Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion (31 page)

Can you imagine how flustered these women must have been as they tried to tell the apostles what they had seen and heard that morning? Luke 24:11 says, “And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.” The words “idle tales” are from the Greek word
leros
, which means
nonsense, idle talk, babble,
or
delirium
. In other words, the women’s presentation of the Gospel probably wasn’t extremely clear, but it stirred enough interest in Peter and John to make them get up and go find out for themselves about Jesus!

When we’ve had a supernatural encounter with the Lord, it isn’t always easy to put that experience into words. This is a frustration all of us who know the Lord have felt at one time or another. However, we can’t let that keep us from spreading the good news of what Jesus Christ has done in our lives. We should never forget that although these women seemed to be babbling and speaking nonsense, their words were all that was needed to spark an interest in those men and compel them to get up and go find out about Jesus themselves.

The women’s presentation of the Gospel probably wasn’t extremely clear, but it stirred enough interest in Peter and John to make them get up and go find out for themselves about Jesus!

As you share Jesus Christ with your family and friends, it is your job to “give it your best shot.” Tell the Good News the best way you know how! But don’t overlook the fact that the Holy Spirit is also speaking to their hearts at the same time you are speaking to their ears. The Spirit of God will use you and your witness to stir hunger deep in their hearts. But long after you are finished talking, God will still be dealing with them. And when they come to Jesus, they won’t remember if you sounded confusing the day you presented the Gospel to them. They will be thankful that you loved them enough to care for their souls!

So get up and get going! Open your mouth, and start telling the Good News that Jesus Christ is alive and well!

The resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith. Jesus Christ who was dead is now alive forevermore (Revelation 1:18). The One who conquered death, hell, and the grave is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding right now for you and for all that concerns you. Think about that!

Just as the earth quaked when its Creator died on the Cross, the earth exploded with exultation when Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory of God the Father. Now creation is waiting for you to walk in the reality of the victory Jesus purchased for you with His own blood. Consider the significance of that truth in light of the choices you make on a daily basis.

The most determined efforts of men under demonic influence could not prevent the power of God from restoring Jesus to life.

What is the greatest obstacle or difficulty in your life? If you are born again, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. Think about what that divine power could do for you if you’d allow the Holy Spirit to have access to the “dead” situations in your life.

Chapter 31:
An Empty Tomb

By the time the women reached the apostles, they must have sounded very
confused
! On one hand, the women reported that the angels said Jesus was alive from the dead. On the other hand, they were confused and operating in fear, so they exclaimed, “…They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him” (John 20:2).

Fear always produces confusion, and these women were so confused that the apostles didn’t take what they said seriously. Luke 24:11 says, “And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.” As we saw earlier, the words “idle tales” are from the Greek word
leros,
which means
nonsense, idle talk, babble
, or
delirium
. Who did these women think removed Jesus from the tomb? Which story was true? Was He resurrected and alive as the women first told the apostles, or was He stolen away?

John 20:3,4 says, “Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple [John] did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.” When the Bible says Peter and John “went forth,” the Greek tense indicates that their feet were moving before the conversation with the women concluded. When they heard that something had happened at the tomb, both men were on the move to get there as quickly as possible.

We also know from John 20:11 that Mary Magdalene soon followed Peter and John back to the tomb, for she was present at the site and remained there after Peter and John returned to the apostles.

I find it interesting that when Peter and John raced to the tomb to see whatever it was that the women were trying to communicate to them, none of the other apostles joined them. The others apparently just sat and watched Peter and John put on their clothes and start running, but they didn’t join the two men. Instead, the rest of the apostles probably stayed behind to discuss what they had heard and to debate about what it meant.

Because Peter and John ran to the garden, they experienced something the other apostles missed by staying home.
It is simply a fact that if you want to experience Jesus Christ and His power, you must get up from where you are and start moving in His direction.

John outran Peter to the garden where the tomb was located. As soon as John arrived, John 20:5 tells us, “And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.” The Greek word for “stooping down” is
parakupto
. It means
to peer into; to peep into; to bend low to take a closer look;
or
to stoop down to see something better.

It is simply a fact that if you want to experience Jesus Christ and His power, you must get up from where you are and start moving in His direction.

John bent down so he could take a close peek into the tomb, and he “…saw the linen clothes lying….” The word “saw” is the Greek word
blepo,
which means
to see
. It was just enough of a
glance
to see the linen clothes lying there. The words “linen clothes” is the same identical word used in John 19:40 when referring to the expensive Egyptian-made garment in which Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had buried Jesus (the Greek word
othonion
;
see
Chapter 28). If Jesus had been stolen, whoever took Him would have taken this expensive garment as well, but John saw that these linen clothes had been left lying in the tomb.

Graves were a place of respect for the Jews, which may explain the reason John was hesitant to enter the tomb. It is also quite possible that he observed the broken seals and realized that it looked like an unlawful entry had occurred. Perhaps he was thinking twice before he found himself connected to an alleged potential crime scene. Regardless of why John hesitated, the Bible tells us that Peter did
not
hesitate but promptly barged right into the tomb to check it out for himself: “Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself” (John 20:6,7).

John only glanced into the interior of the tomb, but the above verse says Peter went into the sepulcher and “…seeth the linen clothes lie.” The word “seeth” is the Greek word
theaomai,
from which we get our word
theater
. It means
to fully see
or
fully observe
, like a patron who carefully watches every act of a play at the theater.

When Peter entered that tomb, he surveyed it like a professional surveyor. He looked over every nook and cranny, paying special attention to the linen clothes and the way they were left there. He saw “…the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.” The word “napkin” is
soudarion,
and it refers to
a napkin that could be used for wiping perspiration from one’s face
. This word was also used in connection with
a burial cloth that was gently placed upon the face of the dead at burial.

When Lazarus came out of the tomb, Jesus instructed that Lazarus’ grave clothes be removed along with the
soudarion
, or napkin, from his face (John 11:44). Apparently Jesus’ entire body was wrapped in a large white linen sheet, but His face was covered with such a napkin in traditional Jewish burial style.

The most fascinating fact about this facial cloth was that it was “…wrapped together in a place by itself.” The word “wrapped” is the Greek word
entulisso
, which means
to neatly fold; to nicely arrange
; or
to arrange in an orderly fashion.
The reason this word is so interesting is that it tells us Jesus was calm and completely in control of His faculties when He was raised from the dead. He removed the expensive Egyptian-made burial cloth from His body, sat upright, and then removed the burial napkin from His face. Sitting in that upright position, He neatly folded the burial cloth and gently laid it down to one side, separate from the linen clothes He probably laid down on His other side. Now as Peter gazed at the scene inside the tomb, he could see the empty spot where Jesus had sat between these two pieces of burial clothing after He was raised from the dead.