The first day of the week, Mary Magdalen came early, while it was still dark ...
When Jesus rose from the dead, the first person He appeared to was a woman, Mary from Magdala. This is very out-of-the-box, as in that culture a woman's testimony was not considered valid in a court of law.
So when Mary told the disciples, they had to come see for themselves, and Peter and John ran both together, [John] outran Peter and came to the sepulchure first. And stooping down, looking in, saw the linen wrappings lying there, yet did not go in.
Then came Simon Peter, following him, and ran into the sepulchure, and saw the linen cloth lying there.
And the napkin that was over His face, not lying with the wrapping, but folded, and set aside.
For they did not realize that the Scriptures said that He must rise from the dead.
How like Peter, the impulsive one, to run right into the cave before stopping.
It had to have been strange to see the linin sheet His body had been wrapped in, just lying there, empty. And then seeing the face-napkin, set aside by itself, neatly folded.
In that day, when the master got up from the meal, the servant would look at the napkin: if it was crumpled beside the plate, that meant that he was finished eating and the dishes could be cleared away; but if it was folded, that meant that he was returning to finish the meal.
So Jesus folded His napkin, because He's coming back!
That same day at evening, the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, Peace be unto you!
Now that afternoon the same day, the disciples are huddled together in a locked room in fear, Jesus just appears there with them. His Resurrection body wasn't hampered by bolts and locks.
And they were so glad to see Him! What a surprise! But Thomas wasn't with them, and it was just too much for him to take in.
So eight days later Jesus comes again, and Thomas is there, too. So Jesus speaks directly with Thomas, saying, reach here your finger and see My hands, and reach here your hand, and put it in my side; and be not faithless, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said, My Lord and my God!
And Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen, you believe; blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.
Thomas was called a twin (Didymus), but we call him Doubting Thomas, because he had to see to believe. But they all had to see Him to realize He had risen, to understand the Old Testament prophesies that He had to die and rise again.
It was incredible that a Man who had been beaten and crucified and pierced and buried could, days later, be alive again! No wonder they had to see.
But we receive His blessing today for not having seen His Resurrection body personally, but we still believe.
He showed His Resurrection Life as so far superior to our natural life, passing through a locked door, and just appearing, but still Himself.
So our resurrected bodies will also be ourselves that we know, but so far superior to how we know ourselves now.
Because He is the First-Fruits of the Resurrection: Every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming (I Corinthians 15:23). Paul wrote this whole chapter laying out the reasonable logic of how we will also be resurrected.
O my Father, You are Great! You are Good! You are Love! You are Light! You are Life! You are our Source of everything we are and everything we need. You have imagined us, and made us so. In You we live and breathe and move and have our being, in Your imagination. If You were not thinking about me right now, I would not exist.
O Father, Your plans for me surpass everything I can think of or imagine, far beyond all my high hopes and aspirations.
You have called me out upon the waters; keep my eyes on You, above the waves! Keep me focused on Your Love, that chases away every fear, and gives me courage to carry on.
And You are the One who deserves all the glory, all the credit, all the honor, all the praise--for it is all You! All Your idea, Your will being done, Your plans being carried out to completion. And You have granted me a small part in it all! So gracious!
Who am I that I should be called a daughter of the Great King?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
