Last week we talked about Jesus’ miracles and whether or not we could believe them to be true. You can read more about that here. However, Jesus’ greatest miracle has been one that has always been questioned…even from the time it first happened.
When a group of women showed up at Jesus’ grave early one Sunday morning, they found it empty. When Peter and John appeared at the tomb some time later, it was in fact, empty. Jesus was gone. They had all watched Him die three days earlier. They watched Him get beaten, whipped, and paraded around like a convict! They watched the nails go into His hands and feet as He was raised up on the cross. They watched Him hang there for six hours before He gave up His spirit and died. They watched a Roman Centurion confirm His death by shoving a spear in His side causing water and blood to flow out. This was a sign of Pericardial Effusion, where blood and water surround the sac around the heart after trauma. It shows that even if Jesus wasn’t dead before the Centurion stabbed Him with a spear, he probably punctured the heart causing the blood and water to flow, along with instant death. In other words…the man they were looking for in that tomb, was dead.
So where did He go? There are lots of different theories: His body was stolen by the Jews; His body was stolen by the Romans; He never really died, but walked out of the grave on His own after regaining consciousness; His body was stolen by His apostles. None of these theories hold any water. The Jews and Romans hated Jesus and wanted the stories about Him to stop. All they had to do to stop the apostles from talking about Jesus was produce a body…they never could. If the apostles stole the body, then they were preaching and dying for a lie. You would think the moment they started to be killed for preaching about Jesus, a risen Savior, they would produce the body to save their own skin…but they didn’t. And I find it hard to believe that a man who was beaten to within inches of His life, hung on a cross for six hours, and had been stabbed in the heart could roll away a stone that weighed a ton and walked out on His own accord.
To me, as illogical as it sounds…there is only one logical solution: Jesus raised from the dead. Yes, the man died. Yes, He was buried. And yes, he’s no longer dead. It’s like the angel said, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Paul said Jesus appeared to hundreds of people after He had died and all can account for a risen Savior. Jesus’ greatest miracle was the one He performed on Himself…death to life.
Most people reading this already believe these facts. Maybe today was a refresher. But let it also be a reminder that Jesus can bring life to what is dead. Are you dead in your sin? Jesus can make you alive again. Are you broken? Jesus can make you whole. Are you sick? Jesus can make you well. And best of all…whether we die on this earth or we are dead in our sins…Jesus gives eternal life so we can live in Heaven together forever. So, did Jesus raise from the dead…did it really happen? I believe the answer is yes. And I’m thankful that I can raise from the dead too!
~ Kevin
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