Journey to Pentecost

May 20, 2010    Matthew 28.8

This particular verse engages two of the most demonstrative emotions we can experience.   Fear and joy.  Fear on one hand and joy on the other.  Mary Magdalene and Mary (the mother of Mark) had just encountered an empty tomb and an angel giving them specific instructions to go and tell the disciples about what they had seen.  Fear and joy!  What a mixture of emotions! 

Fear because of the fact that the tomb was empty.   Joy because the tomb was empty.  Fear because of the known consequences of the tomb being empty in regard to the Roman government.  Joy because the angel had just told them Jesus was alive!  Can you imagine? 

There are those stories when a family is told a son or daughter has been killed in an accident or some tragic event.  They attempt to make all the mental life loss adjustments they can.  Then there’s a strange turn of events where mistakes have been discovered and they are informed their son or daughter is alive.  A case of mistaken identity.  They have gone from fear to joy in the same fashion. 

It’s like losing a diseased person to death.  There is a relief that they are no longer in pain and are with the Lord.  It’s a subtle sense of joy.  But there is an uncomfortable fear if not a guilty feeling about them being gone.  It’s a strange mix of emotions.

The one good thing is they would not have to go back to the tomb.  The tomb represented so much pain about the past.  The tomb represented so much fear about the past.   Due to resurrection life the would not have to deal with the tomb of Jesus ever again.   The tomb would have typically represented decay and rot.  But they were able to move past the tomb.   I would rather deal with mixed emotions about the present and the future and be moving forward as to have to constantly deal with the past.

Moving forward would take the two Mary’s to the upper room.  They got past the tomb experience and went on to the upper room experience.  One represented death, decay and the past.  The other represented resurrection life, power and the future.   These two Mary’s would exit the upper room in the same fashion Jesus did the tomb – empowered by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8.11).   Think about that with me for a moment.

The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit that dwells in each of us!  Do you know how much power it would take to raise a dead body from off the table?  Lots!   We’re talking mega power!  The same amount of supernatural power that quickened the body of Christ to bring it back to life is the same amount of Spirit that actually in-dwells each of us.  That is an awesome amount of supernatural power! 

Moving past the tomb was the first step towards the upper room experience.  Many of you who are reading this blog need to move past the “tomb” doctrines that only keep the empowerment of the Spirit in your life at a safe distance.  The tomb doctrines that bring death instead of life to your spirit.   The tomb doctrines that keep you from moving forward.   It’s up to you.  You can spend the rest of your life dealing with the tomb and all it represents or you can move away from the tomb and pursue the Promise of the Spirit.  Personally, I would rather push forward and approach Pentecost with mixed emotions clothed in honesty as to hang out at the tomb and wrestle with emotions about the past.  You can live in fear or in faith.  The choice is yours.   Pursuing the Promise of the Gift of the Holy Spirit will lead you into a life of personal supernatural power – not personal spiritual death.