Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. John 20:1
John’s account of Christ’s resurrection, as with all others, begins on the first day of the week, while it is still dark. In many instances, this mirrors the church’s annual accounting of the same event. Many congregations across denominational lines celebrate Divine Services at sunrise on Easter morning. The idea is to greet the new dawn with songs of thankfulness and praise as the Gospel of Christ is announced. It is a tradition held in many and various ways. But the unifying factor in the varied celebrations is that it happens earlier than normal.
Truly, the resurrection breaks the bonds of comfortable routine. Mary came to Jesus’s tomb early while it was still dark. That is anything but routine. People, especially women, didn’t travel alone in the dark, let alone following such a tumultuous few days as those in Jerusalem. And the local graveyard was not a place where one would expect to find a woman alone at such a peculiar time.
What did she expect to find? How would she roll away the stone? When the other women got there could they help? Questions surrounded her in her grief, questions she could not have been expected to answer. Yet, in true wonder and amazement, God answered Mary’s questions for her. The stone, that barrier that separated the Lord from all others, was rolled away. Inside, the tomb was emptied of its contents; Jesus was gone; raised, alive, resurrected!
Suddenly, early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, light shined on the world. This should remind you of another time when darkness was all that there was. In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light, and God saw that the light was good.
At the dawn of the first Easter Sunday, God raised his Son Jesus of Nazareth from the grave and said to our darkened, fallen word, “Let there be light!” This light, the light no darkness can overcome, burst forth from the grave in majestic triumph over death. No wonder the stone was rolled away, the grave could not withhold the light of Christ.
For those who did not come to the tomb, questions remained, and darkness prevailed. How could it happen that Jesus was crucified? It didn’t make any sense that a man hailed as king one day, would be executed by the end of the week. Their confusion reached an even higher level when reports were made that Jesus’s body was gone. Some even said they saw him alive. Once again, this is anything but routine.
In our world today, confusion still remains when it comes to the risen and living Lord Jesus. The world won’t accept it. How can someone who was dead be alive again? How can one man’s dying save the entire human race’s sin? The powers that defy God are perfectly content to hold Jesus in the darkness of the grave. They are also perfectly content to keep the risen Lord’s disciples fearful of reprisals lest they begin proclaiming his victory over sin and death.
Yet the promises of God are sure. Sin has been defeated, and the light of Christ shines bolder and brighter than even the sun. Through our risen Lord, fear gives way to assurance, doubt surrenders to belief, and those who call upon the Risen Lord Jesus are provided the peace of God that passes all understanding. It is the message our fallen and broken world so desperately needs to hear. Open the doors and go tell others, for the peace of Christ is to be shared with all.
Prayer: Almighty God, provide a clear voice for your church, that the good news of your grace is shared throughout the world. Amen.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
