From My Daily Reading #7: Open Your Eyes and See

Matthew 28:1-10

The day Jesus rose from the dead is without a doubt the most important day in all of history.

It is the day we now call Easter, or Resurrection Sunday

It is the day that the greatest miracle of all was accomplished.

Jesus Christ had risen from the dead!

Now most of us would agree without a doubt that it would be a miracle for a man, who had been beaten nearly to death, nailed to a tree and allowed to hang there until he suffocated to death, and had been in the grave 3 days would be enough of a miracle to get our attention.

But just like today and every day, there were so many more miracles taking place, than just a dead man coming back to life.

Open your eyes to the events of that day as described in this passage and see the many miracles that took place that day.

One, It wasn’t just any man that had died.  It was the sinless, Son of God, who willingly laid down his life for any and all who would/will believe in Him.  For those that before putting thrice faith in him, where not His friends, but rather his enemies.  The very ones that caused Him to have to go to the grave in the first place.  Open your eyes and see, because that is a miracle.

Two, in dying in our place, Jesus,  being the only suitable sacrifice, paid the debt of sin and satisfied the wrath of God.  Allowing those who would believe in Him to be reconciled to a Holy God and wrestled from the grips sin and Satan.  Open your eyes and see, because that is a miracle.

Three, in raising from the dead, proving the acceptance of the payment for sin, He defeated death and grave.  Proving true the promise of God that all who repent of sin and believe by faith, will never truly die, but rather live forever.  Open your eyes and see, because that is a miracle.

Four, the angel came down and rolled the impossibly heavy stone away from the door of the tomb, so that the women (who were wondering how they would move the stone so they could prepare Jesus dead body) would never have been able to move the stone on their own.  Open your eyes and see, because that is a miracle.

Five, with the open tomb they were able to respond  to the angels invitation to “come and see” that Jesus body was no longer there, because He had risen, and were able to view proof of testimony the angels were sharing, and the women were able to know what had taken place.  Open your eyes and see, because that is a miracle.

Six, The angels encouraged the women not to fear, and gave instructions on what they should do next, reminding them of what Jesus had told them about meeting them in Galilee before he died.  Open your eyes and see, because that is a miracle.

Seven, when they ran from the tomb still frightened (despite the angels telling them not to fear) and excited, they met Jesus Himself.  Who knowing they were still afraid, kindly reminded them, don’t be afraid, because God knows, what we are thinking and facing, and he responds accordingly.  Open your eyes and see, because that is a miracle.

I suppose there are more miracles to find in this passage that we could talk about.  Just as there are more miracles taking place all around you every day than even what you might see on the surface.

We wake up, our lungs breath, our heart beats, our eyes see, our minds comprehend, and so much more.  So open your eyes and see, because those are all miracles.

God is at work all around us, and what He is doing is far better than the very best we could ever even imagine to ask for if we knew to ask for it.

Open your eyes and see, because the miracles of God are all around you so that you may know Him and the love and power He is demonstrating in your life.

And in opening your eyes to see, I pray that God will open your heart and to believe.