cross member would have been either tied or nailed into its place and His feet nailed to the vertical beam. The nailing of the feet was done to enable the victim to breath and so prolong the agony. When Jesus needed to take a breathe, He would have to put weight on his feet to raise his chest enough to be able to take in air. The very act of breathing would then send shots of pain throughout His body. The final stage of crucifixion would have been a sign, listing the charges for which He was condemned, would have been nailed above His head.

I never cease to be amazed at the depths of the cruelty that mankind can attain. Who could have ever imagined or thought up such a cruel way to put someone to death? Yet at this moment, I can imagine that there was a great party going on as Satan and his fallen angels had good cause to celebrate. At that moment, they were busy declaring victory as God’s son, who had tried to challenge Satan’s control of the earth, was hanging there waiting to die. The devil is also a created being, and as such, does not have the power to see the future. He could not see that in three days all of his hopes of escaping the wrath of God for his rebellion would forever be crushed. Sometimes it is a good idea to wait until the last chapter is written before one declares victory.

Day 2 – The Seven Sayings

Over the last couple of millennia, pastors have found the seven final sayings of Jesus Christ on this earth to be a great sermon topic. We have always believed the last words of a person are important enough for us to sit up and take notice of them anyway, but the words of God’s only Son make those words most important. Today, we will be taking a look at those words in order to gain some insight into what Jesus was thinking in those final moments of His time here on earth. Since to find these final seven sayings, you have to look in three of the four gospels, it is impossible to say with any degree of certainty their exact order. Yet I’ve never felt that the order is as important as the words themselves.

The first words of Jesus that we will take a look at can be found in Matthew 27: 46 where Jesus says, “My God, why have you forsaken me.” There are some who say that the crucifixion was no big deal. Anyone can endure pain for a brief time. I believe that these words represent the real torture that the cross held for Jesus. It is at this point in time when Jesus is bearing the sins of everyone who has accepted His free gift of salvation, that God turns His back on His only Son for the first and only time in all of eternity. According to the prophet Habakkuk, God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil.” (Hab 1: 13) That is true even when it involved Jesus Christ. We have noted before that the one constant that appears in Jesus’ life was that He walked in lock-step with God, the Father. The communication and the fellowship between the Father and the Son was only broken at this particular moment. The loss of that fellowship by Jesus would have been torture for Him of the most extreme magnitude.

Jesus’ second words can be found in Luke 23: 34 where He asks God to forgive those mocking Him as they didn’t know what they were doing. Stephen, when he was being stoned to death used the very same idea (Acts 7: 60). In Isaiah 53: 12 it was predicted that Jesus would pray for the sins of others. This represents a fulfillment of that prophesy. As I have said before, the attitude of Jesus here is a wonderful illustration of just how much God loves His creation. To see Jesus, after enduring the torture that His body went through, still love these creatures is sometimes more than I can understand.

The third saying was directed at one of the other men who were being crucified along with Jesus. In Luke 23: 43, we see the assurance of paradise for this man who had lived his life in rebellion against God only to turn at the final moments of life to the only one who could save him from the surety of God’s punishment. These words tell us that no one is beyond hope when it comes to the forgiveness of God. This man had time in his final moments, however, to ask God to forgive him. That doesn’t always happen.

The fourth saying is directed at two people who were the closest to Jesus during His life here on earth. John 19: 26, 27 say that both Jesus’ mother and the Apostle John were present at the foot of the cross that day. Here we see that even in a moment of intense pain and suffering, Jesus was still thinking of others. Any supporter of Jesus who stood at the cross ran the risk of ridicule and arrest. Still these two stood by Him simply because they loved Him. He had done so much for them that they were willing to stand by Him no matter the cost. Here the Apostle John is commissioned to take care of Mary.

The fifth saying is also found in John 19: 28 where Jesus declares that He is thirsty. We have already said that the process of crucifixion produces a blazing and unquenchable thirst. These words prompt some soul to send up a sponge of wine vinegar in case Elijah showed up suddenly. At least this guy would be seen helping matters and might escape any punishment that might be meted out.

