The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
Very early on the morning of the third day, our Sunday, the women started to the tomb with their spices for the body of Jesus. They did not know that soldiers were keeping watch at the tomb, and they did not know that tomb was sealed. As they walked along they wondered how they could roll away the heavy stone, blocking the door into the tomb.
Great was their surprise when they reached the tomb. They found that the big stone had already been rolled away, and the tomb was empty. One of the women, named Mary Magdalene, ran back to tell Peter and John about it, and said, “They have taken away our Lord, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
The other two women had gone into the tomb, and as they stood there, wondering what this meant, two men stood by them in shining garments, and said, “Why do you look for the living in the home of the dead? Your Lord is not here, but is risen. Do you not remember what he said to you in Galilee, that the Son of man should be given up to wicked people and be crucified, and the third day should rise again? Go and tell the disciples that their Master will meet them in Galilee.”
These two women did remember these words of Jesus, and now they understood what Jesus had meant by them. They quickly went away to tell the others the message which had been given to them.
As soon as Peter and John heard the story of Mary Magdalene, they ran to the tomb. John could run faster than Peter, and he reached the tomb first. John did not go into the tomb, but as he stooped down and looked in, he saw the clothes that had been wrapped around Jesus. When Peter arrived he went into the tomb, and John soon followed Peter. Then they saw for themselves that what Mary had told them was true; the clothes were there, but the body of Jesus was not to be seen.
Peter and John returned home, but Mary Magdalene, who had followed them back to the tomb, did not leave the place. As she stooped down to look into the tomb, she saw two angels sitting, one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
The angels asked, “Woman, why do you weep?”
Mary answered, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”
She turned around, and saw some one else standing behind her, who also asked, “Woman, why do you weep? For whom are you looking?”
Mary’s eyes were filled with tears, and thinking that she was talking to the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away from here, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
The voice spoke again, “Mary.”
Only one person in the whole world had ever spoken her name as sweetly as that. Looking up she saw Jesus, and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher)
Jesus said, “Do not cling to (touch) Me for I have not yet gone to heaven to live; but I shall go to be with my Father and your Father, with my God and your God. Go to My brethren and tell them what I have said.”
The other women were still on the way to tell the disciples the angel’s message when Jesus met them, and He said, “Rejoice!”
Trembling, they fell down at Jesus’ feet and worshiped Him. Seeing that they were afraid, Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
What about the soldiers who were ordered to keep guard over the tomb where Jesus was laid? As they were watching, they heard a noise, and saw a strange sight. An angel, whose face was like lightning, and whose garments were as white as snow, rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The guards were afraid, and ran to tell the Sanhedrin what had happened
The Sanhedrin called another meeting in great haste, to decide what they should do about it, and this is what they decided. They gave the soldiers some money, and asked them to tell this lie: that, when they were asleep, the disciples came and stole the body.
The soldiers were not willing to say this, for if Pilate, the governor, heard that they had slept while on duty they might lose their own lives. But the rulers of the Children of Israel said, “You need not be afraid; we will make it all right with the Governor.”
So the soldiers took the money, and did as they were told; and even today many of the Children of Israel still believe that the soldiers told the truth.
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples, who were very lonely and sad, and told them that Jesus was alive, and that she had seen Him. The disciples did not believe her, and they also did not believe the other women who came to them with the same story.
That same day, as two of the disciples were walking toward the village of Emmaus, about eight miles from Jerusalem, talking of all those things that had happened, a stranger joined them, and asked them what they were saying that made them look so sad.
They told this stranger how Jesus, who they thought was to be the king of Israel, had been crucified by the rulers of the Children of Israel. They spoke of the wonderful news that the women had brought to them, that Jesus was alive again. But they showed that they did not yet understand what had happened. The stranger said to them, “How hard it is for you to understand all that the prophets said about your king.”
Then the stranger showed them that what the prophets had said about the king had all come true in the life of Jesus. The stranger talked to them all the way to Emmaus, and they were so delighted to hear Him that they asked Him not to go farther that night, but to stay with them.
The stranger accepted their invitation, and went into the house. As He sat at supper with them, He took bread and blessed it and then broke it. As He did so they looked more carefully at Him than they had before, and they knew that He was not a stranger. They saw that the face was that of one they knew; that it was Jesus, their Lord.
But as soon as they found this out His place at the table was empty; Jesus had suddenly left them. The two men hurried back to Jerusalem to tell the apostles about it. Their hearts were filled with joy as they told their friends that Jesus had walked with them, and had taught them how the sayings of the prophets had come true in Jesus’ life and death, but that they had not known Him until He sat at the table with them, and broke the bread. The apostles said, “We know that he is living, for Peter has seen him.”
