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THE RESURRECTION

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THE RESURRECTION

15 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

“And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him. (Matthew 28:9)

The little band of Jesus-seeking women who left their homes early on the Sunday morning after Jesus’ death and burial experienced at least four things before they left the sepulchre: (1) many fears in seeking for a dead Jesus, (2) much sorrow in finding a missing Jesus, (3) great surprise in hearing of a risen Jesus, and (4) deep joy in being assured of a living Jesus. When the Holy Spirit accompanied the words of the angel with power and they did see the resurrection-fact with their own eyes, they were so full of joy that they hardly realized at that moment that they did not yet have a personal meeting with their beloved Master. They were encouraged about Him, but they did not yet have an encounter with Him.

To talk about Jesus (even from experience) and to be with Him are two different things, and God’s people have to be taught that difference by the Holy Spirit. When that Spirit reveals something of the fullness of Christ in their hearts and shows them a living Jesus, then they talk, yes, they cannot but talk of Him. But now to be with Him — that is something they are yet missing, even if they do not realize it at the time.

So it was now with these women. They saw the empty grave, they heard the angel’s voice, his words were applied with power to their hearts, and “as they went” I think they talked about nothing else with each other than Jesus. They had a communion with one another “as they went” — communion in talking about a missing Person, and still it was with them as it was with the men of Emmaus: “But Him they saw not.”

So it is still today with God’s people. When they may talk together of Him — even of their missing Him — then they can talk with each other. Then “as they go” through this life they can tolerate one another, and, like the women, they shall never say one bad thing about Him.

But how little of such communion and conversation is heard today. It is true, there is much talk about persons not present, but most of the time with two differences. (1) The missing person is not Jesus. It is a sinful human being, a fallen son or daughter of Adam. “Yes,” but you will say, “is that necessarily wrong? Is it wrong if I talk about God’s people or about ministers or elders or religious things?” These women answer your question. Were they talking about Peter or James or John? Were they measuring the one over against the other, trying to bring out their good points and their bad points, as they went to tell the disciples that the “Lord is risen indeed”? Oh what a sad sign in our day that there is more talk about man than God, officebearers than Christ, and doctrine than experience. (2) And then most of the time the talk is critical. Parents in front of their children, church members with each other, yes, even God’s people with one another are sometimes talking with and to one another in a totally unedifying and sinful manner about others.

When it is right inside, then we all have more than enough to criticize in our own hearts. There is no end to it: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?”

Most of the time our conversation is all backwards. It is like Adam’s — first God gets the blame, then another, and finally a little of our self. “The woman, whom Thou gavest to be with me, sue gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” We accept only as much as we are forced to admit by nature.

Are we not all guilty? How does your daily talk compare with the womens’ as they left the sepulchre of Jesus? Is it of that only Person who is worthy to be spoken of?

There is so little right talk because there is so little right experience and so little right need. Most of the time “as we go” (even after we have received grace) it is all full of sin. Oh how far short God’s people today come from Paul’s daily life by grace, “for our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” and from his personal vow to the Corinthians, “for I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

But there was more than joy and communion for these women as they went — there was also fear: “And they departed from the sepulchre quickly with fear and great joy.” Why fear? If their joy was so great how could fear be mixed in with it? Why wasn’t the fear completely taken away?

Because it was the angel who had said, “Fear not ye”, and not yet Jesus Himself. When Joseph’s steward told his brothers “fear not” it may have encouraged them, but it did not take away their fear. That could only be done by Joseph himself.

Such is now the relationship between the Greater Joseph and the souls of His elect. There are times when they may be encouraged by this sermon, or by that word, or a certain text, or by an old writer and it may all be of and from Jesus, but it is not Jesus Himself speaking with His own mouth to their soul, “Fear not ye, for I am Thy salvation.” Their encouragements are of a passing nature, supporting them only as long as the fruit of it is visible in their life, but their personal meetings with Jesus are more of an abiding nature, supporting them in times of darkness and weakness.

