Do Not Be Amazed!
Scripture Reading — John 5:28-30
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out.”
—John 5:28-29
Do not be amazed! That’s what Jesus says to his disciples as he announces one of the most amazing things that will happen. He tells them not to be amazed when someday every person who has died will come back to life with a new body. The apostle John adds more amazing details when he says in the book of Revelation, “The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them” (Revelation 20:13).
How could we not be amazed? Whenever I have stood in a cemetery conducting a gravesite service, the thought has come to me: “What an amazing day it will be when all these graves are opened and every person will come to life!” It is beyond our comprehension that someday, at the sound of the trumpet, those who have died will rise from the dead, and even the sea and every other place where people have been buried will give up the dead that are in them.
Of course we stand in awe at that thought. Of course it is be-yond our human comprehension. The Lord Jesus wants us to marvel at what will happen someday. But he also wants us to accept it by faith. His resurrection is our guarantee. That’s how we know. Read and reread 1 Corinthians 15 and be as-sured that he who raised Jesus from the dead will also raise us when he comes again.
Lord Jesus, we marvel, and we stand amazed. Give us the faith to believe. In your name, Amen.
About the author — Arthur J. Schoonveld
Rev. Art Schoonveld is a retired minister in the Christian Reformed Church. Before retiring in 2001, he served churches in California, Illinois, and Michigan. Since his retirement he has worked part-time for the denomination and has served as an interim pastor. Art and his wife, Anita, have four children and nine grandchildren.
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