1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
———-
I can relate to the disciples here. If someone told me that my best friend that died a few days ago was now alive, I’m not sure I would immediately believe it. It’s just not the way things happen. It’s not completely clear if the women believe it either – they are simply telling the disciples of the experience, and the disciples have a hard time believing them. In fact, Peter has to check it out for himself, and when he leaves the tomb wondering rather than celebrating. I get it, though, because you don’t want to get your hopes up after such a disappointing weekend.
S – is there a sin to confess? While we don’t see it here in this passage, Jesus later rebukes the disciples for their unbelief. Once again it comes down to believing what we see versus what Jesus said. That comes through over and over again.
P – is there a promise to claim? Jesus is not among the dead! He has risen just as He said.
A – is there an attitude to change? The attitude of unbelief.
C- is there a command to obey? no.
E – is there an error to avoid? The disciples thought the women’s words were nonsense. One shouldn’t so easily dismiss something that was clearly true for the women.
P – is there a prayer to pray? no.
E – is there an example to follow? The women. Love that they were the first to come to the tomb to further prepare Jesus’ body. I can only imagine the stench they must have expected, and yet still went to pay proper homage to Jesus despite their probable disappointment.
T – is there a truth to believe? Absolutely! Jesus is alive!!
S – is there something to praise God for? Absolutely! Jesus is alive!!
Everything rests on the truth, on the praise that Jesus is alive! It validates everything He said. It validates everything in my life – that I’m not running in vain. I can understand early skepticism, but we know that Jesus is alive. We’re not left at the tomb. We know what they didn’t on that day. That ought to change my life forever.