Living the Christian Life Magazine
He Saw, He Believed
“Peter peering into the sepulcher saw the linen clothes and especially that the cloth which had covered the face of the dead was wrapped together in a place by itself. Then John also went in; he saw and believed” (John 20: 1-10)
It was evident to them both that the tomb had not been rifled, nor the body stolen or friends removed the body, for they would have not undone the grave clothes to remove the body. The convincing evidence of the resurrection was the incontestable fact that the grave clothes were undisturbed, having merely slumped together when they evacuated by the body of the Risen Lord. The body simply came out of the grave clothes and what remained in its place were the bound grave clothes laying there undisturbed.
Notice in the account of Lazarus’s resurrection Jesus commanded him to come forth and be loosed of the bound clothes; they would have to have been unraveled off the body for it to be free and placed in a disorderly clump on the floor (John Ch 11)
Notice again John Ch 20 11-12 “But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she *saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying” That says to us the fact that the body simply passed through the grave clothes.
The tomb on that Sunday morning, as the disciples looked anxiously in to the sepulcher was a scene of order and calm because Jesus had merely passed through His grave clothes. He left a scene of peace so that all those who look in and believe might have peace in their hearts that He is alive and well. That is the kind of peace that Jesus alone can give, He says John 14:27
“Peace I leave you, my peace I give you unto you; not as the world giveth, give you I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.”
The empty cocoon of grave clothes preached a powerful message and a vivid story of the risen Savior. Those garments lying there in that fashion proclaimed to the world that everything Jesus Christ had claimed, everything He had preached, everything He had promised was true!
The Scriptures remind us that Jesus should become the source of life to men, that they might know the Truth, and be able to walk in the Way; and more especially since death had infected and exhausted all the springs of the world’s vitality.
The Son of God brought life from the eternal Throne, from God Himself; and had become a Life-giving Spirit. He Himself is the Resurrection and the Life. If the resurrection of Jesus did not occur then our salvation is in vain, we have no power to live the Christian life. In fact Paul goes on to say in 1Cor Ch 15 that if Christ did not rise from the dead then the Christian faith is a lie and our hope is only for this life only.
Every one of Jesus’ Disciples, with the exception of John, died for preaching the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Men do not die for something they know to be a lie!, they all, without exception, went to their graves proclaiming the fact of a risen Lord!
All those who believe in Him become partakers of the Divine nature. The tree of life once more is planted on earth’s soil, when Jesus became incarnate “I give eternal life unto my sheep He said, “and they shall never perish” “ He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life”