Last updated on November 7, 2024
Before we continue with the story, I think it’s important to remember that Jesus had told his followers that he was going to die, but that he wasn’t going to stay dead (Matthew 16:21). But I don’t think it ever truly registered. The emotions in this current moment that they find themselves in are just too big, and they aren’t sure how to respond. After all, it wasn’t that many days ago that Jesus was ushered into Jerusalem as a coming king. And now, just like that, he’s been arrested, tried and executed as a criminal. It’s just too much.
The story picks up on Sunday morning. Mary Magdalene and a couple of other women go to the tomb in order to anoint Jesus’ body. It seems that everything had been moving so fast when he died that they didn’t get a chance to do this before Joseph of Arimathea had him placed in the tomb. But as they are on their way, they realize that there’s a big problem that they hadn’t thought about. There is a large stone in front of the tomb. How would they get inside?
But when the arrive, they find that the stone had been rolled away. They have no idea how that could have happened. So they go inside. But they don’t see a body. Instead, they see “a young man dressed in a white robe” (Mark 16:5). They are no doubt puzzled and scared. The young man says the following:
“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will se him, just as he told you” (Matthew 16:6-7).
This does not alleviate their fears – they were now officially freaked out! They left the tomb in a hurry, but they did what they were told. They found Peter and John and told them what had happened. Peter and John run to the tomb to find an empty tomb.
Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene is at the empty tomb, all alone with her grief and shock. A man comes up to her and asks why she is crying. She thinks it’s the gardener. So she explains what has happened, and then man, who is actually Jesus, simply says her name. In that moment she realizes who he is, and she is overjoyed.
Word quickly gets back to the religious leaders that the tomb is empty. There’s no way they can allow rumors to spread that this man they’ve just killed, who might actually be the Messiah, has now come back to life. So they pay off the soldiers and tell them to say that the disciples stole the body.
Later that day the disciples were all together in a room, when suddenly Jesus was there. He said to them, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36). This didn’t bring them peace. They were scared out of their minds. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. But it was really him!
Jesus spent the next 40 days with his friends. And then he took them up to a mountain. He was leaving them, but he wanted to commission them to continue on with the work that he had begun. His last instructions to them were to stay in Jerusalem (the one place they wanted to leave), and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit. And then he ascended into heaven.