We Need A Miracle
A few days ago I was listening to the UCB 2 radio station. The song ‘Miracle’ by Mosaic MSC came on. The chorus goes:
“I see a miracle, in an empty grave
The one we thought was dead
Has come to life again”
It suddenly hit me how miraculous it was that Jesus came to life again – and what a complete reversal it would have been for his followers who watched him die. They were devastated by his death, but devastation was turned to joy when they realised he was alive again.
Yesterday was Good Friday, the saddest day in history, when Jesus, the only innocent man to ever live, was condemned to death and hung upon a cross.
For those that knew and loved Jesus, despair weighed heavily on their hearts as they watched, the one who they thought was the saviour of the world, breathe his last breath.
In the Gospel of John we read how two days later, early on Sunday morning – the first Easter Sunday – Mary Magdalene went to visit Jesus’ tomb.
When she arrived, Jesus body was nowhere to be found. She began to panic. She ran to the disciples and said, “they have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
Mary was already distraught. Now the corpse of the one she loved so dearly had been stolen away and she couldn’t even mourn over his body, or anoint him with spices, as per the customs at that time.
What was already a devastating situation seemed to be getting even worse.
Mary went back to the tomb and stood outside crying. As she peered in the tomb she saw two angels who asked her why she was crying. She repeats that Jesus body has been taken, and then she turns to walk away.
At this point Mary is so downcast that she does not even seem to marvel at the appearance of these two robed in white.
As she turns to leave, there stood Jesus himself. Supposing him to be the gardener she says, “sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
Mary doesn’t recognise Jesus. Perhaps she didn’t have the strength to lift her head and look at the man before her. She isn’t really thinking straight either – even if the gardener were to tell her where to find the body, how would she take it to its rightful place? She wouldn’t have been able to bear the weight of a fully grown man.
But then Jesus calls out her name, “Mary” he says. And all her grief is gone as the greatest miracle of God begins to dawn on her.
The one she thought was dead had come to life again!
We are all feeling heavy of heart at this time. We read the news and feel surrounded by reports of death and despair. The future is uncertain. The economic forecasts are grim.
As the news we hear grows increasingly worse, it is easy to panic and become downcast and confused, just like Mary.
But what Mary thought was a situation worsening, turned out to be history’s greatest miracle. The tomb was empty, not because the body had been stolen, but because God had brought Jesus back to life.
I don’t know what God’s purpose is in allowing the Coronavirus, but I do know that he can cause good to come from anything, even death.
We might be looking for a miracle to fix everything that is happening in the world right now. But the miracle that matters most is the resurrection, through which we are given the promise of new life – and a new world free from tears, disease and pain.
My prayer is that we might all see the miracle in the empty grave, this Easter.
A Jar of Hope:
Recently somebody posted a fantastic idea on Facebook which we have implemented in our house.
We have a jar on the side and when we feel like we wish we could go somewhere or see someone, we write it on a slip of paper and stick it in our ‘jar of hope’.
Mostly it is just simple things like “play football at the home school group”, “go to the cinema”, “have a swimming lesson”, or “see our friends”.
When all this is over we will take out each slip of paper and try to do what is written on it, or make steps toward it – and be thankful for the simple pleasures we will be able to enjoy.
* If you are interested in learning more about the miracles in the Bible and how God works miracles today I would highly recommend ‘Do Miracles Happen Today?’ by Tim Chester. It is quite a short read (only 96 pages) but is very insightful.