John 99 – The Resurrection
08/09/2026
Scripture 1: (Jn. 20:1-18 ESV)
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”– and that he had said these things to her.
Sermon:
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is, without debate or discussion, the most significant event (pending Jesus’ return) in the redemption of sinners since the Fall in Eden. It is so important that, aside from the LORD’s Supper, it is the only Gospel event with continual, regular observance and celebration since the Apostolic period, being specifically memorialized every year, near the Jewish Passover and weekly during our worship services (according to our Reformed understanding and tradition). Therefore, as professing Christians, we are well familiar with the Easter story, since most of us have grown up hearing it since our youth.
But, since we are so familiar with the story many important details tend to be unintentionally overlooked or forgotten. This is an unfortunate consequence of our familiarity because the LORD, speaking through prophet Isaiah, said, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isa. 55:10-11 ESV). Isaiah reminds us that every Word which comes from God is intentional, purposeful, and valuable. God does not use extraneous or superfluous language. So, since God said it and, since God caused it to be written through the Holy Spirit’s influence (Greek: theopneustos, 2 Timothy 3:16), we are therefore, then obligated to pay attention to it. {This is a core part of the doctrine of inspiration; understanding that every word in Scripture is inspired and authoritative (verbal plenary inspiration).} Thus, just as the broader Easter story which we all know and love is important for us to believe and know, so too are the finer details.
This is one of the benefits of following a lectio continua: of expository preaching; of going consecutively “verse by verse” through whole books of the Bible; because we are able to draw out meaning and understandings that are otherwise left untouched when we preach topically (by selecting texts of Scripture to support whatever a preacher wants to talk about) or, when we want to preach a compelling “story” (as with Christmas or Easter). That is why we have spent so much of our time looking so closely at the events of Jesus’s arrest, trial, execution, and burial to better understand the fullness of what they mean. That is why we have considered how these events are understood as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and what that fulfillment meant to early Christians and what it means for us.
So now, we shall slow down and consider the events of that first Easter morning and examine the details. But first, we will quickly recall the broader story, remembering that:
Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples on Thursday evening, the 14th of Nisan.
Jesus was arrested sometime during that night.
Jesus was hastily tried by two courts (three, if you count Herod), scourged, and then condemned to die sometime near sunrise on Friday morning.
Jesus carried His cross (and our sins) out of the city, was crucified, and was hung suspended for all the world to see, sometime on Friday before noon.
Jesus died knowing that everything necessary for our redemption was completed, surrendering His spirit (giving up the Ghost), around 3pm.
Jesus’s body was then pierced by the Roman soldiers, proving His death, and His body was taken down and buried before sundown on Friday; before the beginning of the Sabbath.
Jesus’s body lay at rest throughout the Sabbath (Genesis 2:2-3), Saturday.
Then came the morning of the “third day” (dying on Friday, resting on Saturday, rising on Sunday), when Jesus rose from the dead…
The Evangelist begins by writing, “Now on the first day of the week…”. That is a significant detail that we take for granted. It is so significant because it was an innovation, as there is little to no importance placed upon that particular day of the week within the Old Testament, except for during God’s work of Creation. “And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” (Gen. 1:5 ESV). If John merely wanted to explain that Jesus’ resurrection took place on “the third day”, he could have plainly written so. He could have simply written “On the morning of the third day…” or, “Three days later…” or, “On the morning after the Sabbath…”. It is no mere coincidence that John used the expression he did for his reference point. His use of “…on the first day of the week…” was purposeful and the key to understanding why is found in Genesis 1.
We remember how Genesis begins, with “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”. We also recall how John’s Gospel began “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (Jn. 1:1-3 ESV). John began his Gospel by echoing Genesis 1 and plainly correlating Jesus Christ, the Divine Word, with the LORD, the Creator; an association he continues throughout the Gospel.
First, we have the start of God’s work of Creation in John 1:1-3 – “In the beginning was the Word …. and the Word was God. …. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”.
Next, we remember that the LORD continued working all week long, without any rest, a point John records Jesus reminding us of in John 5:17, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” (Jn. 5:17 ESV); when Jesus defended Himself against allegedly violating the Sabbath.