The final two sayings were undoubtedly said at the same time. John 19: 36 say that Jesus declared, “It is finished.” Luke 23: 46 records that Jesus said, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” It is with those words that Jesus voluntarily gave up His life and died. These words represent a great victorious purpose in which Jesus’ life ended. God’s plan was now complete. Jesus had accomplished everything that had been planned since the beginning of time. These were not the words of a martyr. These were the words of a victorious conqueror.

Day 3 – Was Jesus Dead?

Why would we even entertain such a thought as this? Probably because one of the more prevalent theories used to explain away the resurrection of Jesus Christ lies in the supposition that He really wasn’t dead, but had only fainted. To answer this question, we will be turning to several eye-witness accounts that will show beyond any kind of doubt that Jesus was, in fact, dead. Of course if you are dealing with eye-witness accounts, you have to start your investigation with the Apostle John. As we have said before, John was physically present at the crucifixion. He writes the things that he actually saw and describes them in the minutest detail so that all who read his words might believe in the One whom he loved and followed. So why not take a moment and read John 19: 31-37 and we’ll get started.

John records that it was a concern of the Jewish leadership that there not be any bodies left on the crosses that would otherwise mar a perfectly good Passover. That being the case, they went to our old friend, Pontius Pilate, and asked that the legs of the victims be broken so that death would come quickly and the bodies could then be removed. You have to remember that Golgotha was on a hill and could be seen from quite a distance. The sight of the tortured agony of these men might distract from the importance of Passover. As I said a couple of days ago, the only way to breathe on the cross was to stand on one’s nail-pierced feet. Once the legs were broken that could no longer take place and the men would quickly suffocate and die. John records that the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first thief and then the other. When he came to Jesus, the soldier did not break the legs because he saw that Jesus was already dead. This soldier was a professional who knew death when he saw it. So our first witness that Jesus was dead was this soldier.

The second bit of evidence comes when aother soldier sticks a spear into Jesus’ side in John 19: 34. John describes exactly what happened when Jesus’ side was pierced. Did you notice that John did not say that the blood came pulsing out? The word John uses here indicates that Jesus’ blood simply flowed on to the ground. If Jesus’ heart were still beating that would not have been the case. John also describes a scene where both blood and water came out of the open wound in Jesus’ side. The spear was thrust into Jesus’ heart to verify death. There have been several pathologists who have stated that the phenomenon that John records only happens when there is a rupturing of the heart muscle. In that case the blood within the heart and the fluid within the pericardium surrounding the heart both come out separately. In other words, Jesus literally died from a broken heart.

The third bit of evidence that Jesus was dead comes from Mark’s account. In Mark 15: 39-45, after Jesus’ death Joseph of Arimathea went boldly to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. Pontius Pilate was surprised to learn that Jesus was already dead. It was at that point that he summoned the Centurion in charge to verify the fact that Jesus was dead. If this professional had not verified that Jesus was dead, His body would never have been released to Joseph.

So there you have it. If a fact is established by the testimony of two witnesses, this one is more certain because we have three different eye-witnesses concerning the death of Jesus. Since two of the three witnesses had nothing to gain by telling a lie, we can be completely certain that Jesus was, in fact, dead.

Day 4 – The Tomb

As Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15: 12-19) It is the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that sets Christianity apart from all other world religions. You can go to the tombs of all other religious leaders. It is only Jesus who boasts an empty tomb.

That being the case, it become really important for Christians to understand the historical records that lie behind this most important of world events. I have always been one whose faith needs to be underpinned with facts. My heart and mind must be united if I am going to give my life to any cause, no matter how worthy. So it is with that need that I first began to do my own investigation into the facts of the resurrection. I started my journey by devouring Josh McDowell’s masterpiece, “Evidence That Demands a Verdict.” This book has been a great anchor for my faith. Next I read Paul Little’s book, “Know Why You Believe.” This is also a great book if you need some facts to back up your faith. I highly recommend both books. That being said, let’s get on with our look at the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.

It was normal custom for crucified individual in Israel to be buried in a common grave. The three individuals who died that day would have been thrown into the same pit. I say this was Jewish custom because the Roman custom was to let the bodies rot on the cross until they were devoured by the birds or by beasts. It was the Roman custom to use crucifixion as a deterrent for major crimes. It was Jewish law that demanded the burial of all of its people. In this case, the Jews won out.

