WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”

8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.

10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Luke 24:1-12

Jesus knew the importance of women, after all he chose them to be the first to spread the news of his resurrection!

OH WHAT A MORNING!

On that first Easter Sunday, the women who went to the tomb of Jesus were not expecting it to be empty. They quickly ran to tell the disciples what they had witnessed.

Lets’s take a closer look at their reaction:

The gospels tell us that there was much confusion that day. The women came back talking of a stone rolled away, an empty tomb, of angels declaring, “he is not here, he has risen”.

But even among the disciples, these women were doubted, “they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense”.

Peter however, ran to the empty tomb, examined the grave clothes that had been cast aside and then left, “wondering to himself what had happened “.

At this astonishing moment of resurrection, the disciples couldn't quite grasp the amazing thing that God had done.

The gospels present such an honest portrayal of the disciples don't they. Their reaction demonstrates they were certainly not expecting the resurrection, even though Jesus had tried to tell them about this. But they were human weren’t they, full of doubts and fears, just like us.

FINAL THOUGHT

Sometimes in our lives when circumstances overtake us and we are confused, we often ask (like Peter did), "what just happened?" Life can do this to us sometimes can’t it.

This amazing story, amongst many in the Bible, reminds us that God’s people often don’t grasp what is going on. But the foundation of our faith, is that God does know what is going on, and he is in control.

This Easter may we realise that this risen Christ, who conquered sin and death on our behalf, knows all about us. He knows our doubts, fears, lack of faith and all the circumstances that confuse us. 

In our muddled lives, in our muddled world, there is no greater hope than this - that all is in his hands.

HAPPY EASTER!