Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
December 24, 2022: SOAP #4769: John 19-21

SCRIPTURE:  John (NIV) 20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. …
9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

OBSERVATION:  Mary arrived at the tomb “while it was still dark.”  When she saw that the stone was away from the mouth of the cave, she did not take time to investigate, she went running to tell the disciples.  Surely there could be only one explanation for the stone being moved: the body of Jesus had been moved to another location. 

In a panic, she had to tell someone.  She went running to the disciples.  Maybe they knew where the body of Jesus was.  If not, they needed to know that something had happened!  Mary’s panic caused alarm in Peter and John who took off running to the tomb. 

They needed to understand “from the scriptures” what had happened.  Later, when Jesus spoke to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, He spoke from the scriptures.  Jesus, the Living Risen Word explained the Written Word! (Luke 24) 

APPLICATION: Like much of prophecy, it was not clearly understood until after it had been fulfilled.

Yes, the stone was moved from the entrance to the grave!  That was the truth.  That was reality.  BUT IT DID NOT MEAN that the body of Jesus had been moved to another location. 

When I am challenged, I must be careful about accepting what appears to be an obvious explanation. I must wait and get the truth from the Living and Written Word!. 

PRAYER:   Lord, when I am impatient, I tend to jump to what seems a logical conclusion.  Holy Spirit, it is your ministry to reveal truth; help me to wait for truth.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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