This abiding nature is what these women yet missed, but this is what Jesus came to fulfill: “As they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them.” There, on the road between an empty sepulchre and a room with locked doors filled with discouraged disciples, it became Easter after Easter for these needy women. And the Holy Spirit tells us how it became Easter for these women in only three words: “Jesus met them.”

But that is now everything — “Jesus met them.” That is the gospel message of free and sovereign grace to poor and needy sinners: “Jesus met them.” The Bible does not say “they met Jesus”. No, but the emphasis is on Jesus. He is the First. He is the Center. He is the Last. He is the All-in-all. “Jesus met them.” If He did not meet them they would never have met Him.

“Jesus met them” — oh, surprising, sudden, glorious meeting! Then it does not matter what time of the year it is, whether it be night or day, whether it is in church or at work, or in the car or on our knees — but then it is always unforgettable, always a turning point in the life of that people, always a time when a true God-given need has first been wrought within, and therefore always worthy of the preface ‘behold’: “Behold, Jesus met them.”

“Behold, Jesus met them.” That is the hope, the life, the joy, the strength, the foundation of the living church — to meet Jesus. That is the desire, more or less, of that people every time they step inside of a church, “Oh, that I might meet the Lord today in His house.”

Do you also know something of it personally? Do you know something of it experimentally — the meeting of a White Bridegroom and a black sinner?

These blessed travelers were not met by a dead Jesus, but by a living Jesus. They were not met by a humiliated Jesus stained with blood, but by an exalted Jesus, shining forth in His Divinity and majesty with a look of heavenly love.

“Jesus met them” — that is something those women never expected. They feared they would never see Him again, and, what is more, the Lord was right and just to carry out their fears. But “He will fulfill the desire of the needy.” Therefore, waiting people, follow the advice of David, “Wait on the Lord, yea, wait I say on the Lord.” “He will surely come, He will not tarry.” He will be a surprising God — not to a possessing people, but to a missing people — and when He comes He brings His benefits, His fulness, yes, everything along with Him.

Now the Promise and the Promiser Himself stood together in one Person before them, and He opened His blessed mouth saying, “All hail.” “All hail” was a common Eastern greeting which meant “be well, be glad, peace be to you, or all health (spiritual and natural) be unto you.” In its broadest sense it included all the blessings of salvation.

On the one hand, it was such a common greeting of Jesus that it was as if He had never left, but on the other hand it then had a special value, for now He spoke it as “the Resurrection and the Life.” In His humiliation He was the true Meritor of “All hail” but in His exaltation He is the Applier of it.

In the original language it is only one word: peace, salvation, health. But what a word for those women — a word sufficient for time and eternity. A word in which it was as if they heard the voice of their Beloved speaking personally to their own heart: “I am thy salvation”.

That one word was more than a sermon for those women. It was inexpressible in depth, in height, and in breadth. With one word all their remaining fears vanished. With one word Satan disappeared, freedom was granted, conscience no longer accused, and the peace that passes all understanding — the peace of Jesus Himself — was applied to their hearts. “Speak but a word and thy servant shall be healed” became reality. No one word could have been richer, for that word spoke peace and reconciliation.

In its deepest sense this one word of Jesus contained salvation itself. To truly say “fare well” or “be well” is not in the power of man. Man can only wish one another well, but Jesus can make it well and keep it well. His making it well for His people He did on Calvary’s cross, and His keeping it well He performs by interceding for them at the right hand of His Father. His making it well points to justification and His keeping it well covers their sanctification. He is both for His people. For them it is an eternal “all hail” for it is in His hands. Their whole case rests with Him at the right hand of the Father. “To that blessed right hand,” our forefathers rightly wrote in the form for the Lord’s Supper, “all the articles of our faith lead us.”

Did you ever hear His voice. Need His peace? Or, have you always been content with the poor greetings of this poor world?

When God comes to His people they may come to Him. “And they came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him.” It can be no different — drawn irresistably they cannot stay back. Nor can they now speak. The joy, the peace, the communion was too great for words. Do you also know what that is — not every day, but once, maybe twice in your life — speechless because He appeared and spoke to such a one as I am?

