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.
3302025330202533020253302025
Mary Magdalene… she ran and came to Simon Peter: Other gospels explain she was not the only woman to come to the tomb that morning (at least three other women accompanied her). Mary was the one who ran back and told the disciples about the empty tomb, so John mentions her.
The women came to complete the work begun by Joseph and Nicodemus. “Probably, in view of the lateness of the hour and the nearness of the sabbath, Nicodemus was not able to use all the spices he had brought in the way intended.” (Morris)
They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb: When she saw the empty tomb, Mary’s first reaction was to think the body of Jesus was stolen. She wasn’t wishing for or anticipating the resurrection of Jesus, and she certainly did not imagine it out of hope.
Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple: Peter and John heard the news from Mary and immediately started for the tomb. In keeping with the author’s humility, John did not refer to himself directly, but only as the other disciple.
They both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first: John was humble enough to avoid the mention of his own name, but competitive enough to tell us that he outran Peter to the tomb.
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.
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.
Stooping down and looking in: Arriving first at the tomb, John was looking in (the ancient Greek word blepei meaning “to clearly see a material object”), and he saw the grave wrappings of Jesus still in the tomb (saw the linen cloths lying there). John clearly saw this, and there was no mistake about what he saw.
Yet he did not go in: Something kept John from actually going into the tomb. “Having seen that the graveclothes were still within, the other disciple probably concluded that the body was also there and so refrained from entering. Either he felt that he should not enter the tomb out of respect for the dead, or else he feared the ceremonial defilement of touching a corpse.” (Tenney)
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb: Whatever ever kept John from going in didn’t stop Peter. When he finally arrived he immediately went into the tomb. This action-oriented impulsiveness was characteristic of Peter. John wanted to stop and think about it but Peter went right in.
He saw the linen cloths lying there: Going in, Peter then saw (the ancient Greek word theorei meaning “to contemplate, observe, scrutinize”) that the cloths were still orderly and neat. It looked as if the body evaporated out of the burial wrappings without disturbing their place.
The handkerchief that had been around His head: “This means the headcloth still retained the shape the contour of Jesus’ head had given it and that It was still separated from the other wrappings by a space that suggested the distance between the neck of the deceased and the upper chest, where the wrappings of the body would have begun.” (Tenney)
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.
For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead: At this point Peter and John were persuaded of the fact of the resurrection; they believed. Yet because they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead, they did not understand the meaning of the resurrection.
3302025330202533020253302025
There used to be a time, when I was a kid, when Easter was coming, we had a week to get in the Spirit of it all. We would go to church on Palm Sunday and learn how all the people adored Him. Then the following week we would wake up on a Sunday morning to chocolate Easter Bunnies and lots of other treats, then we would get dressed in new clothes and head off to church for Easter Sunday to find out that Jesus was not in the tomb anymore.
We would sing "He Lives"! "He Lives!"
This Easter... even the eggs are tainted. When I open the Religion Forum, the first title I see is "sick". Like the birds, it seems the world is sick too. [But that's just my opinion.]
Hubby is in the hospital. He's had some issues with AFIB and had to go. I live in a 55+ community, and word gets around fast. Most of the people here have lost a spouse. A Mormon friend of mine stopped by, not knowing Hubby is hospitalized, because she wants to rejoin me for the morning one mile walk. When she found out Hubby was ill, she was afraid for me. That's when I told her "God has this. Either He will send Hubby home to me, and we will enjoy being best friends for another 30 years, or, He will let Hubby work on the punch list on our new homes in Heaven." She looked surprised and frankly I don't blame her. The same thing happened when another neighbor stopped by to find out if I needed anything. He has a bumper sticker on his van that says "Jesus is the Answer". He was delighted when I told him the same thing I told my Mormon friend. "God has this!"
I don't know what the Resurrection will look like. Mary didn't expect to find an empty tomb. Mary, quite naturally, thought someone stole the body.
Back in those days there was a lot of political turmoil. Remember Barabbas was an insurrectionist, released by Pilot in place of Jesus. So, there was a movement afoot to get rid of the Roman Rule. There was also some turmoil in the Temple leadership. People couldn't complain about the government or the Temple because they could be thrown out of the Temple or put to death on a cross as a warning to others. After all, they just did away with Jesus because He was more popular. He drew massive crowds. He walked on water, bossed the wind and rain around, and yes... He raised Lazarus from the dead.
Was Jesus's death on the Cross a big hoax?
So, where's the body? Mary freaked out and went to tell the disciples.
So, where's the body? Mary figured someone stole the body... but why? Which crowd would use the Savior to push their own agenda?
So, where's the body? Did the Insurrectionists get it? Did Joseph of Arimathea have it removed to a common grave, since it was a borrowed tomb anyway?
So, where's the body?
