The silence was eating Mary and the other women up. Peter was not forthcoming with any ideas of what was next. She could not hold herself anymore. She had to be at the tomb by next morning. Together with some of her friends, they huddled together at the sight of the great stone that had been rolled away. They were in shock and disbelief. What could have happened? They could not get close. They had to tell Peter and the other brothers. Together all of them returned to the tomb. John the younger outran Peter to get to the tomb but did not enter in until Peter arrived and entered. They found the clothing nicely wrapped together but the LORD’s body was not there. Having no answers to the questions they raised, they returned home with heavy hearts. But Mary remained. She wouldn’t be appeased by nice comfort of ‘It is well’. So, she lingered. It was then something unexpected happened. First, it was two men in shinning clothes that appeared to her. They asked why she wept. She replied them saying the body of her LORD had been taken and she didn’t know where to find it. Then the LORD Himself spoke to her trying to conceal His identity. He called her by her name and then her eyes were opened. With great excitement, she called out ‘Rabboni’ which means LORD.
What if Jesus did not rise from the dead? Oh! He would have joined the company of the dead in Hades. Perhaps He would have simply overthrown Satan in his kingdom but men would still have been captives to sin and death. And if that was the case, then the victory still remains Satan’s victory. There is no victory over Satan without the resurrection. If death held Jesus, Satan continues to win. But He is risen!
First, it gives hope and assurance that we will not die the second death. We will not be consumed by the worms that do not die and the fire that is unquenchable. We will escape the wrath of God which is poured out in the lake of fire- which is the second death. Those who are raised together with Him are those who escape the second death. And we shall be raised at the last Trump!
Secondly, the life of Christ can be lived by sinful, mortal man. That will be possible not by their own powers but because Christ will live in them. If He did not rise from the dead, He cannot live in anybody. And His life cannot be witnessed by His followers. But because He lives, we can express His life by Him who lives in us.
All the fruits that Jesus desired to see in mortal man will be possible by His life. His alive-ness gives power to live His kind of life in every sense of it.
“Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There’s salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope”
Song | “Living Hope“ by Phil Wickham