1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. 2 So 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.”
Message: Mary Magdalene Finds the Empty Tomb
Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."
What the Lord is Saying: The devotional reading today makes mention that in each book of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John we do not get a complete picture of the resurrection of Jesus but we can have a complete picture by reading all of the accounts in the book individually.
Matthew has, “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary;” Mark has, “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome;” Luke has, “The women which had come with Him from Galilee” (Luke 23:55), and enumerates them in Luke 24:10, as “Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the others with them.” John speaks of only one of the group, who was specially prominent.
All accounts mention the stone having been rolled away. In other words, that event definitely is recorded in all accounts, but here John chooses to focus on the person of most prominence.
Mary speaks the idea that fits in her reasoning at this moment - someone has taken Jesus. The truth will be different from this assertion, but for Mary this is the only truth that makes sense. And yet what actually happened is different. It isn't a "they" that moved the stone, but rather death could not hold Jesus. But they or the plural is the only conclusion. It had to be many that moved the stone.
Summary: Mary goes to the tomb (with others) and does not find Jesus there and concludes more than one has taken him.
Promise: Different eyewitness accounts of the same event may not be identical, but that does not mean that they are contradictory.
Prayer: Thank you God for the account of the resurrection and the complete picture we can have from all and yet the clarify of each message of the Gospel. Make this story meaningful to many and many more as time goes on. Help us to accept what You have done.
Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.
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