The Empty Tomb

[Madeline]

I went to John - since he was the only disciple to watch the crucifixion - seemed right to go to him for the big event.

Imagine being there - Mary Magdalene has just come running up and said Jesus' tomb was empty! What would have been your first thought?

John 20:9-10
For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

I have no idea what my thoughts would have been, but consider spending 3 years with the Messiah and learning from Him, watching the miracles, and seeing His ministry. Then you find out about His death on a cross where you couldn't even tell He was human after the beatings and scourgings He forbear before being executed. Now His tomb is empty!

But Mary, after discovering a missing body, now sees Christ for the first time after His resurrection. Think of the awe! This is the biggest miracle of all!

John 20:11-18
But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"

She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."

Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?"

She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

Jesus said to her, "Mary!"

She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (Which is to say, Teacher.)

Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My bretheren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' "

Mary Magedalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.

The disciples missed out, but Mary was there. I can only imagine the confusion, joy and overwhelming amazement on seeing Jesus standing there and talking to her. Our Lord Lives!

On an aside, all the bunnies and eggs in the world aren't going to make this a Holy day. Only God can do that. But for us to remember what Christ has done is what we need to do. He did this for us - so we can also be with God. And pray directly to Him. We don't have to go through a mediary, we can talk directly to the Father. What grace He shows to us.

 

[lilbluebird_sandstalker]

I was feeling very aware of the grace of Christ over the easter weekend, and thought a lot over his death and resurrection. I wasn't sure if I was being silly and superstitious to think that the 'power of Christ' would be 'stronger' during easter, or if it was a legitimate feeling. In the end I decided that the event would prompt a personal closeness to Christ, and therefore it wasn't totally silly to feel that way.

I often think about talking to God, because I do it so often, I do wonder about it's effectiveness. I came to a new possibility after reading the gospel of John, not a conclusion, more of a new question.

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. 1:2 The Word was with God in the beginning. 1:3 All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

1:14 Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. 1:15 John testified about him and shouted out, “This one was the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than I am, because he existed before me.’”​

I find this particularly interesting because it is written by the 'disciple Jesus loved', and love being so powerful, I can only presume he would have a lot to say about Christ. So after reading this I started thinking maybe even when I think I'm talking to God, I'm still effectively talking to Jesus, if I get an answer, because he was simply the Word made flesh, and the Word is a part of God, the part he used to utter the world into being, and most likely, the part he uses to respond to us. Considering Jesus this way actually makes him even more amazing to me than before, because I see now why his grace and truth was perfect in every way, which was what made me believe in him in the first place.

 

[Critforce]

These days when I read about the resurrection I can't help but think about the mental state of the followers of Jesus. Not just the disciples because there were many more who had followed Him and did as he commanded. It must have been just absolutely devastating because Jesus hid the true meaning of the scriptures from them until after his resurrection. They truly had no hope once he was gone, they thought that all was lost and the world was bleak. Stunned, dazed, confused, hurt, angry... I'm sure they felt all these emotions during that time.

Due to that how much greater must have been the joy when He opened their eyes to the truth? He let them bereave the loss and truly feel the loss before showing them the truth.