Joy in the Morning

As the Sun began to rise on the day following the longest Sabbath of their life, it was time for Jesus’ followers to go and prepare the body for burial.  Because of the Sabbath very little had been done when Jesus died.  He had been wrapped and laid in a tomb with 75 pounds of spices by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea not far from Golgotha where he was crucified.  None of the others had time to be part of the burial because of the Sabbath that began at sundown.  As some of the women walked to the tomb bringing their own spices for Jesus, they wondered who would help them roll the stone out of the way so they could perform their act of love to the one they gave up all to follow.  The disciples obviously were not in a hurry to see what was left of their Rabi.  It had a been a tough three days and they had scattered in fear.  

When they came to the tomb, they found that the tomb was empty.  Assuming that Jesus’ body had been stolen she ran and found Peter and John and told them what she had seen.  They ran to the tomb and John arrived first.  He waits for Peter who walks into the tomb first. What he sees appears to just be a side note in the Scriptures yet so profound.  He sees the linen cloths lying where Jesus had been and the head covering folded and lying to the side.  Peter believed what Mary had told him and they left.  But it must have been confusing as to why the cloths were left.

People who move a dead body do not unwrap it first. They definitely do not take care about how the linens were laid.  How clear it must have become when Jesus appeared to them that evening in the upper room.  What they saw was how the linen cloths are laid when someone is raised from the dead. It all makes sense when you can see the whole picture.

There are a lot of things God does that are not understood until more is revealed.  Then those details God has left behind become reassurance of his working all along in our life.  It seems to be the end, yet the excitement was soon to begin.  God is working around you to accomplish his plan. Embrace it and trust him through it. It ends with life and life more abundant.  There may be pain for the night, but joy comes in the morning.