Wednesday within the Octave of the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord
Scripture: St. John 20:1-8 (NKJV)
20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.
Devotion
True and accurate eyewitness testimony often differs a little from witness to witness. Part of this is our lack of perfect recall. Part, though—and this is true also for those whose testimony is accredited by the Holy Ghost as perfectly accurate—is simply that different aspects of what has been seen grab the attention of each witness differently. The testimony of the writers of the Gospels may differ from one another a little bit, but it never truly contradicts. Rather, each report supplements the others, so that all the reports together make a unified whole.
In today’s reading John emphasizes Mary Magdalene to the exclusion of the other women. It makes sense when we consider her history (Luke 8:2) and the devotion to Jesus that has her run ahead of the others (like John did) and blurt out a testimony (like Peter did) that isn’t completely thought out at first. Peter and John run to the tomb to see what it means. John the Beloved outruns Peter, but doesn’t go in until Peter has rushed past him. The love is evident, as is the desire to see and experience what was proving too much for their faith. Also evident is the reverent awe in which they still held Jesus: Mary still calls Him “the Lord”; John still hesitates to intrude.
As with the angel’s testimony, the scene declares the reality to be what Jesus had promised. This was no work of grave robbers, whether friends or foes. There is no evidence of haste whatsoever, but the burial cloths lie there, the face cloth even lying separate and folded—Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Hymn: He who slumbered in the grave is exalted now to save; Now through Christendom it rings that the Lamb is King of Kings. Hallelujah! Amen. (TLH #190:5)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
