I frequently highlight the authenticity of the Bible through the way it treats its principal characters. Foreign to ancient literature is the way the Bible portrays the heroes.
Beginning with Abraham in Genesis and going through the disciples in Jesus’ era, the heroes of the faith fail frequently.
In the resurrection account, we find not the hero Peter who established the church but Mary Magdalene, from whom seven demons (Luke 8:2) had been cast out, as the first one to see the empty tomb.
If this were not a factual account of what happened, the Bible would have certainly told a different story, as recorded by John.
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.
Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed, for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes (John 20:1-10).
John described himself as the ‘beloved disciple.’ Jesus loved all of his followers, but I think John adopted this description out of humility.
The Gospel of John recounts that both John and Peter ran to the tomb, and upon seeing it empty, they believed.
The nature of their belief at that moment may have been clarified in the next verse. It states that they “did not yet understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”
This suggests that their initial belief upon seeing the empty tomb might not have been a full comprehension of Jesus’ resurrection as foretold in the scriptures.
Rudy Ross and Bruce Kirby, in today’s YouTube video, share their thoughts on the question. Both men are on the side of those who feel Peter and John believed Jesus had risen from the dead, even if they were confused and worried.
Mary’s Experience
After Peter and John left to tell the other disciples what had happened at the tomb, Mary encountered the risen Jesus.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.
They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:11-13).
Rudy has an interesting understanding of the two angels. They resemble the two seraphim who stood over the Ark of the Covenant. Take a few minutes to listen to today’s YouTube video. I think you will appreciate Rudy’s insights.
As if meeting two angels isn’t enough for this lover of God, Jesus now reveals Himself to Mary.
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher) (John 20:14-16).
Reflections
One of the saying I like from the gym is, “Don’t cheat yourself.” If you cheat while you train in the gym, the only person you are hurting is yourself.
On a far greater basis, if we cheat in our relationship with the Lord, we cheat ourselves and those who are close to us.
Some people see the Christian life as a free “get out of jail” card. They accept what God did for us with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as a ticket to heaven, but continue to live as everyone else who is dominated by the world’s system.
Mary should be our example. While faced with the death of her Lord, she pursued Him to the tomb. She was confused by the words of the angels but sought the Lord just the same.
The simple mention of her name on the lips of Jesus brought home the reality of the resurrection. The personal relationship that she had enjoyed from the time of her deliverance broke through the fog of her grief.
The gift of a personal relationship with God through Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit is ours to experience. Mary’s example cries out to us, “Don’t cheat yourself.”
Let’s strive to experience everything Jesus died and rose from the dead for us to know.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 