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The First Easter
4/7/07
Read John 20:1-18
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2020:1-18;&version=31;
Have you ever known a person who went through a terrible tragedy? They were so close to death, but they miraculously survived. Miracles happen every day. God has the power to heal anyone, if it is in His divine plan for their life. It is a fact that Jesus died, but He conquered death and rose again and is very much alive today!
As we look at this passage, I have often wondered what it was like to go to the tomb that first Easter morn. What emotions would be going through your mind, if you were there and witnessed that event? We see a glimpse of what Mary Magdalene felt that day. It was still dark when she went to the tomb. When she got there, she saw the stone had been removed from the entrance. She runs to tell Peter and John, the disciple who Jesus loved, and tells them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" So Peter and John both ran to the tomb. Notice what they discover. The burial cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. This is very important to understand. If you read the passage from my last blog entry, they had placed a guard at the tomb to make sure no one would steal the body of Jesus. Think about the evidence for a moment. A thief would not take the time to neatly fold the burial cloth and keep it separate from the linen. When John witnesses this, we are told that he believes. But yet we read they still did not understand it.
Mary is at the tomb crying. She sees two angels where Jesus’ body had been. Then she turns around and Jesus is standing there, but she doesn’t recognize Him. Thinking He is the gardener she asks where Jesus is. He calls her by her name “Mary” and then she knows it is Jesus. She starts to touch Jesus, but He tells her not to touch Him because He has not yet ascended to the Father, but to go tell the disciples what she has seen. So she runs and tells the others this great news. There has also been another theory that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had a child together. That is all a myth and is completely false. Mary was no different to Jesus than anyone else. Jesus was the only one that was perfect and without sin. That is why only He could die to pay the price for the sins of the whole world. Without His shed blood, there would be no forgiveness of our sins. His resurrection is proof that He is fully God and fully man. That is the greatest hope that we have as Christians. Have you experienced that hope in your life?
In closing, I pray this Easter you can truly celebrate the hope of the resurrection, found only through knowing Him as your Savior. If not, come to Him today and let Him fill you with new hope and purpose for your life. Please come back the next two weeks as we continue to look at the appearances of Jesus. Until then, remember God loves you.
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