If you take a look at Matthew 27: 57-61, you see that Jesus was not thrown into a common grave. As we talked about yesterday, Joseph of Arimathea had requested and received the body of Jesus in order that He might be buried in a private tomb that Joseph had previously purchased. Matthew describes this tomb as being carved out of large rock. We get the idea that this tomb was in a garden setting from John 20: 15 where Mary Magdalene thought the risen Jesus was the gardener.

I have read that such tombs were hollowed out from solid rock at great expense. In the center of the burial chamber there was left either coming out of the floor or cut into the walls a stone couch or niche. The couch was level, with a two inch indentation its entire length, large enough for the body to rest in. There was a raised part at one end of the couch to support the head and serve as a pillow. Matthew also records that there was a large stone in the shape of a disk or saucer that was rolled down a groove to a place where it would cover the entrance into the tomb and keep it safe from animals and robbers. We’ll talk more about that stone later.

We spent today talking about the tomb because it is important to understand that Jesus’ tomb was set apart all by itself. It was not in a graveyard as we know it. This plot of land had but one purpose; to hold the body of Joseph and his family. Joseph willingly gave it up so that mankind would have adequate proof of what was about to happen.

Day 5 – The Burial of Jesus

There are two reasons why the Jews buried their dead immediately. The first is the warm climate that is present in Palestine. Such climate tends to speed the decaying process along. The second reason for quick burials is the belief that a dead body is unclean and unacceptable to God. So for both reasons bodies were not left around any great time. What we will talk about today is to first talk about the normal burial practice in first century Israel and then the difference between the norm and what took place with the body of Jesus Christ. That is because the differences do play a role in our story.

When someone died in Israel, the first thing that was done was to wash and straighten out the body. Next the body was coated with a gummy, sticky substance such as nard, an expensive fragrance derived from the root of the herb, nardostachys jatamans. Next the body was wrapped in foot wide strips of linen cloths. They would start just under the arms and would wrap around the body right down to the feet and then they would wrap each arm separately. In between the strips of linen was placed a mixture of myrrh and aloes. Myrrh was an aromatic gummy substance and aloes was an aromatic wood that was ground into a powder. The combination of these two ingredients would cause the linen strips to be bound together to form a rather tight cocoon around the body that wasn’t going anywhere. Finally the head and hair were anointed with more unguent and wrapped in more linen similar to a turban we see today. That was the normal custom for Jewish burial.

What separated Jesus’ burial from the norm was the role time played in our saga. According to Mark 15: 33, Jesus died around 3:00 PM. The participants had to be finished with their task by 6:00 PM, the beginning of the Passover celebration. You also have to allow for time for Joseph to go to Pilate to ask permission to take the body, and you have to allow for the time it would take to get Jesus’ body off the cross and carry it over to the nearby tomb. Jesus’ body would have been quickly washed. John 19: 39, 40 say the body was wrapped in linen strips with the myrrh and aloes between the layers but no unguents were used to seal the body. That is what the ladies were bringing to the tomb on Sunday. (Mark 16: 1) They were going to finish the job.

It should also be noted that John 19: 39 tells us the amount of myrrh and aloes they used to seal the body of the Lord. The original language John uses says that the men brought a hundred litra to do the job. Now a litra is twelve of our ounces. Some modern translations tell us they used about seventy-five pounds. Even the great Jewish teacher, Rabban Gamaliel, was only buried with eighty litra. This shows the great love and respect that was held for Jesus by both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

Another thing also needs to be brought to our attention. We already know that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus knew the location of the tomb. Matthew 27: 61 says that the two Marys were also present and could easily find the tomb again. That is important because both of these ladies were part of the group of ladies that headed back out to the tomb that first Easter morning.

