As it began to dawn on the first day of the week, the crowds of people from far and near who had come to Jerusalem for the observance of the Feast of the Passover, made preparation for the return journey homeward.

Very early that morning while it was still dark, two women, Mary Magdalene and another person known as “the other Mary”, went to the tomb of Jesus with the traditional spices to anoint his body in accordance with local custom.

What they found when they arrived at the tomb left the two women “trembling and bewildered.”

As they made their way through the dark, narrow streets of Jerusalem, they pondered a profoundly troubling question: “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb?”

When they arrived at the tomb, they were surprised; the massive stone placed in front of the tomb to seal it had been rolled away. The tomb in which the body of Jesus had been placed was empty, and the body they had come to anoint was not there.

The guards, posted by Roman authorities to secure the tomb, were “like dead men,” and suddenly two men dressed “in clothes that gleamed like lightening” appeared and spoke to them in a reassuring way.

A look inside the tomb was revealing.

The grave clothes were there, and the linen, some call it a napkin, that had been around Jesus’ head was neatly folded by itself and “separate from the linen,” a use of common social etiquette to give everyone who saw it a powerful message, “I am not finished.”

For a moment, Mary Magdalene stood outside the tomb. Overcome with fear and emotion, she cried. But crying was not for long.

Someone she took to be the gardener spoke: “Why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Then, Jesus said, “Mary.”

At once, she knew! Turning to him, she cried out, “Rabboni.”

Share on Facebook

Posted: 04|4|10 at 4:26 pm. Filed under: Praise God!.
Comment | Trackback