Scripture
“Don’t be afraid!” he said.” I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.”

Observation
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb early Sunday morning. Suddenly there is an earthquake, and an angel of the Lord comes and rolls aside the stone in front of the tomb entrance. The guards faint from fear at the sight of the angel.

The angel speaks to the women and gives them the amazing news that Jesus is no longer dead. They are to go and tell the disciples, and they will meet Him in Galilee .

The women run from the tomb full of fear and joy. Jesus meets them on the way. They fall down and worship Him.

Meanwhile, the Pharisees bribe the guards to say that they fell asleep and the disciples came and stole the body.

Application
The death and resurrection of Jesus are amongst the most attested historical facts of the ancient world. Many have tried to disprove the resurrection, but no one has succeeded .

We might think of alternative explanations for the reports of jesus’ resurrection. One that is suggested in this passage is that the disciple stole the body while the guards slept. In any military organisation, sleeping while on duty is a great offence, and in the Roman army this would incur the death penalty. Nobody would willingly own up to this.

The disciples would later suffer great torture and death. If they had faked the resurrection, surely at least one of them would have admitted it. Yet they remained consistent and unwavering in their preaching that Jesus is alive.

Some have speculated that Jesus did not really die on the cross. While in the cooler conditions of the cave, they say He revived and convinced everyone that He had died and was alive again. Yet the injuries suffered in crucifixion, not to mention the spear to His side, would not get better in three days. Jesus’ body was badly broken on the cross. The resurrection narratives all describe Jesus as full of life.

Jesus really did rise from the grave. He died for our sins, and then God raised him to life as a sign of the eternal life we will all inherit with him.

Prayer
Hallelujah! What an awesome miracle this is! Praise God! Amen.