I was there. I watched and wept as He died on that cross. I went to the tomb and saw where He was laid. I heard the grinding and felt the thud as the stone rolled into place, sealing Him in and all of us out.
For most of my life, I had lived in torment: dominated, controlled, and nearly destroyed by the spirits who possessed me. Until Jesus came along. He was different. He saw me, not just the mess I was. He didn’t ignore me or belittle me for being too much, too emotional, or too far gone. He just spoke, and then one after another all seven demons left. I was free! It was like waking up from the darkest dream. I owe Him my life. He delivered me from the chains of death. The least I could do was to be there with Him as He went through the darkest hours of His life.
And now it’s a day of rest. Or, more accurately, it’s a day of grief and loss. I’m anxiously waiting to get back to the tomb and complete the burial preparations. First light can’t come soon enough!
Like Mary Magdalene, many of us have lived some or all of our lives apart from Christ. We’ve known the feeling of being lost, separated from family, friends, and God. But most of us have also encountered Him personally. He has seen us. He knows our every struggle and failure and still offers us mercy, grace, and a new relationship with Him. No one will ever love us better or know us more completely. And He will never leave us or forsake us.
Mary was waiting for sunrise to complete Jesus’ burial. She expected to see a dead body, but she encountered a very alive Savior.
Are we willing to stop preparing for burial and instead embrace resurrection life? Mary Magdalene did, and she ran those good tidings of great joy right back to the brokenhearted disciples.
“Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, ‘I have seen the Lord!’” John 20:18a TLB
~ Peggy Lundy, writer
~ Danyelle Yoder, painter of The Gift of a Storm
https://www.danyelleyoder.com/
