THE CONTRASTS OF THE RESURRECTION MORNING

Dear readers:

It is impossible to give a full account of the things which happened’ on that commemorable Easter when the Lord arose. We must confess, “It is the Lord’s doing and is marvelous in our eyes.”

In the Gospel of Matthew we find the time mentioned when the Lord arose, namely, as it began to dawn. It was already the third day that the Lord was in the sepulchre as a proof that He was really dead, and not just apparently dead. He will no longer try His disciples. He has promised that for a short time they would not see Him, and has said that as Jonah was three days in the belly of the fish, so the Son of man would be three days in the belly of the earth.

When Matthew speaks of the end of the sabbath, he does not disagree with the other Gospels, although they do seem to contradict each other in regard to the time. The differences are as to when the women started on their way, when they were travelling along the way and when they came near to the garden. They each speak of different moments of the journey to the garden.

Soon the sun will rise. We meet these women outside of Jerusalem, and we will follow them on their way. Coming near to them, we notice that they are very sad. They are on their way to the garden of Joseph of Arimathaea, where last Friday they had buried their Master in haste. We call it Good Friday, but they could not comprehend this at all. For them it was not Good Friday, but was the worst day there ever had been on earth. The way of Christ’s humiliation is a great mystery for them.

They carry spices with them with which to embalm their Master—an indication of their ardent love. Stronger than the smell of the spices is the sweet smell of their love. They are bound to the Lord with so many bonds. Only God’s command had held them back from doing the work of mercy on the sabbath. However, as soon as it is passed, they prepared spices and ointments. They did not think about rest for their bodies; how could they sleep when their beloved Master was in the grave and his body not completely embalmed. That is the reason they go so early in the morning on their way.

Although it is no longer completely dark in nature, in their hearts it is as dark as it can be, as dark as night. They have lost Jesus, and thus the end of all their expectations. It had been such a blessed time when they might sit at His feet and listen to His instructions, but this is all gone since He had died on Golgotha! There is no longer a future for them. They did not know and did not believe in His resurrection, as can be seen by the spices which they carry. Nothing can make these women happy now. Is there such a people amongst us who may under-stand this? Do you also miss the Lord? In the beginning, but also further in the way, it is many times a missing people, who cannot be filled with anything of this world, but only if the Lord would come; and this seems so unlikely to them!

Suddenly the silence is broken. One of them remembers the heavy stone which was placed before the sepulchre. This is an insurmountable hindrance! Would it not be better to return for help to their husbands or friends? No, they continue on because the love draws them. But who will roll away the stone? This is the question of all those who have experienced something of that which is written in Lord’s Day 5 and 6. When the need is born for deliverance, they do not know the way. They still have so much to learn and to lose. They experience the hatred of the devil, for Satan comes with all his power to keep them away from the Mediator in His humiliation or exaltation.

Why is there such a hatred by Satan? In Paradise Satan tried to destroy God’s work, and he lost. In the fulness of time he tried to hinder the coming of Christ, and he lost. During the life of Christ, Satan tried to make Him a sinner, and he lost. Although it was according to God’s will, yet Satan instigated the death of Christ on the cross, hoping that Christ would give up in His extremely heavy suffering in body and soul, in the agony of hell and the mocking of men, but Satan lost again and then for good. Now Christ is in the sepulchre and Satan will try to keep Him there, and therefore mobilized all his troops, namely, the world, the government and the church. These work together under the leading of Satan to make life difficult for the church.

Thus the ardent love of the church is opposed by the hatred of the devil. The stone, the seal and the keepers form a power which may not be underestimated. The stone is heavy, the government gave then-seal and the soldiers are there, trained men of war. Who will overcome all this? This continues even today—Jesus must stay in the grave; He is dead. This is declared by governments, who take care that a well-paid guard of unbelieving teachers and professors surround the grave. In schools and universities we find those guards, critics of Scripture, who often rudely or mockingly deal with the young people who believe in God’s precious Word. Scientifically it might sound very good, but the main thing is missing—Jesus is dead.

But the outcome is and will be different. Every time the keepers become as dead men when the heavenly powers are felt and seen, just as it was on the morning of the resurrection. God’s people may be despised and persecuted, but they will persevere and overcome. Do you know why? It is because Christ is risen; He lives and gives life to them. So often the Lord has rolled the stone away, even while they are still sighing as to how it shall be rolled away. The problem is not the heaviness of the stone; decisive is the great strength of Him Who is behind the stone.

