Jesus is Not in the Tomb

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. 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!”  John 20:1-2

These next couple of days are going to be the best of the month!  Talking, writing, sharing about the empty tomb!  After the walk we've taken thus far, the empty tomb is where we find hope, and the promise of our future!

But . . . we know the end of the story.  We know for sure what happened to Jesus.  But at that moment, on that day, at that tomb, Mary Magdalene, John and Peter had to have been scared.  They had to have been thinking, now what?  What else can possibly happen?

It's striking to me how a woman was the first to the tomb.  The first to take action.  Sometimes women can get a bad rap in biblical stories (thanks again, Eve lol) but Mary's actions make me proud to be a woman!  She showed such sensitivity, such devotion.  She stayed by Jesus' side through his whole ordeal, despite any danger to herself, despite the fact that all the men but one left, despite the tragedy that she was facing.

She faced it - head on.  She gives us such a good example to live by.  How do we react to adversity?  Some of us bury ourselves, with work, or stuff.  Or we deny that there are any problems.  Or we worry and fret. 

Mary?  She stayed by her Lord's side.  No matter what.  She stayed by his side, even to the point of going to the tomb.  She thought he was dead - what ridiculous devotion!  How can staying close to a dead man help at all?

I so want to laugh at that statement!  Staying close to Jesus meant she got to be the first one to know he wasn't there.  Staying close to Jesus meant (as we'll see in detail on Friday) she got to be the first one to see him alive.  Being close to Jesus meant she got an honor that no one else received.

It meant that she got the good news - first hand. 

It meant that she saw the miracle - first hand.

It meant that she - this woman, who had been possessed by seven evil spirits, the devil himself! - she got to see a glimpse of eternal promise.  First hand.

Woah. 

Before I close today, I want to share the significance of the number three.  Jesus was dead for three days, and as you probably already know, God uses numbers specifically and symbolically throughout His love letter to us.


The number three, for example, has the symbolic meaning of divine or supernatural.  It is used of God to signify His purpose or His will.  Let's take a quick look at some examples of the number three:

• God sent the three messengers to Abraham to tell him that Sarah would conceive in her old age.  It was by the will of God and for His own purposes that Sarah should conceive so that God would make a great nation of Abraham through it. 

• God brought a thick darkness upon the land of Egypt (exodus 10:22-23) for three days.

• Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

• The Apostle Paul with blinded for three days.

• The purpose and will of God is worked out in the three of the Godhead - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Just look and see how many times that 3 is used during Jesus' story.  The atonement for our sins is covered in the number three - and again, if you really think about how this number signifies God's will and purpose, the meaning is clear. 

Jesus prayed three times that this cup would pass.
Three apostles went to the garden to pray with Him.
Peter denied Jesus three times.
Pilate tried three times to let Jesus go.
There were three crosses
There were three men crucified.
There was writing in three languages on the cross.
Jesus was crucified in the third hour.
He was dead for three days and three nights.

Is three significant?  Oh yes. 

See you tomorrow.