Tag: Empty Tomb

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, Easter, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word

So – Now What?

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Today’s Reading is Philippians 2:1-8. It’s a longer but perfect passage to answer our question – The Tomb is empty, so now what?

 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God,   he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Philippians 2:1-8

Many of Paul’s writings hold answers to the question that I posed the day after Easter – “the tomb is empty, now what?” However, perhaps none so clearly answer it as Philippians chapter 2, which we will look at today and tomorrow.

Paul poses His own questions at the opening of the chapter that opens the door way for him to teach them what it means to live the Christian life. After listing many “dos and don’ts” like live in unity, be tender and compassionate, don’t be selfish, or a show-off, but be humble and think of others, not just yourselves. Paul makes sure they truly understand what he’s saying by using Christ as their example. He didn’t just tell them to have the same attitude of Christ, but took all personal interpretation out of the mix by listing exactly what that attitude entailed.

Jesus didn’t hold out His “God card” and wait for everyone to serve Him. Instead, He…

  • left Heaven for the purpose of saving the world
  • took on the human flesh and dwelt among men
  • humbly submitted to God’s authority
  • died a death meant for the guilt of a criminal

The tomb being empty wasn’t the end of Jesus’ legacy of faith. He wasn’t meant to only reach just those early disciples, but to continually be a way for ‘the world’ to come to God through Him. Now that the tomb was empty, the work was left to His followers. Their job was to take His message to the world – and in large part by the way they lived. Consider some of Jesus’s own commands/teachings, such as John 13:34 and Mark 12:29-31, where He emphasized love.

So now I am giving you a new command, love each other. Just as I have loved you you should love each other.

John 13:34

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Mark 12:29-31

Jesus had told them these things because He knew the tomb would be empty. He knew one day He would no longer be with them on the earth, so He prepared them for after the empty tomb – by showing them and telling them how to live.

  • Love others
  • Love God
  • Spread the Gospel
  • Make the Father known

Paul summed it up nicely in Colossians 3:17 by telling them that whatever they did or said, they should do it as representatives of Jesus – and this, my friends, is perhaps the overall best answer to our question – “the tomb is empty, so now what?”

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:17

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Quiet Time, She, Volume 2

Mary Magdalene

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Adapted from the study, She Volume 2, pp41-44

Read: Mark 16:1-15 and John 20:1-18

SHE WATCHED HIM DIE ON THE CROSS.
SHE SAW HIS BODY BURIED INSIDE THE TOMB.
SHE WAS THE FIRST TO SEE JESUS AFTER HE HAD RISEN.

SHE, VOLUME 2, P41

Mary Magdalene is the Mary from whom Jesus cast out seven devils (Mark 16:9), and according to Mark’s gospel (16:9), she was the first to see Jesus after He arose from the grave. Her master and teacher, whom she had seen brutally tortured and crucified, was no longer in the grave but standing behind her calling her name (John 20:16). She had seen HIm, but had mistaken Him for the gardener (Jn 20:15), until He said her name: Jesus saith unto her, “Mary,” and she immediately turned and called Him Master.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 

John 20:16

I love that the study guide for this journey points out that “He knew her name, just as He knows ours,” but I am just as moved and somewhat convicted by the evidence that even though she did not recognize Him when she saw Him, when He called to her, she recognized His voice. “Knowing the Lord’s voice indicates experiential knowledge through a relationship with Him.”1 This is an important lesson Jesus had taught the disciples earlier in His ministry. May we never be so busy or preoccupied with life that we fail to see Jesus, and may we always know His voice when He calls our name.

“…she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher..”

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him”

John 20:1-2

“Mary neglected to remember what Jesus had said would happen.”

We know from Mark’s writings that Jesus had taught His disciples that men would take Him and kill Him, but that He would rise again on the third day (Mark 9:31). However, when she found the tomb was empty, she forgot what had been said and panicked she found the tomb was empty. In her panic, rather than running with the jubilant cry that Christ had arisen, Mary Magdalene ran to tell the others His body had been stolen, and we do not know where He is.

Friends, we would be wise to learn from Mary Magdalene and not allow fear or other distractions to cause us to forget what we have heard and seen from Him.