How much do you love Jesus? For these men their love for Jesus was shown by their generosity. Do you shudder each time the offering plate passes by? Are you tempted to reach in and grab some money because you are sure that others must be better off than you? To be sure Joseph and Nicodemus were wealthy men, but they recognized that whatever they had belonged to God and nothing was too good for Him. They also had a sense that whatever they had earned in their lifetimes came as a direct result of God’s favor and actually belonged to God. When it came time for them to give back to God, they only gave the best that they had. It would not have been good enough for them to reach in their pocket for a little “spare change.” They saw the need and went over and above to meet that need. Why not take a moment and review your giving record with God. Perhaps there is something that God wants you to do with His money. Just remember that when you obey God and give what He directs, He will pay you back with a whole lot of interest.

Day 6 – An Exercise in Futility

A few years ago there was a really funny commercial that centered on a group of cat herders. I found the piece totally hysterical because for most of my life I have lived in close proximity to a cat. At least in my experience, you can’t get a single cat to consistently do what you want much less a whole group of cats. To me the entire idea of herding cats would be an exercise in futility. Another exercise in futility that was done in the first century was to place a guard around the tomb of Jesus Christ in case He tried to escape.

In Matthew 27: 62-66 we read about the Jewish leaders once more appearing before Pontius Pilate requesting that a guard be placed at the tomb to ensure that the disciples didn’t steal the body and claim it to be a fulfillment of Jesus’ prophesy that He would rise from the dead. I suppose that for there to be a missing body on Sunday would be a bit embarrassing for the Jewish leadership. Still, if you think about it, I suppose their actions were perfectly logical given what they knew to be true. If you believed Jesus to be a mere man, then the only way He would disappear would be if someone stole the body.

There is a bit of confusion in this section of the Bible revolving around Pilate’s response in verse 65. The literal translation of the original language can either mean “You have your own temple guard, use them”, or it can mean that Pilate was granting the Jews their request for Roman soldiers to guard the tomb. Most people that I have read believe the guard to be Roman. They cite that if the guard were temple guards, then the whole episode that surrounds Matthew 28: 13-15 would make no sense.

A Roman guard would have been made up of at least four heavily armed men. Each of them would have carried with them a Roman pike, which is a javelin like spear six feet in length. Each of them would also carry their sword, a dagger and a large shield. The other thing that you can say of these men is that there is no way they would ever fall asleep. Falling asleep at an assigned post was punishable by death, a punishment rigorously enforced by Rome.

When these soldiers got to the tomb, they immediately sealed it. That means they placed a cord across the stone which was attached at each end by a large chunk of wax. Into the wax on each end a signet ring was used to leave a mark which was a symbol of Rome’s power and authority. To break that seal was to put the full force of Roman rule against you. The guards had no care as to what was inside the tomb. They had a duty to perform. Only the seal that lay across that stone was sacred to these men.

The largest problem that we see here is that for all of their preparations and precautions, the only thing the High Priest and the Pharisees accomplished was to give the world absolute proof that Jesus rose from the dead. These men could not have done a better job if they had actually set out to do just that. That’s what happens when you close your mind and refuse to acknowledge God. He is going to accomplish His will and there is nothing that anyone can do to thwart the working of God. The only thing that you do is to put yourself in a position of being in opposition to God and being made to look the fool. In my opinion that’s not a very pleasant place to be.

So when do we find ourselves in this kind of predicament? We can easily find ourselves working against God when we arrogantly believe that we know all there is to know about God. We proceed on that assumption and only later find out that we really don’t know God very well at all. That’s what happened here. The Pharisees could not conceive that their knowledge of God was all wrong. They believed they had all of the answers and they acted accordingly. The problem was that they actually knew very little about God. I said it a month ago. You will never act differently than you think deeply. Knowing God is a life long process. I find that when I am in a learning mode when it comes to God that He begins to show me things that I never knew before. That learning and growing stops when my pride takes over and I think I have it all down. There is so much about God to know that it takes a lifetime to only scratch the surface. My advice to those of you who are reading this today is to dedicate yourself to a lifetime of learning about God.

