Running

Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb of Joseph early on the first day of the week, before dawn. What she saw distressed her greatly. The body of Jesus was not there. She assumed that a group whom she calls ‘they’ had removed the body. Her distress was a proof of her love, but we know that if she had listened to Jesus and what he had said about his resurrection, she would have derived comfort from the empty tomb.

 

What could she do? She had to inform her friends and do so quickly. Therefore, she ran to where Peter and John were staying. Perhaps the group of disciples were in different lodgings in the city. Whether they were or not, we know that Mary the mother of Jesus would have been with John because we are told that he took her to his own home when they left the site of the crucifixion. At that moment, Peter and John had not anticipated the resurrection of Jesus, but we can imagine what they could have said to others in the house if they had.

 

When Jesus later that day spoke with the couple on the road to Emmaus, they told him that the disciples had not believed what the women had told them about the empty tomb and the message the angels had given. So when Peter and John set off running to the tomb, it seems to have been just to check if Mary had not imagined it all. Of course, she had not even seen the angels yet. 

 

John reached there ahead of Peter and took a quick glance into the tomb, and he noticed the cloths that had been left behind. Peter, when he reached the tomb, took a longer look, and he also observed that the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was folded up and placed separate from the other cloths. Then John went in for a longer look, and he says that he believed. It cannot mean that he now believed that Jesus was alive because he goes on to say that at that moment they did not understand the Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead (John 20:8-9). So he must have believed that Mary was right about the tomb being empty.

 

On that wonderful morning, there was a lot of running around. Every step was one of love, but not one was marked by an informed faith. Because none of them had listened to the words of Jesus about his resurrection, Peter and John had no words of comfort for Mary. All they could do was go home and leave her weeping at the tomb.

 

The obvious lesson for us is absorb what the Bible says and then when the moment comes for application we will know what to do instead of only moving around in a loving way. It is good to run for company with others in a time of crisis and uncertainty, but it is better to be able also to say wonderful things about Jesus to one another when we meet.