Then, John tells us plainly that Jesus died shortly before the start of the weekly Sabbath in John 19:42 but, not only that, that it was also a special “high day” Sabbath in 19:31; a weekly Sabbath that fell upon a holy day Sabbath, since it was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Numbers 28:18).
Therefore, when Jesus died and was laid to rest, He “rested” on the Sabbath, just as the LORD did at the end of Creation. “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” (Gen. 2:2 ESV).
Now, God’s work of creation was truly finished. What the LORD did over seven, twenty-four hour days “In the beginning…”, was reflected by the whole life of Jesus Christ.
So, when John tells us that the resurrection happened on “…the first day of the week…”, he did not mean that it was just another “Manic Monday”, but the first day of re-Creation because now, God’s work of restoration had begun. This is why we worship on Sunday, as the Christian Sabbath, rather than Saturday. We believe that as we are a “new creation” in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17), we have been brought into His promised rest; the true Sabbath rest promised by Psalm 95:8-11 and Hebrews 4:1-16. We therefore, celebrate this rest by resting in Christ through our worship every Lord’s Day, on Sunday.
Then, the Evangelist continued, “…Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”. We know from the other Gospels that Mary was not alone in this, but John’s choice to not mention them was neither a contradiction nor a slight against them. Instead, only Mary is named because she is the active focus point of the narrative; she is the story’s persistent character.
{Here is an interesting detail which is ignored at Easter-time. Mary arrived “…while it was still dark…”. She arrived before the sun had risen and she saw that the tomb was already open. This suggests that Jesus probably did not rise with the sun’s rising. Although we cannot say when, this detail is an argument against a harmony between our Christian faith and any solar cult. Despite many churches celebrating Easter with “sunrise/Son-rise” services, that connection should be considered anachronistic and potentially, as a flawed analogy or application/association. There is no regulative (Biblical) warrant or support for such practices.}
However, the most important detail here is what was not written. Mary saw that Jesus’ tomb was already open, “So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved…”. But, John does not tell us whether or not Mary looked inside the tomb. I expect that she probably did not. She probably did not get close enough, in her surprise. Instead, when she saw that the tomb was open, she assumed that someone had taken Jesus’s body because, why else would it have been opened in the dark while it was still night? Mary’s first instinct was to assume that someone had stolen Jesus’ body. Maybe, perhaps agents of the Sanhedrin, but certainly not anyone whom she would expect to act in “good faith” or with “good intentions”. So, she did the best thing she could think to do; to go find Jesus’ disciples. Then, when she found them, she declared her assumption as fact, telling them “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”. {Notice that here, John does mention her unnamed companions.}
How did these disciples react? They responded with the world’s most famous footrace. “…Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.”. Why did the Evangelist include this particular detail; that the “disciple whom Jesus loved”, beat Peter while runningto the tomb? I do not know. I cannot offer you anything with a high degree of confidence.
This detail has prompted a lot of speculation. There are many interesting ideas and there are suggestions which are reasonably plausible. Presuming that the Evangelist is the “disciple whom Jesus loved” and that he is the Apostle John, the son of Zebedee, as tradition (and logic) suggests, then one of the most common suggestions is that it was a subtle, petty “dig” against Peter. But that would be very unbecoming for one of Jesus’s Apostles; very ungracious and unnecessarily mean even though it was true. Anyways, John passes up several other opportunities to cast Peter in a less than favorable light. No, I believe that there was a deeper meaning and purpose for giving us that detail. Perhaps it was a reminder that while John was the first to reach Jesus’s tomb, Peter went to be with the Lord before he did; which would be a more considerate thought to come from the last surviving Apostle. Regardless, as valuable of a detail as this, I do not believe we need to worry too much about its importance. If you want to explore this rabbit hole, then please, enjoy your Google searches and YouTube videos; but, I warn you to take everything you find with a whole can of Morton’s Kosher Salt.
“So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.”
On the other hand, we can be more assured of their footrace’s importance because of how it factors into the recorded sequence of events.
