Unexpected Reception

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus . . . He has risen! He is not here." (Mark 16:6)

 

WHEN WE ARE SAD AND LONELY, we pray for Jesus to make His presence known. Yet on Easter, Jesus proved His power by not showing up. The three women on their way to Jesus' tomb at first light, carrying their containers of spices, were performing an act of love. Also, the anointing of a loved one's body was something like a funeral or memorial service. It helped to bring closure following a death. Their only concern as the approached the grave? Who would roll away the massive stone?

 

To their surprise, the women found the tomb not only open but occupied exclusively by a very-much-alive young man, who, as Mark explains in characteristic detail, was dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side. It is likely that the women cared very little what the "young man" was wearing! Mark says they were alarmed. Terrified is more like it. Trembling, bewildered, they got out of there quickly. What happened to the expensive, carefully prepared spices? Did the women drop them and run? Did they arrive home still clutching the still-full bowls?

 

The resurrection of Christ is the supreme event, the basic fact of our faith. It changed those women's lives and continues to change lives today. Never doubt this fact: Jesus is not here. He has risen.

 

Martha Evans Sparks

 

Watch the sun rise and remember that Jesus rose from the grave.