Risen Indeed

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. (John 20:1-3)

After the Sabbath rest had completed, Mary Magdalene and other faithful women went to the borrowed tomb where Jesus' body had been laid. Seeing the tomb open, Mary immediately ran to tell Peter and John. She did not assume that a miracle had taken place. Peter and John did not come expecting a Lazarus moment. In their grief, Jesus' words - misunderstood at best - were lost to them.

But God did not depend on their faith to fulfill God's plan. Even in their unbelief, God was moving.

Mary didn't care what others thought of her or that it was early in the morning, Peter didn't let his previous failings keep him away, and John wasn't bothered by the reputations of those with whom he traveled. Seeking Jesus was the priority. Without realizing the shift that had taken place, they were finally getting to the heart of Jesus' message.

The conditions of our lives, both internal and external, are irrelevant when Jesus is the priority.

When we seek Jesus, it doesn't matter if we come as remorseful deniers, like Peter, self-proclaimed beloved disciples, like John, or unashamed faithful, like Mary Magdalene. When we expect to find death, and experience the empty space of "without",

there we will find hope, strength, life.

16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means my Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:16-18)