Peter and John raced to the tomb, but John arrived first.
John looked in and saw the linens that had been used to wrap Jesus “…but he did not go in.”
Next, Peter arrived and he went into the tomb, finding both the linens and the cloth that had covered Jesus’s face lying separately and folded.
Following Peter, John went into the tomb, saw everything and then, he “believed”.
“Then the [two] disciples went back to their homes.” because “…as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that [Jesus] must rise from the dead.”
John, surely the younger of the two, arrived there first, yet he waited for Peter to enter first. This suggests that John showed him a degree of deference (in this specific instance), but whether that was a deference due to his age or, fear of the unknown or, because of some social, hierarchical primacy, we just cannot know.
Now, there are two more important details provided which require scrutiny; both of which because many preachers proclaim certain misconceptions drawn from them, because their conclusions “sound good” and because, while their conclusion may be supported by the whole of Scripture, they are not actually supported by this text. The first detail concerns the folded face cloth and the second concerns what John believed.
It has become very popular to focus on this detail of the folded face cloth[1]. But, while it conveys something important that we need to recognize and understand, there is a wrong and false meaning commonly attributed to it which needs to be corrected[2].
The first time I heard the story was at an ECO National Conference {a Presbyterian denomination I once was a part of} (their equivalent to General Assembly). It was told as part of our preparation for the Lord’s Supper and it was told by an Egyptian pastor. He claimed that this story is rooted in common, Middle Eastern (I have variably heard Jewish) dining convention and practice. According to him, during formal dining situations a person’s napkin was used to quietly convey messages to those serving the meal. Specifically, he suggested that a crumpled napkin, tossed down on the table haphazardly, indicated that an absent person was finished with their meal while a carefully folded napkin indicated that they were not finished and that the diner intended to return.
Hearing that explanation, it is easy to see why a pastor might think it was a good illustration. They could use it as an example of Jesus subtley saying “I’ll be back.”. Unfortunately, this described dining practice is an anachronism (a much more modern social practice) at best. There is no documentary, historical, or tradition-based evidence that supports the idea that this was a practice in antiquity. Not only that, even if it was an ancient practice, the story does not suit the circumstance of the empty tomb. Jesus did not eat a meal while He was in the tomb and, the face cloth was not a napkin. It was a common burial element used to preserve the dignity of the deceased. The folded face cloth has nothing in common with a dining napkin. There is no valid conclusion or application to be drawn by their comparison.
Instead, the only proper conclusion that can reasonably be made about the face cloth being “…folded up in a place by itself.” (Jn. 20:7 ESV) is that the folding was done with purposeful intention. It was done slowly and with care, not in haste or hurry. So, we may conclude that when Jesus rose from the dead, He did not rush. Neither was He afraid, or panicked, or confused by the circumstance of waking within the total darkness of the tomb, wrapped in grave clothes. The LORD, Jesus Christ, always remained in total control because even this was according to His eternal plan. The folded face cloth merely demonstrates and reminds us of Jesus’s purposefulness and intentionality in everything, including His resurrection.
The second detail, of when the Evangelist tells us that “…he saw and believed…”, is very easy for a reader/hearer/interpreter to misunderstand because of our own preconceptions and assumptions. Since this story is telling us about the resurrection of Jesus, obviously, John saw and then he believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead, right? Wrong, because the Evangelist told us that he and Peter still did not yet “…understand the Scripture, that [Jesus] must rise from the dead.”
So, what did he believe because of what he saw?
Since the Evangelist explained that he did not understand the resurrection, and since the only question that was still in doubt concerned the whereabouts of Jesus’s body, then logically, the beloved disciple saw and therefore now believed Mary’s testimony that Jesus’s body was gone; now believing that it had been probably taken (stolen) by some unknown person. He and Peter saw the empty tomb and so, they believed Mary. Nothing more and nothing less. Mary’s testimony was believed and accepted.
“Then the disciples went back to their homes.” THE END, except not because then the Evangelist returned his focus to Mary.
Mary, who had faithfully gone to perform the proper burial rites for Jesus.
