Just as He said

There’s a phrase in the resurrection account that has caught my attention over the past weekend. The phrase is “Just as He said”. On it’s own it doesn’t exactly stir your passions, but it appears in the bible like this: Matthew 28:6 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” There it was…The angel’s message to Mary and Mary…The fulfillment of the prophecy…The exclamation point at the end of the Gospel sentence…The tomb is empty because Jesus is alive, and it all went down “just as He said”. The Pharisees laughed at Him when He said he’d rebuild the temple in just three days, but He did it…just as he said. In Mark chapter 8 Peter even rebuked Jesus for saying that He would “in three days rise again”, but He did it…just as He said. The disciples didn’t understand Him when He spoke of his resurrection in Mark chapter 9, but guess what…He did it…just as He said. The phrase “just as He said” means that His resurrection wasn’t accidental, incidental, or coincidental. It was simply just as He said. He didn’t execute a contingency plan, but rather, He did it exactly the way that God had ordained it, exactly the way that the ancient prophets foretold it, exactly the way that He wanted it. He did it just as He said. He didn’t need a substitute. He didn’t have to rewrite history. He didn’t change His mind. He didn’t forget about you. He didn’t leave you, and He never, ever, ever will…He rose from the grave…He cheated death…He rebuilt the temple…and He did it all just as He said. Amen