A Moment to Remember
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying." Matt. 28:5, 6, NASB.
Some things you don't just forget. I remember precisely that I was washing my car on that sunny California autumn day when I heard the shattering news that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.
And I will never forget the moment that I first became aware of the September 11 disaster. Standing speechless in a phone booth at the Amsterdam airport, I suddenly realized why my ride had not picked me up. The world was reeling in shock and in the crisis of the moment I had been forgotten. The world had changed and my predicament was a side causality.
We don't often forget such events. Instead, we remember them as if they were yesterday. And we often share our story with others as we grapple with their meaning.
It was like that with the two Marys. They were shook up, to say the least, over what happened the day before. The last thing they had expected was to see their precious Lord Jesus die on a cross. If my guess is right, they had spent a sleepless night, tossing and turning, crying their hearts out, and repeatedly asking, Why? But the only answer they received was silence, except for the similar tossing of others in the room. Disheartening misery and darkness was all they felt and saw. The light of their life had gone out.
Not being able to sleep, they rose early the next morning just to visit the tomb. They were going as mourners. Expecting nothing else, they just needed some peace and quiet.
But peace and quiet is the last thing they got. With an earthquake, stunned guards, and the presence of a brilliant angel they once again found their senses overpowered. Things were still changing as they faced new realities.
The God who had been silent on Crucifixion Friday was having the last word. With the words "He is risen" He had begun to answer their questions. Hope budded anew in their still uncomprehending hearts.
That is a moment that the two Marys never forgot. It is one that they told to their children and grandchildren. Through the gospel stories they are still telling it today. "He is risen" is the apex of the entire story of the incarnate Jesus. And "He is risen" are the words that still give us courage to move forward two millennia later.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying." Matt. 28:5, 6, NASB.
Some things you don't just forget. I remember precisely that I was washing my car on that sunny California autumn day when I heard the shattering news that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.
And I will never forget the moment that I first became aware of the September 11 disaster. Standing speechless in a phone booth at the Amsterdam airport, I suddenly realized why my ride had not picked me up. The world was reeling in shock and in the crisis of the moment I had been forgotten. The world had changed and my predicament was a side causality.
We don't often forget such events. Instead, we remember them as if they were yesterday. And we often share our story with others as we grapple with their meaning.
It was like that with the two Marys. They were shook up, to say the least, over what happened the day before. The last thing they had expected was to see their precious Lord Jesus die on a cross. If my guess is right, they had spent a sleepless night, tossing and turning, crying their hearts out, and repeatedly asking, Why? But the only answer they received was silence, except for the similar tossing of others in the room. Disheartening misery and darkness was all they felt and saw. The light of their life had gone out.
Not being able to sleep, they rose early the next morning just to visit the tomb. They were going as mourners. Expecting nothing else, they just needed some peace and quiet.
But peace and quiet is the last thing they got. With an earthquake, stunned guards, and the presence of a brilliant angel they once again found their senses overpowered. Things were still changing as they faced new realities.
The God who had been silent on Crucifixion Friday was having the last word. With the words "He is risen" He had begun to answer their questions. Hope budded anew in their still uncomprehending hearts.
That is a moment that the two Marys never forgot. It is one that they told to their children and grandchildren. Through the gospel stories they are still telling it today. "He is risen" is the apex of the entire story of the incarnate Jesus. And "He is risen" are the words that still give us courage to move forward two millennia later.
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