Day 7 – A Very Special Morning

In his book, “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah,” Alfred Edersheim draws a parallel between the way Jesus entered the world and the way He left it. If you think about it both are a bit unusual. To understand the significance, try to look at each event as bookends of a life that was in most respects unique. While it is true that Jesus lived much the same way we live. He got up in the morning. He ate. He slept. Yet His life was very much different from the one that I currently lead. I have never healed anyone or walked on water. Thinking in those terms, the resurrection of Jesus becomes all the more believable. At the same time that we look at the resurrection as a physical event, we cannot fail to look at it in its spiritual context. The resurrection of Jesus has to be viewed as an event that guarantees our own entry into the Kingdom of God.

As we talked about before, the resurrection is what separates Jesus from all others in the history of man’s search for his creator. One would expect that the event would be recorded in each of the four gospels and we would be right. As we read the accounts in Matthew 28: 1-15, Mark 16: 1-8, Luke 24: 1-12 and John 20: 1-18, what we read are not four very similar accounts of the same event, but a great disparity as each writer gives his own take on the events that occurred on that very special morning. There is only one author who we know actually entered into the empty tomb that morning. That would be the Apostle John. John records that Peter also was with him and entered into the tomb, yet the Gospel of Mark, for which tradition says was given to Mark by Peter, does not mention Peter even being there. The only way one can get a complete picture is to read all four accounts and attempt to piece together all of the events that day, and that is what we will attempt to do.

As dawn breaks and the sun is just beginning to peak over the horizon, we would see a group of ladies quietly walking through the morning mist. They carry jars of spice that would be used to properly prepare their dead Savior for His final rest. Some of the women are named, like Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less, Salome and Joanna. The other women in this somber party are not named. The only conversation that we are given is over the logistical problem of how they were going to get the heavy stone moved out of the way so they could complete their task.

As the women arrive at the tomb, their worry about moving the stone proves moot as they find the stone already rolled up the incline and the door to the tomb wide open. Matthew gives a sort of parenthesis in his account by telling us that there was a violent earthquake and that the stone was rolled back using angelic force. The earth wasn’t the only thing shaking that morning. Matthew tells us that the Roman guards were also doing a bit of shaking. He records that these Romans were witnesses to the heavenly visitors, with their appearance like lightening and their glistening white attire. They could only drop in silence and shake with fear at this sight as they became like dead men. The fact is, Jesus didn’t really need the stone rolled away. That was done for our benefit.

The women were on their way to lovingly deal with a dead Savior. His earlier words about rising from the dead were not yet living within their hearts. The same thing is true of anyone who approaches Jesus from a strictly historical perspective. There are some who like to view Him as a good teacher or as someone who came and changed a bit of history. That way we can tuck him in some forgotten corner of our mind and are free to go about living our lives the way we want to. What these women saw that morning changed all of that. The same thing needs to be true in our own thinking. Jesus is just as alive today as He was that morning. He requires that we get away from the idea that we serve Him out of habit each Sunday morning as if He is some relic in a dusty museum. Rather He is someone who must be dealt with every day and in all circumstances. That’s what you do with living Saviors who are present with you always. You live your life differently. You live each day with a sense of wonderment at just what Jesus will have you do today. Are you currently living like that? If not, why not?

Day 8 – The Living Among the Dead

After the Sabbath, a group of somber women finally arrived at a garden tomb area that was formerly owned by a prominent member of the Jewish Sanhedrin by the name of Joseph. They had come with the express purpose of doing the final preparations for one they all believed to be Israel’s great hope. Each one of them was remembering all of the times Jesus had looked in their eyes and how He had revealed things that they had believed to be long hidden. Each of them remembered the times He had relieved the suffering, both within them and within a large number of the population. They remembered how their hearts burned when He explained all of the mysteries of the Torah. Yet their hearts were deeply saddebed as they remembered the cross. How could their people have done such an awful thing? Why didn’t they understand? Why hadn’t the Jews accepted Jesus as they had done?

As they arrived at the tomb, they were more than a little startled to see that the large stone, covering the entrance into the tomb, had been rolled away. They had talked on the way about how they were going to gain entrance into the tomb. One of them had even offered that they would have to go looking for some strong men if they were to be able to complete their task. It’s just that they never expected the job to be done and the tomb to be already opened.

