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Order and Perfection Seen in All He Did, March 26
Then cometh Simon Peter ... 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.
John 20:6, 7
.
A young man clothed in shining garments was sitting by the tomb. It was the
angel who had rolled away the stone. He had taken the guise of humanity that he
might not alarm these friends of Jesus. Yet about him the light of the heavenly glory
was still shining, and the women were afraid. They turned to flee, but the angel’s
words stayed their steps. “Fear not ye,” he said; “for I know that ye seek Jesus,
which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place
where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the
dead.”
Again they look into the tomb, and again they hear the wonderful news. Another
angel in human form is there, and he says, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in
Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and
be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
He is risen, He is risen! the women repeat the words again and again. No need
now for the anointing spices. The Saviour is living, and not dead. They remember
now that when speaking of His death He said that He would rise again. What a day
is this to the world! Quickly the women departed from the sepulcher “with fear and
great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.”
Mary had not heard the good news. She went to Peter and John with the sorrowful
message, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not
where they have laid him.” The disciples hurried to the tomb, and found it as Mary
had said. They saw the shroud and the napkin, but they did not find their Lord.
Yet even here was testimony that He had risen. The graveclothes were not thrown
heedlessly aside, but carefully folded, each in a place by itself. John “saw, and
believed.” He did not yet understand the scripture that Christ must rise from the
dead; but he now remembered the Saviour’s words foretelling His resurrection.
It was Christ Himself who had placed those graveclothes with such care. When
the mighty angel came down to the tomb, he was joined by another, who with his
company had been keeping guard over the Lord’s body. As the angel from heaven
rolled away the stone, the other entered the tomb, and unbound the wrappings from
the body of Jesus. But it was the Saviour’s hand that folded each, and laid it in
its place. In His sight who guides alike the star and the atom, there is nothing
unimportant. Order and perfection are seen in all His work (
The Desire of Ages,
788, 789
).
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