Daily Devotions
John
John 20:1-10 "THE TERRIFIED ROMAN SOLDIERS"
Day 328 – John 20
THE TERRIFIED ROMAN SOLDIERS
The Roman soldiers who guarded the tomb were certainly not prepared to battle angels! Soldiers were given tough training! But no matter how rough and tough they were, when they met the angels of the Lord, they froze. Matthew noted their reaction.
“And behold, there was a great earthquake;
for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven,
and came and rolled back the stone from the door,
and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning,
and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards
shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.”
Matthew 28:2-4
We can well understand the fear felt by the soldiers. They were guarding a tomb! It was still dark, for dawn had just broken. Suddenly a great earthquake took place! A tremor would cause the bravest person to be frightened!
And as the tremor settled, the great stone that had sealed the tomb was rolled away, effortlessly! And the person who rolled the stone away sat on it, totally unafraid of the Romans soldiers! As the soldiers fought with their fears, they could not help but noticed just how dazzlingly white their garments seemed to be! They had never seen anything like that before in their life!
Angels have great powers! They seldom made an appearance to mankind. But there they were, at the very tomb that the Roman soldiers were to guard! How were they to fight angels? Fear seized them and they “became like dead men”!
ALLAYING THE FEARS OF THE WOMEN DISCPLES
The purpose of the angels however was not to frighten the soldiers. They came to roll the stone away, and to minister to Jesus, just as they did, when He was in the wilderness. There was another task they had to perform. Just as they announced the birth of Jesus, so now they announced His resurrection from the dead!
If the Roman soldiers were frightened almost to death, we can imagine the terrible fear of the women as they entered the tomb of Jesus! The synoptists recorded the brief announcement made by the angels to the women Disciples.
Matthew wrote,
“But the angel answered and said to the women,
‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus
who 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, and indeed He is going before you
into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have
told you.”
Matthew 28:5-7
Mark also took note of this angelic message.
“But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You
seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He
is risen! He is not here. See the place where they
laid Him. But go, tell His disciples – and Peter –
that He is going before you into Galilee;
there you will see Him, as He said to you. ‘”
Mark 16:6-7
Luke added an important angle, in the writing of this episode. He wrote,
“And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed
about this, that behold, two men stood by them in
shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and
bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them,
‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He
is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke
to you when He was still 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.”‘”
Luke 24:4-7
The angels were puzzled as to why the women Disciples were searching for Jesus in the tomb! One of the angels asked them why they were searching for the living among the dead! It seemed so straightforward and clear to the angels!
1. Jesus had said that he would be delivered to sinful men.
2. He would be crucified.
3. He would rise from the dead on the third day!
What part did they not understand? Wasn’t what Jesus said plain as day? Why did they think that they would find Jesus in His tomb? Of course He would not be there! He had risen from the dead! The living does not dwell among the dead!
With these words, the angels sought to allay the women Disciples. Their words must have brought tremendous joy and renewed strength to the women Disciples! Yes, Jesus did say all these to them! He had spoken from time to time about His betrayal, His suffering, and also that He would rise from the dead!
But somehow their minds just could not register what Jesus had said to them. Each time He spoke about His death, the Disciples would wince in pain. They found it so hard to accept that He had to suffer. They had forgotten the most important part of all – that after His suffering, He would rise from the dead! The words of the angels, and the fact that the tomb was empty confirmed the compelling words of the angels! He is Risen! What a breath-taking thought that was! HE IS RISEN!