“And they came” — came to a better place than the empty grave. There it was an empty grave, here it was a full Christ. There it was only messengers of Christ, here it was the Messiah in Person. There it was only graveclothes, here it was the living Robe of righteousness.

Now they came, first understanding what they never saw before — the necessity of His death. Now they were allowed to embrace a loving Jesus by faith as One dying for their sins and raised for their justification, so that with the embracing of Him they also embraced their discharge of guilt and their passport for heaven. For their own consciousness they were brought into and under the Ark of salvation, Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

“They held His feet”. And why His feet? Because great grace humbles. “He must increase and I must decrease.” Their holding pointed to their increase of love for Him, and their holding His feet pointed to their self decreasing. They could not come low enough. That is always the fruit of His application.

They held His feet because it was nothing of them and all of Jesus. It was Jesus who came and Jesus who applied. Upon that application they may then have freedom to appropriate and embrace. It is no different today: if heaven applies then God’s people have freedom to accept Christ on earth because He has accepted them. But today we hear a different language: “We must bring ourselves to Jesus’ feet. We have no need to wait for His application. We must do it.”

The church that begins to skip over the necessity of application and jumps from meriting to appropriation places salvation in the hands of man. Under such a gospel Christians become sanctified Christians in their own eyes. They increase instead of Christ. But blessed are they who learn by experience: “Christ is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption”.

These women met Him as Jesus — that was Easter, but they also held Him — that is heaven: holding Him by Divinely-given embracement as the Peace-maker and the Peace-keeper with nothing in between the Lord and them. Are you jealous of them?

No wonder they would not let Him go: “and they worshipped Him”. That too is heaven’s work. Now it was no form worship, no hypocrisy, no two-facedness, no ending in self, but now it was ending in a triune God — worshipping God in Spirit and in truth.

“They worshipped Him.” Just like small children who use their own parents’ money to buy their father or mother a gift, so God’s people give back in thanksgiving the very gifts that the Lord grants unto them. Yes, they desire to give it all back to the Lord — not only because He is so worthy of it, but also before they spoil it all with sin-stained hands. Yes, they look forward with desire and faith at such moments to an uninterrupted worship one day where they may cast all crowns at His feet, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.”

Do you know something of that true worship of the Lord? Can it also be said concerning moments in your life: “I have worshipped Him”?

Easter is past, but has there been any real Easter worship? Has the resurrection of the Savior been made of value to us? Has there ever been made room for Him in our souls? Pilate said, “What shall I do with Jesus”, but the Lord also asks each of us, “What do you do with Jesus?” Oh friends, with all the messages that we have heard about a dying, resurrecting, and living Lord and all that we have read concerning Him, is He still a dead Jesus for us? Is our religion more spices than Him? Or do we try to make ends meet with a stolen Jesus?

Can we live without the only Name given among men under heaven whereby we must be saved? Has it every been our cry in Spirit and in truth becuase of the impossibility and the necessity of salvation: “Give me Jesus, else I die”? Is He a longed-for Savior in your life? Oh, that He may yet bring us to an end of self, of spices, of our own righteousness, and of the law to find salvation outside of ourselves in Him alone before it is forever too late.

Blessed are they for whom the empty grave is not enough — who need Christ Himself to save them from the mighty stream of foul transgression that prevails from day to day. One day all who have been made true seekers by grace shall be brought to where He is, to be with Him forever. Sin, Satan, world, and above all, self, shall no more stand in the way. In heaven He shall be the Center-piece and in Him a triune God, and all those gathered round about Him (an ever-present Jesus and no longer a coming-going Jesus) shall then cry out, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”

Then it shall be eternally fulfilled as it never was here below: “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and. behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen.”

Faith is a plant which grows always in moist soil; in a weeping eye, and a broken heart.

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THE RESURRECTION

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The Banner of Truth | 20 Pagina's