The Death of Death

Easter 2020. The churches are empty, and the shadow of death hangs over our land. Have we, as a society, lost something that we’ll never recover?

Listen or Read. Your Choice.

Easter 2020. The churches are empty, and the shadow of death hangs over our land. As Joni Mitchell sang, “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone….” Have we, as a society, lost something that we’ll never recover? I hope not, but trauma changes people. None of us will emerge from this experience the same. It’s my prayer that this enforced time apart makes everyone realize the value of time spent together. Our God brings life from death. Evil shall not have the last word. So, for Easter 2020, I offer a selection from my forthcoming e-book, The Anointed. This episode merges the resurrection narratives from all four gospels into one story. I pray that Christ, the risen Lord, might breath his Spirit onto this valley of dry bones and grant us revival. Amen.

Chapter 31

The Death of Death

As dawn broke on the first day of the week, an angel of the Lord appeared at the tomb. The ground shook as violently as the guards themselves, and the angel rolled away the stone and sat upon it. His face was radiant like lightning, and his clothes were white like snow. The guards, for their part, were so paralyzed by fear that they appeared to be dead.

About this time, the Galilean women – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and Joanna – had set off for the tomb with the spices they had prepared for anointing the body of Jesus. As they neared the spot, they began to wonder aloud, “Who will move the stone for us?” Although the sun had crept above the horizon, the hillside tomb was enveloped in shadowy gloom when they saw that the stone already had been moved, although it was extremely large. They stepped inside and saw that the body of the Lord Jesus was gone.[i]

Mary Magdalene ran to find Simon Peter and John. “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she reported to them breathlessly, “and we don’t know where they’ve laid him.”[ii]

While the other women waited in confusion, suddenly two young men appeared in clothes that gleamed like lightning! The women were terrified and bowed down to the ground in awe.

“Don’t be afraid,” one of the angels said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. Why do you seek the Living One among the dead? Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee? He said the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. He isn’t here. He has risen just as he said. Look! Here’s the place where they laid him.”

While Jesus’ words flooded back to the women, the angel continued, “Go quickly and tell his disciples and Peter: ‘He has risen from the dead, and he will precede you into Galilee and see you there, just as he said to you.’ Observe what I have told you.”

The women practically fled from the scene, trembling in astonishment and joy. Yet they were gripped by fear, as well, and said nothing to anyone because of it.[iii]

After receiving Mary Magdalene’s report, Peter and John rushed to investigate. The two ran together, but John was faster and arrived first. He stooped to peer inside and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t enter. Peter barged into the tomb, where he saw the linen burial cloth on the ground, as well as the facial wrap that had been on Jesus’ head. That cloth wasn’t with the others but had been rolled neatly and set aside. John then entered, and he saw and believed. At this time, however, the company of disciples didn’t understand from Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead, so they parted ways and returned to their homes.

Mary Magdalene remained behind at the