Posted in Advent, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Lent, LGG Study, Quiet Time

“I Will Rise Again”

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based on the Love God Greatly Study, Lent – A Season of Drawing Close to God / w6d4

THE JOURNEY (SCRIPTURE AND OBSERVATION)

Scripture: Matthew 27:62-66 / SOAP: Matthew 27:66

62 The next day (which is after the day of preparation) the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give orders to secure the tomb until the third day. Otherwise his disciples may come and steal his body and say to the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “Take a guard of soldiers. Go and make it as secure as you can. 66”So they went with the soldiers of the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Matthew 27:62-66 NET

As I was reading this passage, it struck me a that Jesus wasted no words, in this case, “After three days I will rise again.” The words were shocking and memorable for sure but the fact that Jesus’ statement was remembered by the Pharisees and chief priests led to the sealing of the tomb. The sealing of the tomb gave credit to the fact that Christ did indeed rise up from that grave – just as He said He would.

My friends at Love God Greatly noticed the same thing and wrote a wonderful devotion about what I believe will be both enlightening and encouraging to your Easter celebration.

Very little is recorded about the Saturday between Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was a Sabbath day, so very little happened. There was no work, and people could not even travel far from their homes. The disciples may have stayed hidden, trying to process the events of the previous day and figure out what to do next.

However, the Jewish leaders remembered Jesus’ words and His promise to rise again. Though they didn’t believe Him, they understood the power of His impact and knew His followers were loyal. They had the Roman soldiers set guards over the tomb and secured it with a large stone.

What they didn’t know was what was coming. They sealed the tomb to keep the disciples from stealing the body, but what they didn’t expect was for Jesus to rise again. While they were sealing the tomb, Jesus was sealing the salvation of those who would put their faith in Him. He died, and stayed dead for a time so that he could defeat death once and for all.

Reflecting on these events allows us to examine how we respond when God seems silent. Saturday sits between the most horrific day in history and the most glorious. But nothing happened. When our life and circumstances sit between devastation and restoration, how do we respond? It is not easy to wait patiently for redemption, but we can be sure of this: The same God who raised Jesus from the dead is always working. No matter how long it takes, may we be followers of Jesus who remain steadfast even in the darkness, uncertainty, and silence. -p. 196 of the LGG Lent Journal –

LIVING THE JOURNEY (APPLICATION)

There is much to be learned from the Pharisees and Chief Priests remembering the words of Jesus – namely that we should do the same. As was noted in the Love God Greatly devotional, they knew and understood the power of His impact. Because of this, they sought to do something about them.

Read the words and follow the teachings of Jesus –

Never lose sight of the power and the impact that the words of Jesus (and the words God inspired throughout the Scriptures) have on us and on others. For instance, remembering that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation – to everyone who believes should keep us from being ashamed to share God and His message of salvation (the hope of every man – who believes) and should encourage us to lay aside our timidness and eagerly use/share the Gospel and see God’s power at work. ( For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes... Romans 1:16)

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you remember the words and teaching of Jesus – so that you can be ready with an answer for the hope that is within you, (1 Peter 3:15). Remember, it was Jesus who said that the Holy Spirit was sent to teach us all things and to remind us of everything that Jesus taught, (John 14:26)

Speak/share the words and teachings of Jesus with others. I understand this can insight fear in us – fear that we won’t know what to say or how to say it (Remember though, God told Moses [who was afraid to speak] that He would teach him what to say, Ex 4:10-12). It can panic us because we may not remember what or where something was said- again, remember John 14:26 says that the Spirit will remind us; and in this day and age we have the beautiful tool of computerized browsers that will help us find specific verses or topics. We might also be afraid of how the other person will respond but remember the greater danger is they never hear and how can they be saved if they do not hear? (Rom 10:14-15) –

PRAYER FOR THE JOURNEY

Father, help us to be bold with Your Word. Help us to spend time in Your Word – to let the light of it shine in own lives and radiate out to others. Let us be forever alert to Your Spirit who was sent to teach us all things and to remind us of everything Jesus said. There are lost and dying people all around us and if they do not hear, if Your servants do not carry Your words to others then they will not hear and they will not be saved.

The More We Know

To live unashamed of the gospel means we …

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