For I will turn their mourning into joy And will comfort them and make them rejoice after their sorrow. (Jeremiah 31:13 AMP)
Joseph of Arimathea
I had watched this rabbi from a distance for some time. I saw how he gathered people around him, how he taught them, how he healed them, and how he ministered to them. I found myself on the edge of the crowd, listening to his words about God’s Kingdom—words that gave me so much hope! All my life, I had yearned for that Kingdom to come! I longed to see God’s righteousness, justice, and hesed realized in our world. This rabbi’s words and actions were exactly what the Law and the Prophets pointed to! Thanks be to God that I was alive to see the coming of God’s Kingdom through this man, Jesus!
The others on the ruling council did not see this. At first, their words and actions were filled with suspicion, then disbelief and rejection, and finally, the desire to end this Jesus. I couldn’t believe it! After all, we Jews were supposed to be watching for the coming Messiah—couldn’t he be the One? Yet, they had no room in their hearts or minds to allow for this possibility. Then, suddenly, their plans came true, and he was crucified. All I could do was ask Pilate for the body—which, surprisingly, he gave me—and then Nicodemus and I wrapped it in myrrh and other spices and laid it in the new tomb. We pushed the stone in front of the entrance and went home that night, stunned and overwhelmed with sorrow.
The Other Mary
We ladies were the only ones of his followers, except for John, who were at the crucifixion. The rest of the men had their hopes crushed when he was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. But there is something in a mother that cannot and will not leave her baby, even if he’s nailed to a cross in a very public execution. So, we stayed with his mother, supporting her, joining her tears, and grieving for what was happening. She was there every step of the Via Dolorosa, every crash of the hammer on the nails, every moment of the darkness, until he cried, “It is finished.” Then she collapsed. The words of that old prophet Simeon had come true: her soul was pierced by the sword of these events. After the men took the body to the tomb, we followed so we would know where it was. Then, we hurried to be home before the Sabbath began.
The next day, we stayed with Mary, but she was quiet. Occasionally, she cried softly, but mostly, she just stared into the distance, as if remembering so many things about her beloved Son. She did the Sabbath meal with us out of rote custom and then sank into a troubled sleep. Very early the morning after the Sabbath, I went with Mary Magdalene to the tomb. We wanted to spare his mother the memory of what he had endured, so we planned to anoint the body with spices for burial. But as we climbed the last hill, the sunrise broke over the landscape, and we could see that the tomb was not sealed! We rushed in and saw that the body of Jesus was not there—only the linen it had been wrapped in. While we stood there, stunned and perplexed, suddenly a strong and brilliant light flooded the small tomb. We fell on our faces, terrified. Then, that voice! I will never forget the strength and power that filled the words.
The Angel
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here; He is risen, just as He said! Have you forgotten that He prophesied He would be handed over to sinful men for execution, but on the third day be resurrected? Jesus is resurrected! Go and tell the others that He is alive!” That was the message I had for the women who came to Jesus’s body. They were certainly surprised— even terrified— to see me. As a messenger of God and a member of the Heavenly Host, my appearance startled them so badly that I realized they didn’t know what to do. But my words triggered the memories of all the Messiah had said to them, and suddenly, they left the tomb to seek out the others.
Soon, Peter was back. He’d run all the way, then stooped down to enter the tomb and was shocked to see it empty. He had tried and tried to understand Jesus during the three years he had traveled with Him, and even still, he was bewildered by how Jesus didn’t meet his expectations. Jesus had promised that He would build His Church upon Peter’s testimony, but Peter was still baffled. I hid myself from him and watched as he staggered away, trying to reason it all out and wondering what it all meant.
Then, the other Mary returned, tears streaming down her face as she attempted to absorb all she was seeing. I knew she wondered if His body had been stolen. She looked so heartbroken that I appeared to her again, asking why she was crying. Her words cut to my heart: “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where he is.” Immediately, Jesus was there with her. His one simple word, “Mary!” ministered to her despair and turned her mourning into rejoicing. As she started to fall at his feet to worship him, he caught her in a hug and then told her to go tell the others: “For they will see me just as I have promised.”
And soon, the incredulous cries of, “He is RISEN! He is risen, just as he said!” were heard among all his followers. Just as we had the night of his birth, on this day, the others in the angelic hosts joined with me in praise to the conquering King of Kings:
O death, where is your sting?
O grave, where is your victory?
He is risen, He is risen indeed!
Hope now is living, and love is redeemed.
The cross was the battle, the tomb was the key—
He is risen, He is risen indeed!
Jesus,
Today on Resurrection Sunday, we join with the angels, saints, and believers in proclaiming that you are risen indeed! We give you praise for breaking the curse of death and offering us life now and for eternity. Hallelujah and AMEN!
“This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed — and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” – Simeon (Luke 2:34-35 NRSV)
He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8 ESV)
Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? Death, where are your thorns? Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from My sight. (Hosea 13:14 NASB)
Easter story from Matthew 27-28, Mark 15-16, Luke 23-24, and John 19-20