Matthew 28:6 “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

Mary Magdalene made her way toward her Savior’s tomb. The beauty of the sunrise seemed out of place, for in her mind, all time ceased at the cross. Pain was nothing new to her, but this heartache was unprecedented. Gruesome nightmares robbed her sleep. Had it not been for the adrenaline of the past few days, she would have been unable to place one foot in front of the other. How could the Pharisees profess a godly faith yet pronounce such unspeakable tortures upon another human being? What she witnessed at the cross could never be unseen and would haunt her the rest of her life.

Oh, how Mary Magdalene loved Jesus. She owed Him everything. He had restored her life from demons, and out of gratitude she had dedicated her life to serving and following Him.

How ironic, she thought, for a garden to become the Savior’s final resting place for it held such contrast to the horrific hill of Golgotha where he took his final breath on the cross. She also considered the irony of her mission, for she would soon anoint the lifeless body of Jesus with precious oils. However, no insults would be hurled from the disciples as they had been known to do, for they were nowhere to be found.

With the daylight, Mary Magdalene arrived and froze in her tracks. Jesus’ tomb stood empty.

Hopelessness, anguish, and desperation flooded her heart when the angel said, “He is not here.” As she turned her back on the tomb, tears began to flow. But right then, in that glorious moment, words destined to change the world forever were spoken:

“He is risen!”

As she ran to tell the others, the once ugly tomb was to be immortalized as the world’s most glorious tomb.

Dear friends, what Mary Magdalene could not visualize within the hopelessness of the tomb was the eternal, everlasting Hope born from a Risen Savior – the manifestation of God’s inconceivable love.

Father God, help my life reflect the glory of the empty tomb.

Blessings,
Rita Cochrane