I. Overnight the world had changed! Saturday and Friday were the worst days of their lives. These women had watched their beloved Jesus die.
Have you been at the bedside of a loved one who was dying? It's hard to watch them go. Even if it is a so-called “welcome death” because of a great illness or other circumstance that caused them much pain, it is still hard to say good-bye.
These women had watched more than a “normal” death. They had witnessed torture and injustice heaped upon the Son of God. It was a wretched experience for them. And they could do nothing, absolutely nothing, except to watch from a distance as the horror unfolded before them.
When the tragedy was done and Jesus was dead, Joseph and Nicodemus took His limp body down from the cross. A few of the women had gone along to note where they buried Him. They helped to roll the stone into place late Friday, but couldn't do anything more for the Sabbath was upon them. So they went home to wait. In obedience to the Sabbath commandment they rested. Meanwhile, their minds and hearts found no peace.
Twenty-four hours later, at sunset on the Sabbath, the women bought spices and oils to anoint the body. They brought them home, but it was too late to do anything about it on Saturday. So they waited for morning's light. They went to sleep, filled with sorrow and regrets – their Jesus was dead; their worlds had collapsed.
Early before dawn on Sunday they were up and getting their spices together. They scurried out the door on their way to Joseph's garden. These three must have left before the rest because the Bible says elsewhere (Jn.20:1) that Mary left the house while it was still dark. Maybe they planned to meet the others at the tomb, or perhaps the others caught up at the crossroads, but together they plodded on with hearts so heavy.
As they went on in silence, a perplexing thought arose in some one's mind and she voiced it: “How are we going to get in? The stone is covering the opening. We can't move that obstacle by ourselves.” And there was another problem that they may or may not have known about. A guard of Roman soldiers had been placed there to keep all of Jesus' disciples out of the tomb. As each step fell, more doubt and concern burdened them.
Soon they rounded a bend and crested a hill. The tomb came fully into view and a stunning sight greeted them. The stone was gone! What wild conclusions must have come to their minds! Grave robbery! Violence to the body! Panic set in. Immediately Mary Magdalene wielded about and ran back to tell the others before finding out what actually took place. She assumed, just assumed without any evidence that someone had taken the body of her Lord. For her, no other explanation was possible. She was gone in a flash; the others couldn't stop her. But those who remained slowly approached to investigate.
Can't you see them in their confusion, dear friends, creeping, creeping, creeping ever so cautiously towards the entrance, one small step at a time, like a wary animal approaching something they had never encountered before. When they got to the opening, they hesitantly peeked inside.
Hhhh! A breath escaped. The body was gone! The linen cloth used for the burial was still there, but it no longer was wound about Jesus' body. Strange, it wasn't cast aside as though ripped off in a hurry. No – it lay flat right where the corpse had been as though the body had melted away from beneath it. And the burial napkin that had been placed over Jesus' face was neatly folded by itself to the side. There was no sign of haste, no sign of violence, but all lay there orderly as though the One who had worn them had leisurely taken His time at putting them off from Himself. What had happened? What had changed since they had witnessed his burial late Friday?
They entered and immediately were aware of two men dressed in gleaming white; one was sitting to the right. In an instant caution gave way to fear in the presence of God's holy angels. The one on the right spoke. His words were simple, soothing: “Don't be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.”
Those words, dear friends, announced news of the most significant change these women had ever heard. The Lord Jesus alive?! Not among the dead?! Could this be? The words left them stunned, astonished, bewildered. It was too much, simply too much to take in after the state in which they had been – too much to believe. Even in their wildest dreams they could never have imagined such news.
Indeed, no one could! Every single one of the disciples who heard this news of Jesus' resurrection had to be convinced it was true before they would believe it. And it wouldn't have been different for any one of us had we been there. But the fact was Jesus lived. He truly was alive – body and spirit alive, and He kept proving it to them over the next 40 days until it all became clear.
One thing is certain: Overnight the World Had Changed. Even if they did not fully understand it all at the time, everything was different for them after that first Easter morning. And that's no exaggeration!
II. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a truth so significant that it is impossible to exaggerate, and you would not want any exaggeration to it. Why not? To answer that, go back to the first questions we raised.
Have you ever been at the bedside of a loved one who was dying? If you haven't had that experience yet, you will, for death will fall to us all since “the wages of sin is death.” And there is not one of us who has not “sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Ro.3:23). As a result, you will experience death in this life – for others and yourself. At that time there is nothing that will give you comfort except one thing: a risen Savior who conquered death for you and promises: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn.11:25).
Oh, it's hard to watch a loved one go. And what about your own life when you see it fading away? At such times you want no exaggerations; you want no pious platitudes; you want no empty promises. You want a Savior to trust in, one who conquered sin, passed through death, and was raised to life for you. That's what you've got in Christ Jesus. In Him and His resurrection your world changed for He showed His power over everything that holds you back. Even if you have trouble understanding it all and taking it in, like these women did, the truth still remains as the angel proclaimed it: “He is not here. He is risen.” With that He has demonstrated His power over death and His power to change things.
You know, He's the only one in the history of the world that has ever done that. All others, including all other religious leaders, remain dead. They're still rotting in tombs somewhere. They may claim to live on, but they don't except in their misleading teachings that will take you away from the only way to heaven – Christ Jesus. No founder of any other religion has ever left his grave behind like Jesus did. Their followers even visit their shrines where the remains of their leader are kept and revered. What good is a dead god, a lifeless savior? How sad is that, that people put their trust in powerless men. Dead, buried, separated from the truth forever.
But the same it not true with Jesus. Disciples of Jesus don't visit His remains in Jerusalem. Why not? Because He is risen!
That fact ought to move our hearts every Easter morning to sing with such joy: “Jesus Christ is risen today. Hallelujah!” For overnight our world changed. It means that all disciples of Jesus will live again.
Oh, to be sure, like Him, we will be laid to rest in graves. But at the word of Christ all who believe will rise again and leave their empty graves behind. He promised, “Because I live, you also will live” (Jn.14:19). No one else can give such a promise; only the One who has gone through it and conquered it completely.
Believe it, dear friend. Treasure its hope. Find comfort in it in good days and in bad. Confront all life's challenges with it. Overcome every burden and obstacle with the confidence that you shall rise again as Jesus did. Through every step of life, may you always be brought to Joseph's garden. With the eyes of faith, look inside the tomb of Jesus and hear again and again that it is empty. He is not here; He has risen! Praise God, it's true!
Overnight Our World Changed. As Paul said, “Death has been swallowed up in victory….Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1Cor.15:54f). God grant it in our lives of faith for Jesus' sake. Amen.