In just a few days we will be celebrating the most important event in the history of the world, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What’s interesting is that no one was there to witness the event. Yes, there were hundreds of witnesses who saw and interacted with the resurrected Christ. But no one was present to witness when the most important event of all time actually took place. And it wasn’t because no one was invited but rather because the people of Jesus’ time were so focused on their own personal circumstances that they never really understood what God was up to. Another interesting fact is that the resurrection had already been foretold in the Old Testament but as if that were not enough, in the Gospels we discover that Jesus personally invited his disciples to witness the greatest event ever.

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples what would happen to him. He told them he must go to Jerusalem. There he must suffer many things from the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law. He must be killed and on the third day rise to life again. – Matthew 16:21 NIRV

Just as Jesus explained to his disciples, orchestrated by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, he was falsely accused, tried, sentenced and executed on the cross. At that time, the three-day countdown began …five, four, three, two, one, the stone that covered Jesus’ grave was rolled away and the clock marked zero. On cue, the angels announced the resurrection of Jesus and the heavenly host began playing celestial music and when the stone had been fully rolled away, Jesus found himself standing there alone. 

The people back in the first century were so worried about their own personal circumstances that they never realized what God was up to. This was not due to lack of information, but because they never perceived what God was doing. The same thing happened with the people of Israel when God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. They were so focused on their personal issues that they never allowed God to lead them into the promised land. Similarly, in the times of Noah, people looked at their circumstances and concluded that Noah was crazy and never perceived that God was actually trying to save them. 

I think that we’re in one of those times of Biblical proportion, but if our focus is only on the pandemic and our personal health and or financial circumstances, we may never perceive that God is actually up to something very big. He’s traying to save us.