An artist once made a drawing of the stone before the sepulchre, showing the devil nearby, leering at the stone. In his eyes the expression was portrayed, “I, Satan, do not trust it.” Satan had reasons to be afraid, because Christ would fulfil everything; He had the power to take life again. The stone is rolled away by the messenger of the Lord Himself, giving the highest honor to the Son, Who has shown Himself to be a perfect Savior. This heavenly glory is opposed by the worldly powers. No doubt the soldiers were glad because the new day had come, but suddenly they became as dead men.

And why? These soldiers had seen so much of this world; they had fought in dangerous battles. But now they are frightened by the earthquake, by the light which shines around them, and by the heavenly figures which they see, whose countenance is as the lightning and their raiment white as snow. These don’t concern themselves about the guard, but open the sepulchre. The messengers of the living God do not ask if it is permissable to break the seal of the Roman Ceasar, but do so. When the soldiers come to themselves, they flee. They do not bow, but they flee away.

Do not think that we can escape the wrath of God, even though many may try it. The end will be indescribable—eternal death, without any change possible. This heavenly glory which filled the garden of Joseph when the angels descended and Christ arose from the dead frightens the enemy, but it is a comfort for the disciples when they might view it with an eye of faith. Thus we have tried to explain the heavenly glory which is opposed by the worldly powers, but they cannot exist before the Lord. It was so in former days, and it is also the same today.

We left the women travelling on their way to the garden of Joseph. They do not know of the events which have taken place, and it is full of affliction and sorrow that they arrive at the entrance of the garden. To their astonishment the sepulchre is open and the stone is rolled away. But they are so in the power of unbelief that they do not see any reason to rejoice. One of them, Mary Magdalene, returns to Jerusalem in haste to tell Peter and John that the body of the Lord has been stolen. The other women go further, perhaps hesitatingly, and come to the grave, where an angel of the Lord speaks to them about the resurrection of the Lord.

At this moment the need is so great that they are nearly in despair, but now the Lord gives deliverance and will encourage them. The heavenly messenger enlightens the sepulchre which was left by Christ, and brings the good tiding for these deeply afflicted women. It is a heavenly message, brought to them without any introduction. The stone is rolled away, which, according to God’s justice, is a declaration that Christ is lawfully released from the prison of death. But it is also a public announcement of the justification of the church. The open grave tells us that the Father is perfectly satisfied in the work of Christ. He died for the sin of His church and is risen to our justification. O concerned women, the open grave is the receipt that your debt is paid! Therefore set your spices aside, because all your works are excluded. He has fulfilled everything to your salvation.

We need faith and the exercise of faith to receive these gifts. Great is the privilege of which is spoken on Easter, but we need faith to have the profit of it. We must be converted, which the Lord works by Word and Spirit. Because Christ has overcome, it is now possible that sinners who are dead in sin and in trespasses can be called to life. This means there is still hope for the unconverted that the Lord will perform a miracle in their life. Ask the Lord to do it out of free and sovereign grace also in our midst.

When the Lord gives further instruction to His children and they may come to the sepulchre, they will understand the great surprise which awaited the women. Nothing is more surprising than, being in holy despair about our spiritual life, we may hear of the living Christ. What are the needs of that people? The closer they may come to the end of their works and their life, the greater the hindrances become—so much sin, to have sinned so long, the failure of all the reformations, the promises are not fulfilled, the corruption is so great, the accuser of the brethren spits out his devilish poison, the curse of the law comes against them. In this way Satan tries to keep them away from the knowledge of Christ’s victory.

What can I do? Nothing! because everything is done by the Lord. The stone is rolled away, the Lord is risen indeed. This the Lord will reveal at His time. We are of course bound to the means of grace which He has given, but He gives the benefits freely to His church. Inexpressible is the sweetness when the Lord reveals in the heart of His church that Christ is the Victor and when in Him we may taste something of the victory over the three-headed enemy. He is made to them wisdom, justificaton, sanctification and deliverance. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Who can describe the blessed change that came in their life? The Lord lives! The people who returned from Babylon said it was as if they dreamed, and thus it is with the church. No, it is not a dream, but it is reality. Christ is the victor over hell, death and sin. He has risen in His own strength; He is raised by the Father and separated from destruction by the Holy Spirit. It is the work of a Triune God.

May the Lord give that this good tiding be applied in our midst for an afflicted people. “And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead.”

Sioux Center

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen