04-05-2026 Resurrection Before Dawn

Text: John 20:1-2

                   Jesus Christ is risen indeed!  The crucifixion had brought earth’s it’s darkest day.  Even the light of the sun had been hidden from view.  We can only imagine the dark despair that swept over the followers of Jesus.  Our text is found in John 20:1-2 where John writes “ (1) The first day of the week comes Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and sees the stone taken away from the sepulcher.  (2) Then she ran, and came to Simon Peter, and to the other Disciple whom Jesus loves [we know it was John], and said unto them, they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid Him.”  But they had forgotten or doubted His promise to rise from the dead.  That morning, Mary and other grieving women went to the tomb with spices to anoint the body of Jesus.  Mary went ahead of them and arrived early.  On this Easter morning, we can learn some lessons from Mary’s early arrival to the empty Tomb.

                   Like Mary, we also should come to Jesus early.  Why did Mary go so early?  Her broken heart required immediate attention.  She wanted to get to Jesus as soon as possible.  There are no good reasons for anyone to delay coming to Jesu for salvation.  II Corinthians 6:2 tells us that “Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation.”  The longer we wait, the less likely we are to come to Him as we are warned in Hebrews 3:13.  All who have accepted Jesus should make every effort possible to reach people early in life which is what Jesus was speaking of when He said in Matthew 19:14 that we are to “suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto Me:  for such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”  Peter tells us in I Peter 5:7 that we should go to Jesus early and give Him our troubles.  And Psalm 63:1 shows us that rich devotional lives are developed by looking for Jesus early in the day.

                   Mary came to the tomb was it was still dark.  She was a woman who experienced a lot about the darkness of life.  Mark 16:9 reminds us that she had once been dominated by the dark power of Satan when she was possessed by seven demons.  But it was Jesus that introduced her to the light.  He removed the demons and took their power over her away.  Mary had learned that Jesus is the Light of the World as John 8:12 tells us.  We learn in Acts 26:28 that all those who come to Jesus no longer walk in darkness.  But we can’t escape the power of darkness with our own strength. 

                   Jesus is always available to meet us in our dark times and bring us to the light only He can offer.  We should never be afraid to come to Him, despite the obstacles that we think may make us unable or unworthy to approach Him.  Mary remembered having to overcome powerful obstacles to getting to Him.  That first Easter morning she approached the tomb knowing that it was sealed with a large stone and it would be guarded by soldiers of the Roman Empire.  But she went to that tomb anyway.  While we are on this earth there will always be obstacles that make it difficult to get to Jesus.  Most of them are our own making and include pride, fear, selfishness, and keeping to our favorite sins.  But hanging on to these and so many more excuses are what keep us from asking Jesus to come into our hearts and lives as Savior and Lord.

                   On this day when we celebrate our risen and eternally alive Savior Jesus, trust there are no obstacles too strong that can keep anyone from Jesus if they truly want Him to be leader in their life.  Mary found an empty grave where Jesus was because not even death could control Him.  Also remember this:  the stone wasn’t rolled away from the entrance to the tomb so Jesus could get out.  He left without the stone being moved at all.  The stone was rolled away so that others could go in and see that Jesus was gone.  Let Him keep you from eternal death and share what He has done for you with others that are crushed by life’s problems and hardships.  Deciding to accept Him as lord and Savior will bring help, strength, and a peace that will bring you comfort when you need it the most.  That peace is something that the world will never understand but we can share with others who haven’t yet experienced the Lord Jesus why we can get through things with calm hearts and allow them to want to know Jesus too.

                   Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.