Mary, who had faithfully informed the disciples that Jesus’s body was missing.
Mary, who had faithfully followed Peter and John back to the tomb.
Mary, who had faithfully waited outside while the men looked inside and investigated the mystery.
Meanwhile, “…Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.”.
If Mary had not already been thinking that the situation was strange, unusual, or weird enough, she surely would have now. She had been standing outside by the entrance of the tomb, at least since Peter and John came out, but now, when she finally decided to look inside, she saw two other men sitting inside the tomb; people who were not there moments before.
Please understand that 1st century Judean tombs were not very spacious. There would be a chamber, maybe about 5-10 foot square-ish, wherein a person (or maybe two) could work to prepare a body for burial. Then, after that preparation, the body would be placed into a small, person-sized alcove were it would slowly decompose. So, it is most probable that Mary saw the angels sitting on the stone slab “table” where a body’s preparation would occur, not inside an alcove. And, because the mere fact of their presence alone would have been enough of a shock, I doubt that she immediately recognized them as angels, since she did not react with either fear or a desire to worship (the most common reaction in Scripture whenever people meet an angel). Her understanding them as angels surely came later.
Then, these men/angels said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”, asking her an ordinary, caring, and considerate question considering the circumstances of the place. However, I cannot help but expect that the angels may have asked out of their own genuine confusion at her expression of sorrow. The angels knew that Jesus is God the Son and, the angels knew that Jesus had been raised and so, the angels also knew that there was no just cause for Mary to be sorrowful. So, I do not think that they really understood that Mary did not know or understand this, yet. Then Mary answered them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” and then she turned away from them, as if to go search for Him. But, when she turned around, she saw another figure standing near her outside,watching. It was Jesus. She saw Jesus standing there, outside and alive, “…but she did not know that it was Jesus.”.
Now, Mary’s lack of recognition has been a point of consternation, confusion, and concern for the readers of John’s Gospel throughout the centuries. It feels unreasonable to us. Mary had followed Jesus for quite a while. She was a close associate of His and everything about Him should have been familiar.
This has led some people to suggest that Jesus’s appearance may have been different after the resurrection. And, while He certainly would have looked different than while hanging upon the cross: no longer coated by blood; Scripture gives no indication that Jesus no longer looked like Jesus.
Others have suggested that God/Jesus actively prevented Mary (and the other disciples who first met Him after the resurrection) from recognizing Him; “messing with their mind” as it were. But again, nothing in Scripture really suggests that and, that would also be out of God’s character because God only ever kept the truth obscured or hidden from the unregenerate, unfaithful, and hardened of heart (as the LORD had commanded Isaiah, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (Isa. 6:9-10 ESV)).
Instead, the reason why I believe Mary did not recognize Jesus is more simple and straight forward. She was grieving His death. She truly believed that He was dead. Therefore, a living breathing person, even if she thought that He looked a little bit like Jesus, would not have registered in her mind as Jesus. She would have assumed any perceived similarity to be a “trick of the mind” or “wishful thinking”. A living Jesus, when she expected a deceased Jesus, was the ultimate in “out of place”, “out of context”, and “hidden in plain sight” illusion because of her own mental blinders and presuppositional expectation.
Then, “Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?””. {Jesus addressed Mary here as “Woman”, not out of disrespect but respect. He addressed her with the Greek term gune, the same term He used when addressing His mother at the wedding in Cana. It was a generic, proper, and respectful form of address, even for someone whom you were familiar with.} Now, we might suppose Jesus’s question was a bit odd since, because He is God then, He should know that answer. Yet this question is actually another echo of the Garden in Genesis.
After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, when the LORD was “…walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” (Gen. 3:8 ESV) the first humans tried to hide from Him. So, “…the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”” (Gen. 3:9 ESV), not because He did not know where they were, but because He wanted them to respond and to admit to themselves what God already knew. So, when Jesus asked Mary, “Whom are you seeking?”, He was wanting her to respond with “I am seeking Jesus.” He was looking for a sign of her regeneration; a response from her faith; a sign of her true desire for Him and for the LORD. He was not asking for it for Himself, because He already knew. Instead, He was asking for it so that she would know.
