Stripped and empty

It must be unnerving to bump into someone you thought was dead! This happens to Mary Magdalene in John 19. She bumps into Jesus in the garden where He was buried shortly after He broke the bonds of death. At first, she thinks he is the gardener who works there. When she sees the empty grave, she immediately suspects that the 'gardener' had moved the body for some reason. But Jesus brings her to her senses when He speaks directly to her. Then her astonishment turns to worship. Mary Magdalene receives the instruction to tell the apostles that Jesus rose from the dead. From being astonished to being sent in one moment – this is exactly what happens to people when they bump into Jesus beyond the empty grave. Then those who doubt and those who mourn suddenly become ambassadors for God. Women and men suddenly become carriers of the best news ever. Jesus' cross is stripped and his grave is empty. He rose. So the church sings on Easter Sunday. Death is dead where Jesus is. He lives and we live with Him!