4th Thursday in Lent
Scripture: John 20:1-3
NRS 1 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. 2
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." 3 Then Peter and the
other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.
Devotional: Have
you ever heard the term “Easter Faith?” It is generally a term used to describe
the difference between the disciples’ faith before Jesus goes to the cross
versus their faith after the resurrection. It is often assumed, because the
gospels read, “They saw and believed,” that the experience of walking into the
empty tomb led to the disciples having an immediate Easter faith. Adherents to
this belief leave little room for questions or doubts, so the measure of our
faith against a standard of their certainty may fall short. We wonder how the
disciples could have such great faith so fast, when ours has been taking time
to develop. Before we stand in the conviction that they left the empty tomb
ready to preach their certain resurrection belief to the world, let’s take a
moment to consider what the text of the gospel tells us they actually believed.
For the next three days, we will focus on the discovery account from the Gospel
of John. Today we begin with Mary reporting her discovery to Simon Peter and
the other disciple. Knowing what she reported is key to our understanding of
their belief in the empty tomb because it defines their expectations. Alone and
in the dark, Mary went to the tomb and found the stone rolled away. She didn’t
enter. She didn’t look for clues. She didn’t encounter an angel. She ran to
Simon Peter. Her report? “Someone has stolen Jesus’ body.” She went expecting a
dead body, so her report to the disciples was that the body was stolen. She did
not report resurrection. She did not come to them proclaiming, “Jesus has risen
from the dead!” On this side of history, we know the truth of resurrection, but
Mary and the disciples never even considered it a possibility. Peter and the
Beloved went to the tomb to inspect a situation regarding a missing body, not a
resurrected one. One cannot have resurrection faith if they don’t believe it is
even possible, so at the tomb there couldn’t have been Easter faith. This is a
perfect example of why, in our own study of the Bible, we need to make careful
inspection of the text rather than let assumptions made too quickly lead us
down the road of misunderstanding. Easter faith will come, just not as they
stood in the empty tomb.
Prayer: Lord we
pray that You will open our eyes to the truth found in Your Word. Help us to
understand what the disciples understood so we travel their same journey of a growing
Easter Faith, Amen.
Song of praise: Christ
the Lord is Risen Today (He is Not Dead) by NCC Worship
Spiritual discipline
challenge: Today is Wednesday, a day we gather with other Christians
to revel in God’s Word. Find time today to connect with a fellow Christian and
celebrate the truth that Christ has risen indeed!
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