“Come, see the place where he lay.”
Take another look! That’s what I’m telling myself this first-day-after-Easter of 2019. The inspiration for this second glace comes with compliment to Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers.
Before we consider Spurgeon’s insights we need to know that the word for “see” we read in Matthew 28:6, means “to perceive spiritually.” Matthew had many words for “see” in his vocabulary arsenal. He chose this one. It meant look deeper than a passing glace, deeper than mere theoretical analysis, look so deeply you perceive with spiritual eyes what God has done.
So let’s look back with Spurgeon into that empty tomb and see!
See the humility of Christ.
Jesus is God incarnate. He didn’t have to leave the glories of heaven, “but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). Why? His love for you compelled him.See the evil of our sin.
Christ did not belong in that tomb. My sin (and yours) put him there. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), so Jesus, bearing my sin, would die. Jesus paid the debt for my evil.See that we too will die.
News flash: One out of every one person will die! ”The tomb,” as James Montgomery Boice notes, “speaks of our mortality and warns us that there is a life beyond this life for which we must prepare.”See that Jesus is not in it.
Study the the accounts. There was no way someone stole the body. Seriously, if someone stole the body, don’t you think they would have presented it later as proof Jesus really was dead? Praise God, He is risen, just as he said! His appearance confirm this.See that we will rise.
Christ is the “first fruits” (1 Corinthians 15:23). If you belong to him, you are united to him. If he rose, you will rise! “ “Then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back” (1 Corinthians 15:23). That truth is incredibly encouraging. There is hope beyond the grave. That hope helps me live confidently today!
When we see the empty tomb we can see why Paul admonishes Timothy:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
Take another look! Empty tomb = Risen Savior. Risen Savior means you can walk confidently, not anxiously. Here’s why: The Risen One says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” He is by your side even now by the power of His Holy Spirit.
The theme of my message yesterday was, “No more anxious days” and with good reason. Christ is risen!
Notes:
Big thanks to Timothy Torres, our Kingdom Platform Pastor at Spanish River Church, for pointing me to James Montgomery Boice in my Easter preparation and to Boice for sharing Spurgeon’s insights.
“The tomb speaks of our mortality . . .” from James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew. Vol 2 - The Triumph of the King (Matthew 18-28). Grand Rapids: Baker Books. 2001. Page 641.