[Scripture: John 20:1-20]
Please read the story of the resurrection of Jesus carefully because it is the season of Easter.
John 20:1-10
1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
It was early morning on the day of Resurrection. Mary Magdalene took her spices and perfumes and went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body. Mary Magdalene had seven demons that Jesus cast out. After that day, she followed Jesus and never abandoned him. Even the day of the crucifixion, she stood by the cross of Jesus with Jesus’ mother, Mary, and John and she was the first one who witnessed and proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus. Almost everyone ran away from Jesus, and even Peter disappeared. She never ran away from Jesus under any circumstances. She always stood with Jesus.
It was Mary Magdalene’s asking, “Were You There When They Crucified my Lord?” #288
As Christians, we should stay with Jesus no matter what situation we face. Whatever difficulties and challenges we have in life, we should stay with Jesus.
John 20:11-18
11Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” 18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that He had said these things to her.
Jesus Christ will come and reveal His glory as we seek Him. Being a Christian means, we don’t have to fight the problems that we have. Instead, we should intentionally seek Jesus and ask him to come and cast out our problems. It was what Mary Magdalene did. She actively tried to find Jesus Christ as she struggled in the dark and empty tomb. When Mary Magdalene was looking for Jesus, he revealed his resurrected body to her for the first time. She found Jesus Christ when she purposefully sought him.
Steve Flaig, who lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, works as a delivery driver at a Lowe’s store. When he was 18, he started looking for his biological mother. Steve asked the adoption agency and he received the information and searched for his birth mother through an internet, but he couldn’t get his mother’s address, but he never stopped looking for her.
Finally, he figured out the problem of why he could not find her address for the past four years. He had been misspelling his mother’s last name. On December 14, 2007, when he typed the correct name, he could have her address. The house was less than a mile from the Lowe’s where he worked.
He was excited and told his boss about his mother. It was the most fantastic part of this story. His boss said, “You mean Chris Tallady, she worked at the store, too as a cashier?” (seattletimes.com). They met near the store and hugged each other. It is a story that gives me a better understanding of the meaning: “the one who seeks finds” in Matthew 7:8.
We will sing “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.” #302
John 20:19-20, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After He said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”
In these verses, I can see the reaction of the disciples when they were overwhelmed by the fear of death. Verse 19 says, they locked the door for fear of the Jewish leaders who killed Jesus Christ on the cross. When they feared death, they wanted to stay inside the darkroom. However, it did not help them at all.
I still remember. An 80-year-old gentleman told me about his dying. He said to me that he was not afraid of his own death, but he was afraid of the process of dying. Acts 7:55 gives me an idea of what the Christian dying process looks like. When people tried to stoned Stephen to kill him, he “looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God.” “Look, he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
When Christians are dying, the Holy Spirit open our eyes to see coming of Jesus Christ to us with the brilliant light. Therefore, Christians’ dying is not a time to go into darkness, but it is process to get into the light of Jesus Christ.
Because the risen Lord has destroyed the power of sin and death. If you are afraid of the dark, you should stay out from there and try to find a light switch and try to turn it on. That way, you can see the darkness completely disappear from your sight. So, you and I need trust Jesus Christ and call his name when you feel you are in darkness.
However, there is good news for you and I today. Jesus Christ is risen today. Therefore, you don’t have to think about the fear of death because, in Him, there is no death at all. If you are overwhelmed with fear, think about Jesus and fix your eyes on Jesus, who broke the grave, rose again from the dead, and destroyed the power of death. He will bring us the brilliant light and bright hope for your future. When you call his name.
If you fix your eyes on Jesus with all your heart and mind, you can experience the peace and love that Jesus provides for you. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” because God loved you first. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”
We will sing, “Up from the Grave He Arose.” #322
Here are the final words for Easter Sunday. Jesus is risen, and He will come to the one who is diligently looking for Him. Jesus will stand there with you and I and will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant: you have been faithful for me. You will have my joy.” Jesus Christ is risen indeed!
2022.04.17. Pastor Cloud Poy
@ Photo on Unsplash
