Matthew 28:1-10
Verse 1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
We are going to spend the last days of our study on the various times that Jesus appeared to His people to prove that He was indeed risen from the dead. We start with the earliest sightings.
The woman are coming to the tomb to revisit the dashing of their hopes in the man they thought to be the Messiah. They may not have understood what His death was going to mean to them in the future but they knew that the relationship they had shared was special, never before had they a friend like Him and so they knew they needed to tend to the body.
The shock when they arrived to the empty grave was not something that came with a clear understanding of what had occurred. An earthquake and the angel of the Lord and then having Him come to them on the road on their way to tell His disciples what they had seen. And while they may have been a bit uncertain as to what was really happening, the moment they see Him and know it is Him they waste no time falling on His feet to worship Him.
We don’t know for sure who this other Mary is that is mentioned going to the grave with Mary Magdalene but there was a Mary who was known to be at the feet of Jesus. Her sister Martha got upset at her for spending her time listening at His feet instead of helping in the kitchen. She had also anointed His feet with expensive perfume. Whether this is the same Mary or not, both of these women fell to His feet to worship Him when they saw Him alive and well. Their touching His feet shows that He was indeed alive and physically touchable. You can’t touch a ghost.
He sends them to tell His disciples and they go with joy and wonder to spread the good news of His resurrection with the others that had been in the same uncertainty in the last few days. That must have been some get together! The first Sunday celebrating His resurrection. A day that would begin with darkness of mood and awaken with the best news ever to be proclaimed. He is risen!
Making It Personal
When is a time in your life that you felt stuck in the dark? How did God come through to draw you closer to Him? Who have you told or should you tell about what He has done?
Making It Personal Kids
Have you ever felt really sad about something? How did Jesus bring you happiness again? Who should you share with about what Jesus did?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for bringing us out of the darkness of our sin and bringing us into the light of Your holiness. Help us grow to love this light more than the darkness that entices us and help us spread the truth of Your resurrection to all we meet. In Jesus’ name, amen.