Changed Lives

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

    "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

    Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

Jesus said to her, "Mary."

    She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

(John 20:1-18)

The Main Event

The resurrection story is the pivotal event in human history that changed everything. Without the resurrection of Jesus, society as we know it today wouldn’t exist. If Jesus had only given His life as a sacrificial offering, but had remained in the grave, He would have been no different from countless other martyrs who died for what they believed in. After all, what good would it do to have our sins forgiven if we do not have the hope of resurrection into an eternity in God's presence?

I think of this event as a light shining through a prism. On one side, a single bare light shines. On the other, a brilliant display in millions of colors bursts forth. Max Lucado calls this the “Main Event”. From the beginning of recorded history and the fall of man, this moment had been anticipated, if not by humans, then certainly by God. This was the day that God could finally be reunited in fellowship with His created beings. Up to this moment, the world was in a state of darkness and decay. But now, everything was illuminated and alive. The curse pronounced on all of creation in Genesis 3 was now broken, and the restoration of everything that was created to be "good" had begun.

However, in spite of the importance of this pivotal moment, it was surrounded by confusion as it unfolded:

Mary thought someone stole Jesus’ body.

Peter didn’t know what to think of the linen cloths and the folded face napkin.

John claimed that he believed, but he wrote this account and probably gave his own spin to it.

Mary mistook Jesus as the gardener.

We know from the other gospel accounts that the disciples thought the women were crazy.

We look back with 2,000 years of hindsight and wonder what the problem was. But these people had to work through their preconceived ideas, traditions, and emotional trauma. They had just seen their beloved friend and Teacher brutally executed two days earlier. It's no simple thing to suddenly believe that it wasn't permanent. Jesus had to make numerous attempts to convince them that He really had risen from the dead before they finally believed.

Changed Lives

On that first Easter morning, the lives of the people who loved Jesus would be forever changed by the transforming power of the risen Savior. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, this moment is spoken of as one that would bring about profound change. The old order of law, sin and death was replaced with a new order of grace, righteousness and life. Nothing would ever be the same from that moment forward.

As each person comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, their life is changed, both immediately and throughout the rest of their days on this earth. In fact, a person who is not changed by Jesus Christ has probably never met Him. Unfortunately, we humans don't like change. We resist it and cling to the familiar, even if the familiar is harsh, painful and meaningless. We are like animals born in captivity and raised in cages. When the cage doors are finally sprung open, we stare into the great unknown beyond the safety of our confinements, fearful of what might await us. It is only those who venture out of their comfort zone who experience the amazing life that God wants us to enjoy.

Our celebration of this "Main Event" each year should include a time of personal reflection. To do any less is to relegate the day to just another Church holiday or family feast day. So my questions to you (any myself) are:

How has your life been changed as a result of coming to know the risen Savior? What immediate changes did you experience?

What ongoing changes is He making in your life? What changes are you hoping for in the future?

I often tell people who have not known me for very long that they wouldn't recognize me if they had known me twenty years ago. I'm completely changed in some regards, having put aside much of my worldly ways. Yet I have a long way to go in becoming more Christ-like in my thoughts, behaviors and attitudes. I don't particularly enjoy the refining process, but I endure it because I know that it will only produce desirable effects in my life. As the old-timers say, "I'm not where I need to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be!" 

Have a blessed Resurrection Day!

Pastor David