Matthew 28:1; Mark 15:47; 16:1, 2, 9-11;
Luke 23:56; John 20:1-18.
Historical Setting:
Time: Sunday, April 9, A.D. 30,
early dawn.
Place: Near Calvary.
Persons:
Christ, two angels, Mary Magdalene and other women, Peter,
John and other disciples
In the last
study we left Mary bowing at Christ’s feet. He had told
her: “Go unto my brethren, and say unto
them, I ascend unto My Father and your Father, and My God and
your God.”
As hard as it is for her to leave her beloved Lord, Mary
rises to her feet, wipes the tears from her eyes, and runs
back to the house where the disciples are. She bursts into the
room where they sit. Her face all smiles, she looks upon their
faces. In contrast, they are glum and sad. She blurts out her
wonderful news, “He is alive! Our Lord is alive! He has
risen from the dead! I have seen Him and He bade me tell
you.”
The disciples look up, rub their hands over their bearded
faces and settle down again. “Women! What do they know?”
Some of them bow their heads into their hands and let out
a little moan. But suddenly, while Mary is still speaking,
Peter and John return from their slow, thoughtful trip back
from the tomb. They get in on the last of Mary’s announcement.
Upon hearing what she had to say, John and Peter, their
spirits soaring once again, tell the disciples of their
experience at the sepulchre, and John speaks of his own hopes
about Christ. The other disciples perk up a little. Perhaps
they had doubts about a woman’s tale, but now they are hearing
the experience and hopes from two of the most predominant
followers of Christ. Maybe--just maybe--there was some
credence to the story. Their hopes were beginning to rise.
Again there is a disturbance. Into the room burst the other
women. They tell of how they had been returning from the grave
slowly, discussing their hopes, their fears, their amazement
at the development of this most unusual first day of the week.
The disciples look up. They see the light in the women’s
eyes. They listen more attentively as the women continue their
story. In their excitement they all try to speak at once, but
then they stop, deciding to let just one of them tell the
story. “Along the way, something more amazing happened....
He is alive! We know He is alive. We have seen Him. When we
saw the angels earlier we could not believe that what they
told us was true. But as we traveled back here, we saw
Him–Christ Himself–and He spoke to us. He said, ‘All Hail!’ We fell at His feet and
worshiped Him, and He said unto us, ‘Be not
afraid; go tell my brethren that (if) they go into Galilee,
there shall they see Me.’”
This news is too wonderful to believe. The disciples stand
up, their mouths open, gaping at Mary, Peter, John, and the
other women, who all bear the same tale. It is just too good
to be true! But glumly, one by one, they sit back down. They
are still not ready to believe. The truth has not yet sunk in.
But Mary is overjoyed. Her Lord is living. Her mind is
whirling. She saw Jesus questioned, beaten, ridiculed, and
nailed to the cross. She witnessed Him dying. She saw Him
being carried by Nicodemus and Joseph from the cross. She
watched them tenderly wash His body and wrap Him in fine linen
and place Him lovingly into the tomb. She saw the stone being
rolled in front of the tomb. Then she left for a while. She
had to. It was the Sabbath. Now this morning she had witnessed
so many amazing things that she could scarcely take it all in.
But then her heart surges again. She has seen Him! He is
alive! And fresh tears fill her eyes, tears of joy, and tears
of relief, tears of love, tears of thankfulness. The truth
hits her. Her Lord did this all for her. Mary believes!
John and Peter leave the other, still doubtful, disciples.
They go back to their dwelling, mulling over the events of the
morning. The truth hits John first. He has believed all along.
It is just hard for him to take it all in. He thinks of all
the things Jesus had been trying to teach him and the other
disciples about His real purpose on earth. He recalls how
Christ kept telling them that He would die and rise again the
third day. This is the third day. And then the truth hits him.
“He did this all because He loved me, and because I am a
sinner. He died for me. I believe!”
Peter walks beside John in silence. He too is thinking of
what Jesus told them for three and a half years. He remembers
all the times he blurted out his protest whenever Christ would
talk about dying. He remembers that Christ had rebuked him and
called him “Satan” because he protested. He vaguely recalls
the fact that Jesus did say that the Temple would be
destroyed, and raised again the third day. But Peter recalls
that he did not quite understand what Christ’s meaning was.
And then, with tears forming at the back of his eyes, Peter
recalls how he failed Christ in the Garden, when He so needed
human companionship; and how later, he denied Him–his best
Friend–in the hours He most needed a friend. Peter recalls,
with hope, the look that Christ gave him as He left the hall
that night. He recalls the bitter tears he shed, tears of
repentance. He recalls the feeling of relief that he felt in
the Garden of Gethsemane, where he had fled to spill out his
heart to God that horrible early, early morning, just a few
days past. And now, although he has not yet seen Jesus, he has
heard the witness of the angels, and of the women, and of
Mary. And the truth dawn on Peter. Christ HAS arisen, and He
has forgiven him. Peter believes.