Missionary Renegade: The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray.study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Monday, 28 March 2016 - “'Early in the morning,' a puzzling discovery'"

Monday, March 28, 2016

The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray.study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Monday, 28 March 2016 - “'Early in the morning,' a puzzling discovery'"

The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray.study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Monday, 28 March 2016 - “'Early in the morning,' a puzzling discovery'"
Daily Scripture: John 20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Miryam from Magdala went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she came running to Shim‘on Kefa and the other talmid, the one Yeshua loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!”

3 Then Kefa and the other talmid started for the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other talmid outran Kefa and reached the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen burial-sheets lying there but did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Shim‘on Kefa arrived, entered the tomb and saw the burial-sheets lying there, 7 also the cloth that had been around his head, lying not with the sheets but in a separate place and still folded up. 8 Then the other talmid, who had arrived at the tomb first, also went in; he saw, and he trusted. 9 (They had not yet come to understand that the Tanakh teaches that the Messiah has to rise from the dead.)

10 So the talmidim returned home,

Reflection Questions:
Early Sunday, Mary, Peter and “the disciple whom Jesus loved” found the tomb empty. Had the authorities, or grave robbers, taken Jesus' body? The disciples saw an unexpected sight. Scholar Craig Keener noted, “The face cloth separate from the linen is ‘folded up’…which could be an indication of neatness, or that it was still rolled the way it had been when it was wrapped around Jesus’ head—that his body had risen straight out of the wrappings and cloth.”1

When Jesus raised Lazarus, “The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Untie him’” (John 11:44). But the risen Jesus didn’t need anyone to untie him. His grave cloths, folded and left behind, were one sign that his resurrection was qualitatively different, the creation of a new plane of human life. In your walk with God, have you ever met something that didn’t fit your previous ideas about how life works? How do you remain open to see “and believe”?
Mary went to the tomb “while it was still dark.” She didn’t expect to find Jesus alive, but in love and devotion she was eager to care for his body as soon as possible. (The Jewish laws, the very ones Jesus had challenged, forbade that on the Sabbath.) How can you nurture a desire to go to Jesus first, even in times of discouragement and darkness?

Today’s Prayer:
Lord God, your creative power is always at work in my life and in the world around me. Keep my mind open and willing to believe in all you want to do in my life. Amen.
1 Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993, comment on John 20:6-7.)Insights from Donna Karlen

Donna Karlen serves in Communications at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.As someone who is a bit over the top competitive, I smile at the way John describes this scene. Twice, he points out who arrived first at the tomb: “the other disciple ran faster…” and “…the one who had arrived at the tomb first…” Perhaps you recall in earlier scenes (described in Matthew’s, Mark’s and Luke’s gospels) when Jesus caught the disciples arguing over which of them was greatest. And at one point they flat out asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Perhaps each was hoping for the coveted trophy. Yet Jesus responded, “Whoever is least among you all is the greatest.” (In this day of “all I do is win, win, win – no matter what!” that’s not the answer many of us may be looking for.)
Back to our scene at the tomb. I do love that it was Mary Magdalene who really was there first – did I mention my competitive nature? But when Peter and the other disciple heard her news of the empty tomb, they took off running to see. I find myself duplicating their behavior at times. So eager am I to know Jesus – to get close to him – that I just cannot run fast enough toward him. But something stopped this disciple when he got to the tomb’s entrance: “…he didn’t go in.” His eagerness to run hard and fast may suddenly have turned to fear once he got there, so he hesitated. Wait – what does this mean if the tomb is empty? What will be required of me with this discovery? I’m just really not sure I want to go there!
Yes, I run fast toward Jesus my teacher, my friend, my savior. But my sacrificed King? – what is that gonna require of me?! Sounds messy and complicated. I don’t think I can do this…
I stop and I don’t go in.
Blessedly, like this disciple had Peter, we have others to help us press on when we hesitate to enter the tomb and fully embrace what has happened. And we have a God who gives us chance after chance to get it right.
This Easter, let us run fast to the tomb – let us go in and find it empty. Let its emptiness fill us with the courage to follow a sacrificed King. Because he is also a risen King. And one worth running to.