Letter for May 1987

Dear Friends,

When the Apostle Peter and the other disciple, who we understand to be John, ran to the tomb on the first Easter morning and looked in, we read of John in John 20:8 that after he had gone into the tomb and seen the folded grave clothes, "he saw and believed”.

We are not told what he believed, and although we can appreciate from the story what he saw, yet even the phrase "he saw” seems to hold more meaning than that he simply saw the grave clothes and the empty tomb.

What was it that John saw and believed? We can say without contradiction that he saw and believed something concerning Jesus. Verse 9, which is put in parenthesis in our Bibles confuses the issue, because it tells us that there was still lack of understanding amongst the disciples concerning what the Old Testament taught about the fact that Jesus had to rise.

Undoubtedly John, even though he failed to see that the Old Testament taught Jesus had to rise, at this moment believed Jesus had risen. The impact of the tomb and the folded grave clothes combined to convince him that there was no other valid explanation for these facts.

What did John see arid believe? he saw that Jesus was alive and he believed he had risen from the dead; but there was more to his seeing and believing. What dawned on his soul was the wonderful glory of the person of Jesus.

John had lived in Jesus' company for three years. He was more intimate with Jesus than any other of the disciples. He had lain his head on Jesus breast at supper. He had seen his miracles and heard his teaching. He had noted the purity ­of his life. All this had combined to give him a sense of the uniqueness of Jesus. John realised that Jesus was more­ than merely man for he had felt something of his deity, and thus called him Lord. He had seen Jesus transfigured with heavenly glory and this had confirmed all this.

However this had fallen short in believing. The true glory of the person of Jesus had not dawned on him and after the crucifixion most, if not alI, of his apprehension of Jesus' glory, was reduced.

Now the revelation dawned with power on his soul. Jesus was his God. All those days before he died he, John, had been walking and communing with his God and creator. The words he had listened to had been the words of God. The acts he had seen had been the acts of God.

He saw the divine glory and the divine reality of Jesus at that moment inside the empty tomb, and wonder and adoration filled his heart. 'You are my God' was the inner cry of his soul. The title Lord took on a fuller and deeper meaning.

This same appreciation of the glory of the person of Jesus came to Thomas later when Jesus visited him. Thomas said ‘My Lord and my God”.

Here is the heart of the blessing of Easter. ­In the resurrection we see the glory of the person of Jesus. He is both Lord and God, and all else follows from this great fact, both eternal blessing and great joy.

Your servant for Christ’s sake.