Happy Saturday! There’s a show on one of the Hispanic networks, Univision, called Sabado Gigante. That literally translates into ‘Giant Saturday’. We cancelled our cable years ago before we left for Hawaii and that show was always on Saturday nights and I would always see it as I flipped through the few stations we had. On Saturdays I would always make a grand announcement to Margie that today was Sabado Gigante!! Now I always think of that. The show is still on by the way. It’s a crazy mix up of games, singers etc. I have no idea why I’m writing about this. I guess just because its Saturday and today is…..SABADO GIGANTE!!!
I wrapped up my job training today and we ended with strategic planning for the next 90 days. I’m so excited for this new adventure that lies before me, God has really provided a job that’s a great fit for me. Its so important to fit your personality and giftings into what you do for a living and what better way to find this kind of job than to let God bring it to you!
I realized that when the new job started I would have to adapt my 5MC to fit my new schedule. I‘m fully aware that obstacles and hurdles will crop up to try and keep me from it. The last few days I’ve made it a priority to keep my reading in the mornings and then fit in writing at night. I’m a firm believer that you should do everything possible to read God’s Word in the mornings. The day is going to fill your head full of something quickly, that you can rely on. I believe you should fill it with God’s Word before it gets filled with CNN, email, Facebook, Fox News or water cooler talk at work.
This morning I experienced John chapter 20. There’s probably no bigger shift in gears than when the gospels go from Jesus’ death in one chapter to the resurrection in the next. That’s what I did from yesterday to today. As they say, what a difference a day can make!
If you really want to sum up the Christian faith in just a few words I would pick 3. HE IS RISEN! Chapter 20 today is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His appearing to His disciples. As much as reading about the death of Jesus is hard for me, reading about Jesus rising and walking out of that tomb makes my heart sing. It’s the picture of God’s love and what He’s willing to do so that you and I can spend eternity with Him. That’s the kind of Love our God is capable of, that’s how far our God is willing to go for us.
As I dig through the story there’s a few details that reach out to me this morning. It actually reaches back to yesterday when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (both believers & prominent men) asked permission from Pilate to retrieve Jesus’ body for burial. Joseph had a tomb that was reserved for himself, but He was moved enough to give it to Jesus.
Let’s look closer at how they actually prepared the body of Jesus because it’s important to the story. It was the custom of the day to wrap a deceased body in cloth and apply a mixture of spices. Verse 19:39-40 tells us that “they brought linen cloths and 75 pounds of Myrrh and aloe.” By the way, it was customary to use about half the body weight in spices so considering the weight of the spices was 75 pounds, that would mean Jesus weighed about 150lbs. They would first prepare a mixture of the aloe, Myrrh and spices into a sort of paste and then rub it onto the body. Next, they would wrap the body tightly in the linen cloths. When the cloths combined with the aloe paste and dried it made a sort of glue to seal the body from the air. They would start with a finger and wrap it, then the other fingers, then the hand, the arm and then onto the whole body. Jesus would have been completely wrapped, very tightly wrapped, like a mummy.
Lets move on to John 20:5-7. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb first & saw that the tomb was open, got worried and ran to go tell the disciples. John and Peter came running. John was much younger than Peter and outran him. (isn’t it awesome how specific God’s Word is? I also have to chuckle that this little fact of how fast John was made it into the book that he wrote!) When John got there first he didn’t go in, but he did look in. What did He see? “He saw the linen cloths lying there.” As Peter came up huffing and puffing He walked right into the tomb and what did he see? “He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the cloths but folded up in a place by itself.”
Now at this moment Jesus was no where to be found but all of the cloths are lying on the ground. Now think back to how these cloths were applied. It makes me think back to one of the games we played with the youth back in Maui. We got tons of ‘Saran Wrap’, busted the kids into 2 groups and then let the kids from one group wrap one kid from the other group. The goal? To see who could get out of the plastic wrap the quickest. Of course the teams made sure the other team’s player was VERY WELL wrapped. It was so funny! They wrapped these kids up so well, used so much wrap & did it so tightly, that they could hardly even move much less get loose. And because they had wrapped their hands and arms so close to their body they couldn’t use them to help themselves get loose. Now think back to the cloths on the floor. How did they get there?
Now remember, #1 the tomb was closed by a huge stone, guarded by Roman soldiers and also sealed by Pilate’s own signet ring for added security. No one got in. In fact, probably never in history has a dead body been so well protected! #2 Jesus was naturally in the tomb by himself, no one else was in there and no one could get in. So how did Jesus get out of the cloths?
There were 3 angels on the scene that day, one outside the tomb that spoke to Mary (the mother of James & Joses) and 2 inside the tomb that spoke to Mary Magdalene. John 20:11 tells us that when Mary Magdalene looked in “she saw 2 angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the foot. I’d like to think that those angels were there to take care of and minister to the Lord Jesus Christ as God raised Him from the dead. Raised Him to forever triumph over the death of sin. One at the head, carefully and lovingly unwrapping the cloths and one at the feet unwinding the cloths slowly and singing praises to God. Of course, Jesus is God and could have just stepped out of those cloths!
What a beautiful picture of rebirth, regeneration and resurrection. The burial cloths are on the floor, shirked off for new life. Because of this picture of the cloths lying on the floor we can have life. Eternal life with God.
My friends, this is the single most amazing event that has ever taken place. If not for this one single event we would all be doomed to eternal separation from God because of our sin. This one single event can bring us into the presence of God if we simply accept that we’re sinners and the cloths on the floor of that tomb were there for you and me. Jesus conquered death to offer us life.
I’m so thankful for those cloths. Those simple linen cloths that were lying on the floor of that tomb mean everything to me. He is Risen.
Peace be with you.
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