John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed 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.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who 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 returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other 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.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” 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 Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because 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 she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:1-18 (NRSVUE)
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
It’s not every day that we wake up to good news. Today, we do!
Those who first discovered that the tomb was empty did not know what to do with this news. Peter and the other disciple believed even as they yet did not understand. Mary, at first confused and disturbed by the empty tomb, weeps. After seeing more than the empty tomb, but Jesus himself, her tears are no more and she goes back with news to share.
News to share! That’s the kind of news that good news is. News to share.
Today, we do! We may not fully understand what it means that Jesus is risen and we may not know if we should laugh or cry or what with this good news but our understanding does not change its nature. Good news is good news!
The good news about the Good News, though, is that it does not just sit in your life as information, but, it is alive and active. It saves you. It moves you from doubt to belief, from mourning to rejoicing, from agitation to peace, from not understanding to understanding, from hoarding to sharing, from burdened to unburdened.
The Good News that keeps on being Good News.
Hear it again.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!
Questions for Reflection:
- Who would you be in these verses? The other disciple? Peter? Mary?
- What surprises you about this passage and the Easter story?
- What prevents you from rejoicing in the Good News?
- From what to what is God moving you?
Prayer:
God of life,
Thank you for Good News! Clear my life of all that stands in the way of receiving it.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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