Just then some one came into the room. They all looked up at once, because they heard a voice say, “Peace be unto you.”
As they looked they were afraid. What did they see? Could it be Jesus, their Master, or was it a spirit?
A spirit could not talk, but they heard a voice saying, “Why are you afraid? Why do you wonder who is with you? Look at my hands and my feet; do you not know whose they are? Take hold of them and make sure; a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see me have.”
They were so happy that they could not believe that Jesus, their Master, was really with them until He said, “Have you anything to eat?”
They gave Jesus a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb; and as He ate it Jesus talked with them as He had before His death. Jesus said, “Do you not remember that when I was with you I told you that all this must happen? The law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms, all say that the Christ must suffer, as I have suffered. As my Father sent me to teach you, so I now send you to teach the world.”
Now Thomas was not with the apostles when Jesus came. When Thomas joined them again, they said to him, "We have seen the Lord.”
But Thomas did not believe them. Thomas said, “I will not believe that he is living until I myself can see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into those prints, and my hand on the cut which the spear made in his side.”
It was a week later and the disciples were all together, planning what they should do. The doors of the room in which they were sitting were shut. Their doors were always shut in those days, because they did not dare leave them open, because of their fear that the rulers of the Children of Israel who had stopped Jesus’ work, would try to now hinder them.
As the disciples quietly talked, they heard the words, “Peace be with you.”
The door was shut, yet Jesus stood among them. Jesus went over to Thomas and said, “Reach out your finger and touch my hands; reach out your hand, and put it into my side.”
Without doing either, Thomas believed and said, “My Lord, and my God.”
Then Jesus said, “Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed; happy are those people who have not seen me, and yet have believed!”
The disciples now went to Galilee for a few days, as Jesus, their Lord, had told them. One evening, when seven of them were together, Peter said, “I am going fishing.”
The others said to Peter, “We will go with you.”
They all went into a boat. But though they were out all night, they caught no fish.
In the morning Jesus came to the shore; but they did not know who He was. Jesus called to them, “Children, have you caught any fish?”
They answered, “No.”
Again Jesus called to them, “Throw your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find some.”
This they did, and the net was full.
John remembered another time when such a thing as this had happened, and John said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
Peter thought so too, and, throwing on his coat, he jumped out of the boat and waded as fast as he could to the shore. The other disciples followed him in the boat, dragging their net full of fishes.
As soon as they had come to the land, the disciples saw a wood fire on the beach, and some fish broiling on the coals, and some bread near by. Jesus then said, “Bring the fish which you have caught.”
Simon Peter ran to help the others drag the net to land. It was heavy, for there were one hundred and fifty large fishes in it. When the disciples landed the net, Jesus said, “Come now and eat breakfast.”
Jesus broke the bread and passed it to them, then gave them some of the fish.
After they had finished eating, Jesus turned to Peter, and said, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me more than the others do?”
Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus then said to Peter, “Feed my lambs.” A second time Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me more than the others?”
Peter gave Jesus the same answer, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus then said to Peter, “Feed my sheep.”
Once more Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?”
Peter was grieved that Jesus, his Master, should ask the question for the third time; and Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Once more Jesus said to Peter, “Feed my sheep.”
The work of Jesus, the Great Shepherd, was done; the sheep must have other leaders now, and that is what Jesus wanted Peter to do for the rest of his life. Jesus talked with Peter more about Peter’s work; Jesus told Peter that it would be hard, and that at last Peter, too, would suffer a cruel death.
Peter looked around, and, seeing John just behind them, said, “Lord, and what shall this man do?”
Jesus did not tell Peter, but said, “What is that to you? Follow me.”
And that is what Jesus, our Master, says to us today. Jesus does not want us to look to see if some one else has work to do, and whether that person is doing his work or not. Jesus wants us to be sure that we ourselves are doing the work that has been given to us to do; and that we are doing our work as right as we can.
Jesus was seen by His apostles again, when, with about five hundred other disciples, they were upon a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus, their Master, had called a meeting. It was at this meeting that Jesus gave the great commission to the disciples. Jesus said, “Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”
Jesus may have given this command more than once, and it is certain that the same, in different words, had been given to Jesus’ followers over and over again. But this time Jesus said it to all His friends, and added other words that have been precious to all the friends of Jesus ever since that time, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.”
Jesus then added these marvelous words, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
