Easter Travels
Scripture Reading — John 20:1-18
She turned around and saw Jesus standing there ... John 20:14
If you had been standing in the Jerusalem cemetery on Easter morning, you would have seen an odd sight. In a place where most people saunter quietly, on this morning folks were dashing about with perplexed looks on their faces. A woman raced down the road back to Jerusalem. Then two young men come sprinting down the same path to a tomb that stood strangely open. One person standing in the garden that morning saw all these things. Christ Jesus had stepped out of his tomb. His quiet stroll through the garden to tell Mary the news of his resurrection is the most amazing garden walk ever taken. Christ's meeting with Mary turned her world upside down. It upends our world too. After all, this wasn't just Christ's personality or his spirit that was raised on Easter morning. And it wasn't just hopes and aspirations. Christ rose bodily from the grave. Christ had defeated the powers of evil, and death lost its grip on him. This is the good news of Jesus. Mary ran forth from the cemetery again, but this time not with news of a tampered grave. She ran with glad tidings: "I have seen the Lord!" And Jesus' disciples have been running ever since to tell everyone that Christ Jesus is risen--he is risen indeed!
Lord, with Mary we have a message to tell. Our walk with Christ has assured us that he is risen. Fill us to witness boldly for you in our conversations with others. In your name, Amen
About the author — Bob Heerspink
Dr. Robert Heerspink was director of Back to God Ministries International from 2006 until 2011, when he passed away. He had previously pastored several Christian Reformed churches. Bob loved to write and was a frequent contributor to the Today devotional.
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