I suppose we can remind ourselves what a miracle is. It is an unusual event, one
which defies human reasoning or explanation. It may very well occur when you
have lost all hope, when it appears that all doors of salvation or recovery have
been closed, I Sam. 1:9-11, 19-20. It might very well be an extraterrestrial
occurrence, at the request of a man of God, for which God gave His accent,
Joshua 10, 12-14.
The events that led to the Empty Tomb of Jesus Christ, the Saviour, were
themselves indicative of an impending miracle of immense proportions.
First is the satanic interference in the creation of man when Adam, God’s beloved
creature, who was created to be the father of a pure and obedient human race.
He allowed himself to be tricked into disobedience and thus attracted God’s
landmark anger and curses on him, his wife, Eve, and satan the culprit, Gen. 3:14-
19. Where is the miracle, or the impending miracle?
God said:
And I will put an enemity between thee and the woman
and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy
head and thou shall bruise his heel,
Gen. 3:15
That was the major part of the curse on satan, the one who had the temerity to
distrupt God’s lofty plan for the human race. The one who will bruise his head is
Jesus the Redeemer, while his successors’ shall bruise his heel, during his First
Coming. This is the stuff of which miracles are made, Isaiah 46:10
What followed was another disclosure through Isaiah:
…. Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son
and shall call his name Immanuel,
Isaiah 7:14
When did virgins start conceiving and bearing children? That had never
happened. The only exception was Mary who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Luke 1:30-35. Micah even predicted that this child would be from everlasting,
Micah 5:2. This miracle baby finally arrived, born in Bethlehem, as son of Joseph
and Mary. And satan got to know through Herod, King of Judea, who tried to
terminate his life, Matt. 2:1-8, 12-13.
Can you kill God? But that was not beyond the thinking of satan who had, much
earlier, attempted a coup in heaven, Isaiah 14:12-15.
Throughout the ministry of Christ, truly, satan was on his heel. From the onset
while Jesus was on a forty day fast satan attempted to undermine His mission. He
failed miserably but He decided to make a return elsewhere, Lk. 4:13. Even
though Jesus kept His focus the progression to the Tomb was inevitable – the
Father and Son had had a plan B, from the foundation of the world, Rev. 13:8, if
Adam and Eve fell to the antics of satan, despite the divine love and care they
would enjoy in the Garden of Eden.
Anyway the evil one continued to play his role, I Peter 5:8, during the ministry of
Christ either directly, Matt. 16:21-23, or through the Jewish leaders who hated
Him with a passion. They accused Him of disregarding the Sabbath, which is a
cornerstone of the Mosaic Law, Lk. 13:10-17. They set traps for Him, asking Him
for example, whether Jews should pay tribute to their colonial master, Ceasar,
Matt 22:15-22. They even dismissed Him, ironically, as an agent of satan, John
8:48, 52
So Jesus was crucified, on trumped up charges and He ended up in the TOMB
which actually belonged to someone else, Joseph of Arimathea, who donated it to
Him, Matt. 27:57-60
How come then that this Tomb was the greatest miracle ever? On the third day of
His burial, the Tomb became empty. Why? Because He rose from the dead as He
had predicted, John 10:17-18, Matt. 16:21. Satan had been shamed. So also were
his “disciples”, Matt. 3:7, those who had thought that they had been rid of Jesus,
their enemy. Yet they had feared that he would indeed rise on the third day. So
they reinforced the sepulchre and posted guards there, Matt. 27:62-66
But you cannot lockdown the Immortal among the mortal. That they did not
know. They never had the humility of Nicodemus, one of them, who, unlike the
rest, sought to know the truth and had the privilege of hearing the truth from
Source, John 3:1-21
So Jesus rose from the dead. The grave could not hold Him down. This miracle
was unique to Jesus.
He had attained victory far beyond the conception of satan, as He currently has
“the keys of hell and death,” Rev. 1:18
The Empty Tomb is surely the greatest miracle ever. No one can replicate it.
