Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the (empty) tomb. John 20:1 WEB

On the Sunday following the Friday of Jesus’ death on the cross, John’s gospel account describes Jesus’ followers finding the empty tomb of Christ. Specifically, John writes of Mary Magdalene discovering the stone rolled away. He then describes Simon Peter and another disciple identified only as “the one Jesus loved” entering to find the tomb empty. John concludes his description of the empty tomb writing in John 20:9-10, “For as yet they didn’t know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes. WEB”

One of the most compelling of the Old Testament prophecies concerning resurrection comes from a psalm of David. We read in Psalm 16:10, “you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. NIV” Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled these words. Jesus is the resurrection. As the Lord said to Lazarus’ sister Martha in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. WEB”

To his disciples, the risen Lord explains his fulfillment of the law of Moses, the psalms, and the prophets in Luke 24:44 saying, “This is what I told you, while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled. WEB”

Peace Be With You

Although they did not realize it at the time, Jesus prophesied his own death and resurrection. Addressing the religious leaders of the day who opposed his ministry, Jesus foretold the story of the empty tomb and his resurrection. Referring to his body as a temple, Jesus said in John 2:9, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. WEB” And, this is exactly what his mourners and disciples discovered on that Sunday following Jesus’ death. 

After his resurrection, Jesus appeared on multiple occasions and to hundreds of believers. The first of these appearances was to Mary Magdalene. John 20:19 records Jesus’ first appearance to his disciples. It reads, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ NIV”

The empty tomb and Jesus’ multiple appearances after his resurrection offer proof of his divinity. Further, these events give the faithful hope in eternal life with our heavenly Father in the kingdom of heaven.  

Yesterday’s Devotional: Great High Priest