They’d all seen Jesus arrested, beaten,
and carrying his cross. They’d all seen Jesus nailed to the cross. They’d all
seen Nicodemus and Joseph take him down from the cross and wrap him in the
spices they had and the cloths they’d brought with them. They’d seen him put in
the tomb. They’d seen the stone rolled over the entrance. They’d seen the
guards posted to keep anyone from stealing Jesus’ body.
On that Sunday morning when Mary went
to the tomb and saw the stone rolled away she was sure the Jewish religious
leaders had taken Jesus’ body. It wasn’t until she went back to the garden
where Jesus was buried that she encountered the risen Christ. Then she knew for
the first time that He was alive! She could hardly believe her eyes!
Can you imagine the emotions she must
have been experiencing? You know she wanted to touch him, to hold him, to hug
him close. Jesus told her not yet.
Knowing that Jesus was human like you
and me don’t you wonder what he was experiencing? He had died, literally. His
heart had stopped beating. His lungs stopped breathing. He was buried in a
cold, dark tomb cut out of stone.
And now, he’s alive! Don’t you think
the human part of him was having trouble understanding what had happened? He’s
alive and yet he’d been dead.
Even Peter and John didn’t believe it,
even when they saw it with their own eyes. They went away from the tomb sure
that someone had stolen the body. They
didn’t even believe Mary when she came back and told them she had actually
spoken with Jesus.
Is it any wonder when we tell that
story today that people have so much trouble believing it? Is it any wonder
that we doubt sometimes? How is it possible for someone to die, to be buried,
and then be alive again?
Yet, that is what we believe. The
cross is empty and so is the tomb. Jesus is alive! For us and the world that is
good news because what Jesus said would happen actually did happen. Death was
defeated.
Alleluia! Jesus is alive!
