While soldiers
guarded the sepulcher in which the body of Jesus Christ lay, the earth
violently shook, two angels descended from heaven, rolled away the
stone, and sat upon it. Overcome with fear the soldiers fell to the
ground as if dead.
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| "Holy Women Near the Tomb" by Maurice Denis |
The next morning, as soon as day began to dawn, Mary
Magdalene and other women hurried to the tomb bearing sweet spices to
anoint the Savior’s body. Worried about how they would roll back the
heavy stone, they were surprised to find it already rolled back, and two
angels guarding the entrance. Sensing the women’s fear, the angels
said, “Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was
crucified: he is risen; he is not here” (Mark 16:6). “Remember how he
spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee. Saying, The Son of man must
be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the
third day rise again” (Luke 24:6-7).
At the
invitation of the angels the women then looked inside the sepulcher and
when they had seen that it was empty the angels instructed them to go
tell Peter and the disciples that the Lord had risen. The women returned
quickly and told all they had seen. But most of the men took it as idle
talk and refused to believe the women.
However, Peter
and John hurried to the sepulcher and when they arrived Peter stooped
down to look inside and saw that the linen clothes were lying
undisturbed, but the napkin which had been about Jesus’ head was folded
in a place by itself. The sight must have startled him. If the body had
been stolen the linen would have been taken with the body or at least
strewn about the room in disarray, but instead it lay where it had been
and the napkin neatly folded. What could it mean? Perplexed Peter and
John returned to their homes.
Overcome with
sorrow, Mary stayed in the garden, and still weeping, peered inside the
tomb one more time. There she saw the two angels, one sitting at the
head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. Seeing
her sorrow, one said to her, “Woman, why weepest thou?” (John 20:13.
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| "Jesus Appears to Mary" by Gregg Olsen |
“Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.”
As she spoke,
she turned back and saw Jesus standing in the garden, but with tears
filling her eyes she didn’t recognize Him. “Why weepest thou?” he asked
her.
Thinking He was
the gardener she begged of Him, “Sir, if thou have borne him hence,
tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”
Jesus
responded, “Mary,” and at the sound of the familiar voice calling her
name her grief turned instantly to joy and she cried, “My great Master.”
“Hold me not,”
Jesus cautioned, “for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my
brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father;
and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17).
Mary did as
instructed and thus dawned the greatest day in the history of the world.
Many mighty miracles followed as graves opened and the resurrected
bodies of the saints came forth to minister to believers.
Jesus also
appeared to many other people and the world rejoiced in the fact that
the great enemies of life, spiritual and physical death, had been
defeated. Because He loved us so much, Jesus Christ saved us.
He is risen!
