Some Easter Stories
One of Jeff’s recent books
Here are some Easter stories from my recent book on John’s Gospel
John 19:41 There was a garden in the place where he was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been laid down in it.
John 19:42 They laid Jesus down there because of the Jewish day of preparation and since the tomb was nearby.
two gardens
Chuck Smith says this about the garden tomb:
“...if you will go today to Jerusalem, and you see the skull on the side of the mountain at the top of Mount Moriah, just adjacent to it there is a lovely garden that is an ancient garden because you can see the cisterns that are still there from ancient days that were used for the watering of that garden. And there happens to be in that garden, a very interesting tomb that has a little trough in front of it that shows that at one time, there was a stone rolled along that trough to cover the door of that tomb. I am of the personal deep conviction that that is the very tomb where Jesus' body lay.”
I think it is pretty significant that Jesus was laid to rest in a tomb within a garden. The story of death began in a garden called Eden, and John mentions this garden as where the story of new life begins. Our Lord’s resurrected life came out of that tomb in a garden. Our ancestors were banished from the Garden of Life because of disobedience, and our Lord was restored to life in the Garden of Death because of his obedience.
Lord, thank you for your obedience, making new life possible for us.
John 20:1 On the first of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark. She saw the stone having been removed from the tomb.
John 20:2 So she ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus had regard for, and said to them, "They've taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we are not aware of where they've laid him down!"
John 20:3 At that, Peter and the other disciple exited, heading for the tomb.
John 20:4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first.
John 20:5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
John 20:6 Then, following him, Simon Peter also came. He entered the tomb and experienced the linen cloths lying there.
John 20:7 The wrapping that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself.
John 20:8 The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw, and trusted.
John 20:9 Because they were not aware of the Scripture that he must rise from the dead.
when we don’t have a word
The disciples had not been paying attention when Jesus taught them about his resurrection. It happened, and they could not understand it. They just had to trust because they had not discovered that the resurrection was necessary for Jesus to fulfill the scriptures.
I wish I could say that everything has now been revealed, and we will not have to take some things at face value and trust that God knows what he is doing. I cannot say that. There are still a number of things that will happen that we have no “chapter and verse” for. Many of these are actually predicted in the Bible, but – like the disciples here – we will not recognize that they are the Lord’s doing when they happen.
So, life as a disciple is walk, trust, walk, and trust.
Lord, give us the courage to walk according to your word and trust in it even when we do not know it.
John 20:10 Then the disciples went away again by themselves.
John 20:11 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb.
John 20:12 She experienced two angels in white sitting where Jesus's body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.
John 20:13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "Because they've taken away my Lord," she told them, "and I am not aware of they've laid him down."
John 20:14 Having said this, she turned around and experienced Jesus standing there, but she did not recognize it was Jesus.
John 20:15 "Woman," Jesus said to her, "why are you crying? Who is it that you're seeking?" Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, "Sir, if you've carried him away, tell me where you've laid him down, and I will take him away."
John 20:16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!"-- which means "Teacher."
John 20:17 "Don't cling to me," Jesus told her, "since I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."
don’t cling; go and tell
Our Lord’s message to Mary is a message we all can benefit from. He wants us to know that he is alive, but he does not want us to bury ourselves, even in worship. He wants us to tell the rest of the story. He wants us to know that the Son who left the Father for us has now returned to the Father – for us. He wants us to tell the good news that we can be reconciled to the Father because of the finished work on the cross and that he now always lives and intercedes for us.
Holy Spirit, show us more ways to share the good news of the resurrected, ascended Christ.
John 20:18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them what he had said to her.
John 20:19 In the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together, with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, "Peace be with you."
John 20:20 After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. So, the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Sunday evening visit
After hearing the good news that Jesus was alive again, the disciples gathered Sunday evening and waited for him to show up. When he did, it was not to berate them for their failure to stand by him during his trials and crucifixion. It was not to condemn them but to calm them down. The purpose of his revelation was not sorrow but joy. They “rejoiced when they saw the Lord.”
Whenever we meet as followers of Christ, may our anxiety give way to peace, our shame to joy.