Easter Sunday, April 21
The Disciples Travel To the Tomb
Luke 24:1-12
“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.”
Have you ever arrived at your destination, only to learn that your journey was not over yet?
On that first Easter morning, the women came to the tomb of Jesus, perhaps believing that they were there for the final time. They had traveled with Jesus for several years. Some, like his mother Mary, had been with him a very long time. But now the journey they had been traveling together with Jesus was at an end. He had been killed on a cruel cross. They had seen him die, along with their hopes and dreams. So, the women made one final trip to the tomb to anoint his body with spices, as was the custom for preparing the body for burial. They thought their journey with Jesus was at an end, but it was not over yet.
“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” With these words from two men at the tomb, the women got up and went to tell the disciples and all the others. Their emotions of hopelessness, fear, and despair turned into cries and shouts of joy. Their journey with Jesus was not over! Their pilgrimage as followers of Christ was only beginning. They were wonderfully emboldened in the resurrection and ascension of the Lord. From there they traveled sharing their Easter joy into Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
We have traveled this Lenten pilgrimage together for 40 days, and now we may think it is at an end. But it’s not. Just like the women who traveled to the tomb and learned that their journey with Jesus was not over yet, so our journey continues. From his Resurrection day to this Easter Sunday, and into all of life’s tomorrows, our journey with Jesus is not a destination. Our journey with Jesus is not over yet!
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the pilgrimage of Lent as we have traveled with and learned from Jesus. May our Easter joy be infectious as we celebrate our journey with Jesus that never ends, but continues today and into eternity, forever and ever. Alleluia! Amen.
Stephen Gentle