I have often wondered what it was like on that first Easter morning: the women as they traveled
to the tomb to perform their burial duties, the grief that was still so fresh lingering in their hearts,
the pain of knowing that their Savior, Teacher, Rabbi was gone, their struggle to make sense of
all that they had witnessed over the past three years.
Their grief must have been overwhelming. As they begin their journey that morning and the
concern about removing the stone was a stark reminder of the grief they were bearing. Their
grief was quickly replaced by anguish and confusion when they arrived at the tomb to find it
empty. Who would do such a thing? Why would someone do such a thing? This confusion and
turmoil only added to their grief. Suddenly during this nightmare, two men in white apparel
appear to them and say, “Why do you seek the living among the dead”. What could these words
possibly mean? We watched Him die, we watched Him be buried, how can that which is dead be
made alive again? The thought of such a reality was too much to process.
They returned to the other disciples and told them what they had seen. Pained, distraught and
confused, Peter and John run to the tomb. They arrive to find the tomb just as the women had
told them. How could they believe? How could they allow themselves the chance that Jesus was
alive? They had already buried Him once, living that nightmare again would be too much to
bear. Yet, John believes. I am puzzled by their response, because I am not sure I could have
believed. My mind works much to logically to accept something so incredible. John believed,
others believed and suddenly while in the upper room, Jesus appears to them. He is alive. He is
real. He is here.
This singular moment in history is the greatest moment in history. It is the moment when God
changed everything. It is the moment that death was defeated, Satan was defeated, and eternal
life was secured. I may not have been present to believe on that first Easter morning, but I
believe now. Do you?
