No sadness on Easter

Three days after Jesus died, Mary Magdalene went to the cave where He was buried. The huge stone covering the cave opening had been moved away! Mary Magdalene told Peter and another disciple, and they ran to the cave and looked inside. Jesus' body was gone! Jesus had risen from the dead.

People's feelings can change in a second. You can probably remember a time when you cried because you thought you weren't getting something you wanted -- and then, suddenly, you found out you were getting it. You still had tears on your face when you started to smile. Then you were so happy, you could hardly remember being sad!

If your feelings could change that quickly because you were getting a toy or having pizza instead of meatloaf for dinner, imagine how Mary Magdalene, Peter and the other disciples felt. Three days before Easter, their best friend had died. They must have been so sad, they could hardly breathe -- and then they found out He was alive again!

Feeling happy right after feeling sad can be overwhelming. When things change that fast, it's almost scary, because you don't know what to think. How could something that seemed so bad a minute ago be so great now?

Jesus' friends would understand that. They saw the empty cave where Jesus had been buried; they remembered His saying He was going to come back to life; but it took a while for them to understand that it had really happened.

If Jesus' body was gone, they thought, either someone moved it or He was alive again! Jesus had done what He promised -- He'd come back so that everyone would believe in Him. And that was the first Easter.

(04-17-03) [[In-content Ad]]