It was daybreak in
Jerusalem. The sunbeams were just beginning
to spill over the Mount of Olives and the birds were waking. To Mary, their melody had more clarity than
she’d ever noticed before and it seemed like every bird in Judea was singing with
all its heart. Though she loved hearing
birds, she wished they’d tone down their joyous chorus, as she was in no frame
of mind to rejoice. She had a job to do.
Dread flooded her mind as
she thought of again seeing and touching Jesus’ dead body. Yet she yearned to be near Him once more. She needed to anoint Him with the customary burial
spices. The task could not be performed right
after He was lowered from the cross and laid in Joseph’s tomb because it was
late in the afternoon and nearly sundown on the Sabbath.
Mary’s mind raced as she
walked quickly toward the garden tomb. She
hoped the Roman guards would be willing to roll away the massive stone that
sealed the entrance. She thought about
how privileged she was to get to honor her Lord this way and recalled how
broken she was before meeting Jesus.
Mary had never met anyone
like Jesus. He’s the One who had cast from her seven demons. He’s the One who did not condemn her for her
sins but instead lavished her with compassion and forgiveness.
Never a man spoke like
Jesus. Mary had followed Him all over Galilee,
listening to his teachings and witnessing His miracles. She believed he was surely the long awaited
Messiah.
Yet they killed Him. She couldn’t understand how this could have
happened to an innocent man who did so much good and spoke such peace. In disbelief, she wiped a tear from her eye
and continued to walk.
The narrow path took her
through the garden. She didn’t even
notice the array of brilliant wildflowers along the way but their gentle
fragrance captured her attention. As she
neared the tomb, she stopped for a moment.
She stood there with eyes closed and whispered a prayer asking Yahweh to
give her strength. She took as deep breath,
then continued on.
As Mary got within sight of
the tomb she was confused by what she saw.
She stopped, rubbed her eyes and gazed ahead at what appeared to be an
open tomb. She glanced around, then ran
to the opening, right past two Roman soldiers laying on the ground appearing to
be sound asleep.
She stepped inside as the
sun streamed in, showing her the truth that she had not expected. The tomb was empty! He was gone!
Jesus was not there!
She whispered a quick, “What?
--- Where?” and turned and ran to find Peter and John, who were together
mourning the death of their Master.
They looked up at Mary as she
poured out her announcement, “They’ve taken away the Lord from the tomb and I
don’t know where they’ve laid Him!”
The two disciples jumped up
and ran to the garden. They entered the tomb to find Jesus gone and the linen
cloths lying there. The facecloth that had been around His head was neatly
folded and placed to the side. Peter and
John didn’t understand what had happened either.
In his Gospel account, John
wrote, “For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again
from the dead. Then the disciples went away to their own homes.” John 20:9-10 MKJV
So we wonder----- apparently
Peter and John did not remember or comprehend that Jesus had told them He would rise again on the third day.
Continuing in John’s Gospel, he went on to explain what happened next:
“But
Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and
looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white
sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had
lain. 13 Then they said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She
said to them, ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where
they have laid Him.’ 
14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, ‘Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ 16 Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him, ‘Rabboni!’ (which is to say, Teacher).”
When
Jesus called out her name, she knew with certainty it was really Him.
The same Jesus, Who had
lifted her out of torment and shame, now stood before her--- resurrected from
the dead--- alive again. The same
compassion she had known before poured out on her again when she heard Him ask,
“Why are you weeping?”
Jesus showed Mary, in that moment, that she needn’t weep any
more. Her Savior was no longer dead and
lying in a cold, dark tomb. He had conquered
death. He had put Hell in its place and proved
the grave could not hold Him.
Years later, John the Gospel writer was also John the
Revelator. In his encounter with Jesus on the Isle of Patmos, John wrote, “And
when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me,
saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the
First and the Last. 18 I am
He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I
have the keys of Hades and of Death.’”
“Woman, why are you weeping?” is a
question not just for Mary--- and not just for women. Jesus won the eternal victory over death that day, not just for Himself, but for those of us who are in His family. He has conquered death for us as
well. We can dry our eyes and be
assured that the sting of death has been removed.
If you know Jesus as your Savior, I know
you rejoice with me in this assurance.
If you do not know Jesus as your Savior or are not sure enough to be
assured of your own eternal destiny, please take care of that matter right
here, right now. This is the bottom line
on why Jesus left His Heavenly home and came to earth to die on the cross and
rise again. You must believe in your
heart this story from the Bible is true. Think now--- you know it’s really
true, don’t you? Please pray this prayer
to receive Jesus and His eternal life: “Heavenly Father, I know I’ve sinned and
I need Your forgiveness. I now believe that Jesus is Your Son and He took the punishment
I deserved for my sins. I want to
receive Him now as my Savior. Thank You,
God. In Jesus name I pray---- Amen.”
If you’ve just prayed that prayer and meant
it, I welcome you to the family of God. If
possible, tell someone who is a committed Christian, about the decision you’ve
just made. Also, I encourage you to talk
to God daily in prayer, read and study your Bible routinely and become a regular
participant of a good Bible teaching church fellowship.
We needn’t weep any more. All is not lost when a fellow follower of
Jesus dies. We’re on this earth for a
short while. Doesn’t time seem to just
fly by? But eternity is a long, long
time and we, who are in Christ’s family, sure have a lot to look forward to. He is risen indeed!
May God richly bless us all as we joyously
celebrate Resurrection Sunday!
HAPPY EASTER!
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