But, “Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.””. But we cannot fault Mary for her assumption that the man was the gardener, since they were in a garden, or, her thought that he might have moved Jesus’s body elsewhere. She may not have known that His body had been placed in the tomb by its owner, Joseph of Arimathea. Both assumptions are reasonable and logical, even though they were incorrect. They are what a reasonable person should assume in that circumstance. But her assumption about Jesus as the “gardener” was not incorrect. Not only does that detail help to tighten the connection with the first chapters of Genesis, but Jesus: as the LORD, as the Eternal Logos; is also the first and greatest Gardener because, shortly after Creation, He planted and cultivated the Garden of Eden to be mankind’s original home. So, it is fitting for Jesus and Mary to have had this encounter, in a garden in “the cool of the day” on the first day of the re-Creation.
Now, I also imagine that Jesus might have shaken His head, being slightly disappointed in her. But then, “Jesus said to her, “Mary.””, causing her to stop, turn, and respond “…to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).”.
Yet it was only after Jesus called her by name, that Mary recognized Him for who He is. It was only when she heard His voice call to her, with love and care, that she was able to respond rightly; responding in the only way that she could, with joy and love. This was just how Jesus had said it would be. Remember, Jesus had said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.“
There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”” (Jn. 10:11-30 ESV)
Based upon Jesus’s response to Mary’s reaction, I expect that she fell to her knees in worshipful joy; reaching out to hold Jesus when she realized that He was real and truly alive. So, “Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”– and that he had said these things to her.” Mary again returned to the disciples and this time, she told them that she had found Jesus; that she had seen the risen Lord. She did as she was told, but John does not tell us whether they believed her.
Mary heard Jesus’s voice calling her.
Mary recognized Jesus as the LORD: her Teacher, Master, and Lord.
Mary rejoiced because she knew and understood that Jesus is alive, again.
Mary faithfully responded and obeyed Jesus; doing what He had commanded her.
The key details within this final portion of our passage, are:
Jesus calling Mary, by name, and her response of faith because of the example she has now set for us.
Because of Mary’s response, we know that when we do hear Jesus call our name (both in this life at our moment of regeneration and in the next when we are raised into glory) it is a joy-filled moment and that we also cannot help but gladly respond by calling Him, “our Lord”; our Rabboni.
Jesus’s instruction to Mary and her response of obedience; because He instructed her to “Go and tell” a message meant to be a comfort and an encouragement to them in the midst of their sorrow; a message of Good News and a tiding of great joy!
Because of Mary’s response, we know that we ought to do likewise.
Every Christian bears the responsibility and the privilege to carry the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection with us and share it with others.
Every Christian bears the responsibility and the privilege to proclaim our adoption as the children of God; that Jesus’s Father is our Father.
Every Christian bears the responsibility and the privilege to proclaim that we have been called by the LORD; that we have been called by Jesus Christ to be His chosen people and the He is and shall be our God (our only God); proclaiming the Good News of the gracious covenant which He has made with (and for) His people.
Every Christian bears the responsibility and the privilege to believe Christ, to believe in Jesus Christ, and to trust Him as our Savior and our Lord.
Every Christian bears the responsibility and the privilege to proclaim that Jesus has conquered the grave; that He has triumphed over our sin, over death, and over the Devil {Christus Victor} for the good of His adopted brothers and sisters.
Every Christian bears the responsibility and the privilege to proclaim this Good News so that other may also hear it and believe it; so that they may be welcomed into the family of God; so that they may be redeemed from the consequence of their sin and enjoy communion with God.
Every Christian bears the responsibility and the privilege to “Go and tell”. So, be like Mary. Respond to Jesus’s call and obey His command. So, go and tell the Good News that He is Risen; he is Risen indeed.
AMEN
[1] https://www.citizen-times.com/story/life/2017/04/21/devotional-why-did-jesus-fold-napkin-tomb/100612470/
[2] https://www.gotquestions.org/folded-napkin.html
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