As the women entered into the tomb, their eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. They truly hoped that they would see the body of their Lord. Suddenly from their right a great light burst forth. Turning towards the source of light, they found that the tomb was suddenly lit by the very presence of what they believed to be two men. Yet these were not ordinary men, for their clothing was so white they produced a glow that now filled the entire area. A fear like nothing they had ever known gripped their hearts as they found themselves bowing down, faces buried in the ground. One of these strange men said, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.” “Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee that He must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” As they thought back, each of these women could picture Jesus as He had said those very words to them. They could remember being quite puzzled at the time, but to see the sight that was before them and to hear the words of these men, made that puzzlement go away. What replaced it was only the beginning of understanding. While they had heard the words of these angels, they still couldn’t quite grasp their true meaning.

The women hurried away from the tomb feeling a mixture of confusion and great joy as they ran to tell the other disciples. After all, it’s not every day that you get to hear from angels. They found the disciples right where they expected to find them, hiding in a secret room within the walls of Jerusalem. Each disciple had been quietly dealing with their own betrayal of their Master and Lord. He had been there so often for each of them, yet they had run like scared rabbits when confronted by the might and power of Rome and their fellow Jews. As the women told their tale, most of the men dismissed it as mere ramblings of terrified women. Only Peter and John, led by Mary Magdalene bolted out the front door and raced to the garden tomb that morning.

Why do you look for the living among the dead? I have never been able to understand the great attraction. Why does someone choose dead ritual and rules over a relationship with a living savior? Is there that much comfort in rules? I suppose there is some sense of security in rules. If you obey them, you do feel like you’ve accomplished something, but nobody gets it right all of the time. It is true that relationships are much harder especially when one is dealing with the creator of the universe. Yet I have always found that relationships are far more fulfilling. They have to involve a lot of communication and are filled with a sense of the unknown as you enter each day. I don’t know. I just don’t understand it sometimes.

Day 9 – A Foot Race

Author Griffith Thomas writes, “When the great missionary, John C. Paton, was translating the Scriptures for his South Sea Islanders, apparently there was no word for "believe" in their native tongue. For a long while he was well-nigh baffled. One day a native came into his study and, tired out, flung himself down on a chair, rested his feet on another chair and lay back full length, saying as he did so something about how good it was to lean his whole weight on those chairs. Instantly Dr. Paton noted the word the man used for ‘lean his whole weight on.’ The missionary had his word for ‘believe.’ He used it at once and thereafter in translating the Scriptures. Try it for yourself and see, in any verse that uses the word ‘believe.’"

The Apostle John gives the world a unique perspective on the events of that first Easter morning. As you read John 10: 1-18, you find out that Mary Magdalene went right to Peter and John to tell them of her discovery of an empty tomb. Notice that she didn’t yet know the answer as to what had happened to her master, but she knew that His body was gone. What you have happening next is a foot race between the two Apostles. John runs faster and arrives at the tomb first. He says he bent over and peered into the tomb, but did not go in. I don’t know. Perhaps he feared disturbing something or that someone would object to him entering the place. Peter suffers from no such reluctance. When he finally arrives he goes straight in followed by John.

As you read these verses, did you notice that John describes when he saw inside the tomb twice? Whenever something is repeated in the Bible, it’s because it is important. John says that he saw the linen strips lying there. If they were not on the burial couch, he would have noted it, so we have to assume that’s exactly where they were located. John also notices that the head cloth was rolled up and lying in its original place. What John says next is more important to what we are talking about. John says that he saw and believed. That belief was not because of any great knowledge of the Old Testament. He now had the ability to lean his whole weight upon the fact of who Jesus is and the fact that everything His Master had told Him was the absolute truth.

Before we think about this whole idea of belief, let’s take a moment to think about what Peter and John did not see in the tomb that day. Notice John does not say that the linen strips were missing as would have been the case if the body were stolen. Notice that the linen strips weren’t disheveled as if a tomb robber had entered the tomb. John doesn’t even say that the cloths were rolled up and tossed in a corner. If you were in the tomb at the time the resurrection happened, you would have seen Jesus’ body simply disappear. The linen cloths would have collapsed under the weight of all of that myrrh and aloes. The head cloth that was wrapped around the head would have simply rolled up upon itself. That is exactly how John describes the scene that he witnessed.