God Speaks
Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone was rolled aside from the entrance.
2 She ran and found Simon Peter and me and said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have put him!”
3-4 We ran to the tomb to see; I* outran Peter and got there first, 5 and stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but I didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went on inside. He also noticed the cloth lying there, 7 while the swath that had covered Jesus’ head was rolled up in a bundle and was lying at the side. 8 Then I went in too, and saw, and believed that he had risen— 9 for until then we hadn’t realized that the Scriptures said he would come to life again!
10 We went on home, 11 and by that time Mary had returned to the tomb and was standing outside crying. And as she wept, she stooped and looked in 12 and saw two white-robed angels sitting at the head and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying.
13 “Why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him!
15 “Why are you crying?” he asked her. “Whom are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned toward him.
“Master!” she exclaimed.
17 “Don’t touch me,” he cautioned, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.”
18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
19 That evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors, in fear of the Jewish leaders, when suddenly Jesus was standing there among them! After greeting them, 20 he showed them his hands and side. And how wonderful was their joy as they saw their Lord!
21 He spoke to them again and said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and told them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven.”
24 One of the disciples, Thomas, “The Twin,” was not there at the time with the others. 25 When they kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord,” he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands—and put my fingers into them—and place my hand into his side.”
26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them and greeting them.
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger into my hands. Put your hand into my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas said.
29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. But blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”
30-31 Jesus’ disciples saw him do many other miracles besides the ones told about in this book, but these are recorded so that you will believe that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in him you will have life.
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Oh, how intense sorrow turned to great joy that first day of the week! Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Luke 24 recount the same events from different perspectives. It is recommended that one read all four accounts together to get a fuller picture of all that occurred that wondrous Resurrection day and the days following. All who will believe and obey Jesus and the Father will receive joy unspeakable and be filled with glory. The following are unique to the account in John 20: 1) Luke comments that Peter examined the grave clothes in the tomb, but only John tells us that he was there as well. 2) Although the other gospel writers mention Mary Magdalene being at the tomb, only John shares her personal meeting with Jesus. 3) Jesus’s interaction with “doubting” Thomas is found only in this gospel. 4) In verses 30 and 31, John gives us his purpose in writing this account of the gospel. All these details, combined with the other accounts in the Gospels, give us a fuller picture of what happened that eternity-changing day.
Prayer: Dear Awesome God, thank You for this most awesomely joyous day that makes every other joyful day possible. Your beloved followers went from feelings of intense sorrow to great, inexpressible joy. Jesus’s disciples had finally grasped that He truly was the Messiah and King that You had promised the Jewish people for centuries. But three days previously, Jesus, their beloved, miracle-working Rabbi had been cruelly mistreated, tortured, and put to death. Grieving, Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb to care for His lifeless body and discovered that the stone blocking the entrance had been removed. Confused and worried as to what that meant, she ran to report it to the disciples. May I come running to You whenever I am disturbed by the circumstances around me. Jesus, You appeared privately to Mary Magdalene. Please grant me similar interactions with You however You see fit. You also appeared to the disciples in groups. May that be true in this day and age as well. It is good to know that we are not just imagining things in our own minds; it can be confirmed by others who experienced the same event. There are times, Lord Jesus, when I need You to confront and resolve my doubts just like You confronted Thomas. May the purpose of this book be the purpose of my life–that many people “will believe that [Jesus] is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in Him [they] will have [abundant and eternal] life.”* For Your glory, Lord. AMEN
*John 20:31 TLB
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will read the other accounts of Jesus’s resurrection and thank Him for all He has given and made possible for me: new life and the power to trust and obey Him now and throughout eternity.
- I will watch the Jesus film, The Passion of the Christ, or a similar movie to get a clearer picture of the resurrection of Jesus and all that it means.
- I will talk with and encourage another believer to do the same.
- I will tell this great news to someone who has not yet put their faith totally in Jesus and urge them to do so.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.