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Grand Resurrection
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ran back to the tomb and confirmed what Mary had told them. They
saw the shroud there, but no Jesus.
When Peter and John left the tomb and returned to Jerusalem,
Mary lingered behind, overwhelmed with grief and wondering who
could tell her what had happened to Jesus’ body. In the midst of this
perplexity, her eyes filled with tears, she heard a voice asking, “Why
are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”
John 20:15
Through her tears Mary could see a figure and presumed it to be
the gardener. She asked, “If you took the body away, tell me where
you put it.” Mary feared the gardener might have thought that this
rich man’s grave was too honorable a place for someone crucified
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as a criminal. If that were the case, she would find an appropriate
place. Her mind went immediately to the tomb where she and her
sister had buried Lazarus before Jesus raised him from the dead.
Then Jesus addressed her again, this time by her name. “Mary!”
She knew instantly this was not the gardener—it was the res-
urrected Jesus! For a moment she forgot He’d been crucified, and
rushed to embrace His feet, exclaiming, “Master!”
Jesus raised His hand and said, “Not now. I must ascend to My
Father. Go to My disciples and tell them I am going to My Father,
your Father; My God, your God.”
Mary left quickly to share this incredible message
As long as Jesus lay in the grave, Satan hoped that Jesus would
not take up His life again. On Friday afternoon Satan claimed the
Lord’s body and set his own angels to guard the tomb. He felt bitterly
angry when the angel from heaven arrived on Sunday morning and
scared away his angels! As Satan watched Jesus step out of the
grave alive, he knew that his kingdom was doomed and that he
would ultimately die.
The priests became the tools of Satan when they arranged for
Jesus to be put to death, and on Sunday morning they were still
entirely in his power. When they heard the report of the resurrection,
they were afraid of the reaction of the people and felt that their own
lives were in danger. Their only hope was to try to cast Jesus as an
impostor and to deny His resurrection. So they bribed the soldiers,
secured Pilate’s silence, and spread their lies as far as they could.
However, there were some witnesses they could not silence.
Many people had heard the soldiers’ startling report on their way
