“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. 2 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.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes” John 20:1-10.
There are six (6) accounts of resurrection appearances collected in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul (1 Corinthians 15:4-7). Collectively they tell the truth about Jesus rising from the dead. They should be studied together. We will look at John’s resurrection appearances in chapters 20 and reflect on their meaning. John begins on Sunday morning when Mary Magdalene and her companions discovering that the tomb is empty and suspecting that someone stole Jesus’ body from the tomb.
That Mary was with companions comes from verse 2 when she reports to the disciples that “we do not know where they have laid Him.” Mary reports the empty tomb to Peter and to “the other disciple” — also referred to as “the one whom Jesus loved.” In all of the resurrection accounts we can see that Peter holds a special place within the group of disciples. John is the first to notice “the linen wrappings lying there”, wrappings used as burial cloth to wrap the corpse, and the other piece of cloth used to wrap the head of Jesus. John is careful to point out that He himself was the first to believe that Jesus was risen from the dead, while Peter seemed not ready to believe that Jesus was risen from the dead. But as Jesus had pointed out earlier in John’s Gospel the full outpouring of the Spirit, the interpreter of Scripture, had not yet occurred: “26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” John 14:26.
But it’s verse 10 that has grabbed my attention: “Then the disciples returned to their homes” John 20:10. This verse speaks to me on many levels. For you and I are like the disciples when we face great mystery and disappointment in life — we just return home. It suggests we have given up. We forget all that Jesus has said and done in our life when faced with insurmountable hills to climb, and we simply return to the familiar and comfortable. Instead of dropping to our knees in prayer and tears, with arms outstretched and hearts wide open, we turn around and head home.
But the story never ends at home. Turning our backs on the challenges and difficulties never helps, never works. Give thanks to God that the story, the Gospel, doesn’t end with verse 10. But let it serve as food for prayer. Take time and pray that you and I will not turn and simply head home. Instead we need to head to the Lord. For our true home is in Him.
Oh dear Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner. Let me come to You, sin and all, full of self-imposed suffering, and embrace You completely, once and for all. In Your name I pray, amen.
From the Bible:
“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” Psalm 139:7-10.
“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head” Jonah 2:1-10.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Romans 8:35-39.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” Hebrews 12:1.
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