He is Alive

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

HE IS ALIVE

John 20:1-9

20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

NIV

One of the most exciting narratives in the whole of scripture and still, John says that he and Peter still did not understand. But it was Mary Magdalene who first went to the tomb. There is much written about this Mary of Magdala, a town we had the privilege to visit while in Israel is said to have been her hometown. That is why she is referred to as Mary Magdalene and she is referred to more in the scriptures that many of the disciples. We believe from other accounts it was she would pour the expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus. It was Mary Magdalene whom Jesus healed by casting out seven demons from her. It is any wonder she was a close follower of Jesus and poured that perfume on him. She is mentioned as one of several women who supported the ministry of Jesus. Mary Magdalene was at the cross with the mother of Jesus. It would make perfect sense she watched as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus removed Jesus from the cross and took him to this new tomb. She knew where the tomb was and she with Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women who went to the tomb early in the morning with spices they had prepared which we find in the record Luke made. We cannot be sure how they intended to use the spices as the stone which was rolled in front of the tomb would have been very heavy and it was under guard as other accounts tell us. However, Luke records that when they arrived at the tomb the stone was already rolled aside and they went into the tomb but did not find Jesus. He was gone, he has been resurrected, but they did not know or understand that yet. Still, Luke tells us two angels appeared to them asking them why were they looking for the living among the dead.

Luke 24:1-12

24:1 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.'"  8 Then they remembered his words.

This is most interesting that the resurrection was first witnessed by these women and they remembered all the words Jesus had told them about this event. It seems we always hear about the disciples being the twelve men, but these women traveled along with Jesus as well, hearing all his teaching. Nevertheless, this is the core of all the gospel message, for if there is no resurrection, there is nothing at all. What purpose would anything Jesus did, coming from heaven to live as a man, healing all that came to him, teaching all the truth he did, and then dying on the cross for our sins, if he remained in the tomb? That would mean we too would remain in the grave, and then life would have no other meaning then life itself and that beer slogan of years past, “You only go around once in life, so grab all the gusto you can”, would have significant meaning. But it does not, for the true meaning of life is in Jesus, because he not only took our sins away, he did not stay in the grave, it arose, he was resurrected, his physical body was alive, glorified and able to walk through doors and ascend into heaven. This is the life we too will have upon then death of this body, it too will be raised from the grave, glorified and ascend into heaven. Jesus promised us. He said that we would be where he is, that in fact, he would come back to earth and get us. We do not only go around once in life, we have life eternal after this life, in fact, the day we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior we began our eternal life. Death has no sting for us, it cannot hold us, and Jesus has told the devil and death itself to let his people go. He is alive.