Today’s Thoughts – 27 September 2020
By T. S. Candee on September 27, 2020 in John Thoughts
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. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
This is such a glorious account of these two disciples, Peter and John. One would think that they would have already believed in the resurrection considering they were from Jesus’ inner circle. Jesus had talked about His resurrection many times before (John 2:19, Matthew 12:40, Matthew 26:32). Yet at the empty tomb, they believed for the first time.
Yet the faith that Peter and John had at first was material faith. They had faith based on the evidence of seeing the linen clothes emptied without a body inside. This wasn’t what changed their life. For evidence can convince the mind, but it will never change the life.
Their lives changed because they remembered what Christ had said to them before His passion (John 2:22). How He had oft told them that He would rise three days after His death. They made the Word of God their basis for faith, not their experiences (1 Peter 1:12-21). We see the words “said” and “written” in John 2:22, 12:16, and 14:26 to emphasize that Jesus wanted to cultivate faith in the Word of God above experiences.
We cannot go to the empty tomb. We cannot see the empty grave clothes. We cannot find the stone rolled away. There is no physical evidence for us to examine. We, however, have a more sure Word of prophecy which is the Word of God available to us (2 Peter 1:19). The record of God’s Word is true (John 21:24).
Today, as we go to our church, remember that the faith in Christ (who is the Word of God – John 1:1) is of the utmost importance to change your life. Let it work in you to conform you closer to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29) and for greater service to Him.
