Day 282, or October the 9th. Don't argue with
the hard facts. Our thoughts today come from
Matthew chapter 28, verse 6. He is not here.
He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the
place where he lay. And now the big picture surrounding
this verse. The final actions now take place
as Jesus is inevitably sentenced to death and
Barabbas is freed. It's interesting to note that
Jesus is the Son of God, and at the same time,
the name Barabbas means Son of the Father. Jesus
is scourged, crucified and buried before the
beginning of Sabbath. On Sunday, visitors to
the tomb find it empty, and the rest, as they
say, is history. That first Sunday truly was
the first Lord's Day, and for many that has remained
its name ever since. And now today's action step.
The fact that Christ is risen is the crux of
the whole gospel, and a totally outlandish lie
if Jesus did not rise from the dead. It was not
wishful thinking from his followers, because
they obviously fear the worst, and their world
has already caved in, as they are riddled with
doubt even when they see him alive in Galilee.
All except John would die untimely deaths, most
of them in great agony, and yet none of them
broke the silence of a plot that pretended Jesus
was still alive, because there was no plot, and
he is still alive. Tombs in the days of Jesus
were not made with an escape passage, like in
ancient Egypt, where there was a tunnel that
the workers used to leave after everything had
been put in place for their beloved Pharaoh.
Jesus was buried in a solid tomb, with one entrance
that was the exit to. Sealed with a stone that
could not be moved unless you happened to have
a small army of volunteers. And even then, you
couldn't do it without breaking the seals that
were extra security against potential grave robbers.
The first part of today's text is used to great
effect on a board fixed to the security door
in the garden tomb in Jerusalem today. Hard evidence.
that demands some thought from everyone.