Easter — Thursday
TODAY’S VERSE
John 20:1
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. (ESV)
I am one of those people who keeps my phone brightness on level one thousand at all times. I am a “big light” person (those of us who live with our evil counterpart, the so-called “lamp” people, will understand). I am only 30 years old, but be that as it may, I am already the age that dreads driving in the dark. Blame my bad eyesight, blame my childhood fear of the dark, blame whatever you want. I am really, really not a person who functions well in unlit places.
That didn’t stop Mary Magdalene, though. In the early dark of the morn on the third day after Jesus' death, Mary didn’t know it was a blessed Sunday yet. All she knew was that the sky was still black, and her Jesus was still dead. What sorrow must have lain heavy on her heart. I wonder how the grief rose up in her throat, how each step was heavy laden in heartache, how her eyes must have been swollen from tears. She walked along in the dark, making her way to the tomb.
Mary knew darkness—real darkness. The gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus cast seven demons out of her. Seven. Whatever that looked like, it wasn't subtle. It wasn't a “rough patch” or a “hard season.” She’d been in bondage, and Jesus had stepped into it and pulled her out. She knew exactly what she'd been saved from, and who had saved her. You don't walk away from someone who pulled you out of that kind of darkness. You follow them. For Mary, following Jesus wasn't an obligation or a social, moral routine. It was like the sun coming up after the longest, most brutal night of her life. She'd lived in the shadow, and now she was standing in the light. She had finally found home with Jesus, a place to belong. So imagine her inexpressible grief when she saw him laid in a tomb… and then her confusion, surprise, and concern when her walk back to that tomb three days later led her straight to a stone that had been rolled away. She didn’t know it yet, but she would soon find out that that was the best possible news.
Some of you are walking in the dark. You feel swallowed up by grief, or hopelessness, or anxiousness, or aimlessness. I wish I could reach through the screen to look you in the eyes and hold your hand. Instead, all I can really do today is tell you this: as you're walking, keep your feet pointed towards the empty tomb. Because even if you’re walking through the dark valley of the shadow of death, He is with you. And He has overcome it. The tomb is empty, and the light is coming.
APPLICATION
If you are in a dark place and need support, consider reaching out to one of our care pastors or going through Southland’s counseling referral process. Or you can stop by a campus, and we will always, always pray with you.
PRAYER
Let this Psalm be your prayer today.
