A New and Glorious Day Dawns
“He is not here: for He is risen, as He said…” Matthew 28:6
It had been a rough week for Jesus and for His followers. After three plus years of teaching and doing miracles, Jesus had been put to death, and His self-righteous persecutors thought they had eliminated their supposed enemy. Boy, were they wrong! Their efforts caused God to unleash resurrection power, the power that makes man free from rules and regulations, gives him a hope for the future, and a purpose to life. Without that resurrection power and the forgiveness that Christ brings, we would be wandering around aimlessly without hope on our way to a devil’s hell.
After Jesus’ followers spent a full day of mourning on the Sabbath, the sun arose on Sunday morning. The ladies brought more spices to the tomb for Jesus’ body as they expected His body to still be lying where Joseph and Nicodemus had placed Him. Among these mourners were Mary Magdalene, Mary, Jesus’ aunt, Salome, mother of James and John who were two of Jesus’ disciples, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza who was Herod Agrippa’s steward. Luke wrote that there were other women as well, but were not named. None of the disciples had been to Jesus’ tomb for fear of the religious leaders.
All four gospels give details about how Jesus’ followers discovered that He had risen from the dead. If one studies all four gospels of these accounts, a time line can be established. Briefly, when the women first came, they found that the stone was no longer covering the entrance to the tomb. An angel had rolled it away. The women entered and saw a young man who told them that Jesus had arisen and for them to go tell the disciples that Jesus would meet them in Galilee (Mark 16:8). From John 20:1-2, we see that Mary Magdalene was alone. She had been with the other women, but I speculate that when she saw the stone rolled away, she did not go in, but assumed that Jesus’ body had been moved. Alarmed, she ran to tell Peter and John. The other women went into the tomb and saw the young man dressed in white.
When Mary reported to Peter and John what she assumed, all three of them went to the tomb. The other women had apparently already left to find the disciples. When Peter, John, and Mary reached the tomb, John outran Peter, but did not enter. Peter caught up, went inside, and saw the linen wrappings. Then John went in. They must have been very bewildered, but left and returned to the other disciples. Mary chose to remain at the tomb. She looked inside and saw two angels who asked why she was weeping. She answered that someone had moved her Lord, and she did not know what had become of His body. At that time, a Man appeared behind her who also asked her why she was weeping and whom was she seeking. She thought He was the gardener and thought He might have been the One who had taken Jesus’ body. Thus, she asked Him where He had laid Him. He then called her name. She then knew who He was, He was Jesus. He was alive. He had risen, just as He said (John 20:3-17). He told her to inform the disciples. Later that evening Jesus appeared to His disciples as they were huddled together no doubt trying to analyze this mystery.
I cannot imagine the joy, excitement, and exhilaration that Jesus’ followers experienced to see their beloved Master, whom they thought was gone from them forever, to stand before them, flesh and blood, walking and talking, smiling and looking at them with eyes of love and compassion. Those of us who know Christ in the forgiveness of sin, who have made Him our Lord of life, will experience this same joy, excitement, and exhilaration when we see Him in His glory and see the faces of those who have gone before us. Folks take drugs to get high, but there will never be anything that will be able to come close to the high that will be felt when we see Jesus face to face. And even now, while we are still on this earth, we have the joy and privilege of serving a living Savior who will never leave us or forsake us. Thank God for the resurrection.