seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 20:1 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. 2 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!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple 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 the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Ok... so it's Sunday morning, according to the first verse. This all started with supper on Thursday evening. Thursday night He was arrested and taken to Annas. Annas sent Him to Caiaphas who sent Him to the Chief Priests. They sent Him to Pilate, Pilate sent Him for a beating, then Pilate offered up Barabbas, but the crowd wanted Jesus crucified. Then Jesus was sent back for the prep for the Cross. By Friday morning, Jesus was on the Cross. He hung there until they figured out He was dead. They took Him off the cross, and with permission from Pilate, they took Him to a tomb owned by one of the priests, Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph and another man named Nicodemus wrapped the body in 75 pounds of herbs and aloe infused linen and left His dead body in a hollowed-out rock with another huge rock blocking the entrance. They had to leave Him there, because the Sabbath began Friday at dusk.It was a "Special" Sabbath. This particular Saturday Sabbath morning would also be celebrated as part of the eight-day celebration of "Passover". No Jew would have been at the tomb on Saturday, because it was against the law. So, they observed the "Special Sabbath". They waited.
And now... according to the first verse... it's Sunday morning. Mary Magdeline, Peter, and John were at the tomb. Mary was the first to look in... the stone was gone. Peter went right in.... and John looked and then followed Peter in to survey the sight. There had been a cloth over Jesus' face. It was still there. The strips of linen... all 75 pounds... were there. Jesus was not there.
I found this in one of the commentaries.
i. By tradition, Peter was older than John. We might picture a man in his late forties or early fifties like Peter running to the tomb with great labor, and a man and his mid-twenties easily outrunning him.
ii. This shows that they both ran hard. Peter and John had just heard life-changing news: that the tomb was empty. They couldn’t be indifferent or detached to this news; they had to see for themselves.
And then there is this....The other disciple… he saw and believed: After Peter went into the tomb John also went in. He then saw (the ancient Greek word eiden meaning, “to understand, to perceive the significance of”) and then John believed. The distinctive arrangement of the burial wrappings convinced him.
Jesus had been telling them He is the Son of God. Jesus was showing them how Godly He is. Jesus healed people who had been blind from birth. Jesus healed people who had been paralyzed for years. Jesus healed people from far away, and others were healed by just touching His robe. He ran demons out of the damned. All the while He love children and admired women. Jesus had been telling them He would outlive the tomb. When the Roman soldiers came to arrest Him, he spoke, and they were all thrown backwards. When Peter cut off an ear of the soldier, Jesus healed it right there... in front of those who were going to cuff Him and drag Him off.They knew those strips of linen, and that shroud were left there just so by Jesus as a sign.
The sign told them Jesus was involved in this disappearance. A grave robber wouldn't have taken the time to fold the linen just so. A Roman guard wouldn't have bothered to unwrap the body before taking it. All that blood would have been dried into the linen again. This would have been a gory job that would have taken way to long for a covert operation like stealing a body.
Nope... it was a sign... left by Jesus for the disciples.
Jesus left the strips for them so they would not worry. They knew He left them there... they just didn't understand why yet.
John Believed even though he didn't understand!
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