Category: John 20

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

For the past few days, we have been looking at the time between the death of Jesus and Sunday morning. Finally, we have arrived! Mary is the first to discover the open tomb. We do not know what she expected to find or do on this amazing morning, but we know what she wasn’t expecting. She did not expect to find the tomb open and empty.

Think about the implications of this event: Jesus’ body was gone. What was she to think?

She must have looked. It was still dark, but she must have looked inside the tomb. In the gloom of the early morning light, she peered into the dark tomb. Perhaps she had an oil lamp with her? Whatever she saw convinced her that the tomb was empty.

Was it the Jewish leaders who had taken Jesus? Did someone else take him? Why couldn’t they just leave him alone?

Application: Jesus had told the disciples what would happen, but they did not understand. Mary herself, who had seen her brother, Lazarus, walk out of his tomb after being dead four days, did not understand. How could the man who raised Lazarus raise himself from the dead? The important thing to remember is that God is God. We are only His children. There is much we do not understand.

Food for Thought: Imagine that you are in the garden that morning. You see Mary approach the tomb. You hear her gasp and then she sobs. She turns to leave, panic written on her face. What do you say to her?

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Continue reading “Panic – John 20: 1a & b”

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb …

Friday has come and gone. Joseph and Nicodemus made sure Jesus was put in a tomb. Saturday, the Sabbath, was quiet. Except for the special activities in the Temple, most everyone would have stayed home. A whole day to sit and think. Think about Jesus. Think about what had happened. Think about his horrible end.

Why did Mary go to the tomb? What did she expect to see? Was she expecting to find a sealed tomb? Did she want to be as close to Jesus as she could? Did she have a plan or was she going to the tomb because she didn’t know where else to go, what else to do?

If it had been some other day and not the Sabbath would she have been sitting by the tomb yesterday? Maybe she was awake all night thinking about Jesus. Maybe she could not believe that all this had happened.

It is Sunday. Technically, the Sabbath is over. It is not daylight yet, but she can wait no longer. She rises and prepares to go outside. It is cool. It is dark. The sky was pale gray suggesting dawn was not far off. She makes her way from the place she is staying to the garden where Jesus’ tomb is. It is so early that even the birds are still quiet.

Application: Mary had a childlike faith. She loved Jesus. She loved being around him, loved listening to his words. Jesus was everything to her. Even in death, she did not want to be away from him. That kind of passion, that devotion, that love is at the heart of every true believer’s relationship with Jesus.

Food for Thought: What does it say that Mary goes to the tomb alone? How do different people react to what has happened?

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Continue reading “Sunday Morning – John 20: 1a”