“Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.” Matthew 28:1
Jesus’ gruesome death on the cross had come and go. The tomb had been sealed. It was over.
And yet, we see Mary Magdalene come to visit. Was she simply paying her respects? Or was she waiting…for something else? She seems to be one of the few who understood Jesus’ mission. When all His disciples had deserted Him, she was one of the few to follow Him to the grave, watching Him take His last breath. And then she was there as Joseph laid His body in the tomb. She saw the stone roll over the tomb, sealing it.
It was over. But, she was back.
Jesus had said He would rise in 3 days. The question probably shouldn’t be Why was Mary at the tomb that morning, but, WHERE WAS EVERYONE ELSE?
Did she climb the path to the tomb with butterflies in her stomach; the faintest hope rising in her heart? He had said that faith the size of a mustard seed could do the impossible. Perhaps she was coming with just the smallest seed of hope that the tomb would be empty.
Mary wasn’t who she used to be. He had healed her. She had been possessed by seven demons. Few people on this earth could know what agony and horror filled her every day. But, in an instant, He had rescued her. He had changed her. She walked the earth now clean and whole; changed. It was all because of Him.
People like Mary don’t forget. They don’t flee when it gets tough. Because, when you’ve been CHANGED by the power of Jesus Christ, truly RESCUED by Him, you will never be the same. And you won’t give up on Him. Even when the doubt in your heart starts to tip the scale.
I wish I could have been a spectator on that hill that glorious morning. I wish I could have seen the joy overtake Mary’s face when the angel proclaimed, “HE IS NOT HERE; FOR HE HAS RISEN”.
Perhaps we all need to be reminded this morning that HE LIVES.
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