JESUS SPEAKING
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will go and get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him, “Rabboni! (Which is to say, Master). Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.’” (John 20: 15-18.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
Mary arrived at the tomb to find the stone missing along with the body of Jesus. Immediately she was grieved and began to weep. She came to the tomb expecting to find the lifeless body of her beloved Lord; instead she encountered the living God. Upon seeing Jesus, she embraced him tightly; as if to never let him go. He urged her to lighten her grasp (his return was not permanent; he would soon ascend into heaven.) His true place was not on earth with them, but with his Father (and their Father.) Mary was instructed to bring this news to the despondent disciples who were in hiding for fear of being killed themselves. Having seen the resurrected Lord, she became the very first messenger of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Throughout history, many like Mary, have gone to the tomb expecting to find the body of Jesus Christ; and like Mary, they have found the tomb empty. Every generation has had its share of doubters; people who believed they could do what no one had ever been able to do […] disprove the resurrection of Christ. In the early 1900’s an English professor and journalist named Frank Ross set out to investigate and refute the claims that Jesus rose from the dead (as a journalist, he was skilled in examining the credibility of sources.) As the evidence mounted, Frank was faced with the awesome truth; the accounts matched; the archeology was sound; and all of the witnesses were credible; Jesus Christ had in fact risen from the dead. He had expected to find a dead man, but instead, he discovered the living God. Rather than writing a book that disproved the resurrection, he entitled his book, “Who moved the stone.” In the book, Frank Ross, the convert and faithful believer, sought to bring what he had found to the rest of the world.
The work that began with Mary on that third day has continued throughout the generations, and continues even today. Anyone who goes looking for Jesus Christ in a dusty tomb is looking in the wrong place. He is very much alive, and is seated at the right hand of God. Frank Ross and Mary Magdalene, both set out to find Jesus; and they both found what they were looking for […] have you gone looking for him yet? Have you made your way to the tomb and looked inside? You too, will discover that Jesus Christ is not dead, but alive. When you find him, please let others know that there is a God, and that they can discover him too?
“Lord Heavenly Father, we believe that Your Son rose from the dead. We believe that he is seated with You in Your Kingdom. We desire to carry this message to others; give us the strength to bring what we have discovered to the world. May we be bold in declaring that we have encountered the risen Lord, and the living God. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.” God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 