The Eyes Have It

The Eyes Have It

Mat 28:1-8 NIV - After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

One of the great strengths of the validity and soundness of the Gospel accounts comes from its overwhelming presence of first-hand eyewitness testimony. Matthew records that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw Jesus’ empty tomb, and He appeared to them afterwards. Furthermore, Paul records that Christ “appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15.6). Jesus also appears to the disciples (Matthew 28.17, Mark 16.14, Luke 24.14). There is a tremendous amount of evidence that Jesus did, in fact, rise from the dead.

Still, some refuse to believe. Why? There are, as I see it, two reasons. The first is that some people’s faith is either absent or placed elsewhere. It is often said that people do not believe in Christ merely because they do not wish to admit and repent of their sins. While this is the case for many people, I believe there are genuine people who simply have not learned to put their faith in God. These are usually academics—lovers of knowledge who need to learn that there is more to life than can be found in books and nature. Then there are those who do not believe because they are afraid of the Gospel. They don’t want to think about the consequences of Christ’s Resurrection because it calls them to action. So they hide in their allegations of “myths, fantasies, and delusions” of Christians. They are often abrasive to Christianity, proclaiming the Church is full of hypocrites so that they can feel justified in having nothing to do with God’s Church.

Either form ought to lead us to a great concern for the lost. You see, the Easter message is not merely about rejoicing in Christ’s resurrection—it is also a call for us to proclaim the Great Commission. What great love God poured out on us! We are incredibly blessed and rightly celebrate the Resurrection, but there is still a world that does not accept it. There is still a world that needs to see with their own eyes the Resurrection. Like the witnesses of Jesus believed in Christ’s resurrection, the lost need to see Him rise from the dead. Beloved, they see Jesus through us. Our celebrations of Easter, our love for one another, our gifts to the poor and helpless—these are all manifestations of Christ’s life in us. Indeed, they have evidence that Christ arose because He lives now in us. That is the power of our testimony. We too are witnesses of Christ’s death. Like the two Marys, we must run and proclaim the Good News. Won’t we do it today? Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich