LISTEN TO COME AND SEE! CHAPTER 26 – NO BOULDER, NO BODY!
[powerpress]
Welcome to this special Easter edition of Redeeming the Chaos with Laurie Christine!
A FAMILY DEVOTIONAL FOR EASTER
For 30 days leading up to Easter, I will be reading to you from my easter devotional book, Come and See! 30 Family Bible Stories for Easter.
Today, I am reading Come and See! Chapter 26 – NO BOULDER, NO BODY!
Come and See! invites families of elementary-aged children to experience firsthand the anticipation, the sorrow, the tragedy, the fear, and the ultimate triumph of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Through the eyes of six eye witnesses, you will be led on a journey through the busyness of the streets of Jerusalem, to the despair of Golgotha, and finally to the celebration of the empty grave.
This bookincludes 30 short devotional stories, each with accompanying Scripture references and questions for discussion and imagination.
We are going to be reading one story each day leading up to Easter. You’re welcome to grab the kids and listen together for your family Bible time. Or, if you would rather read to your kids on your own, you can DOWNLOAD A FREE COPY OF THE ENTIRE EBOOK HERE.
LISTEN TO COME AND SEE! CHAPTER 26 – NO BOULDER, NO BODY!
[powerpress]
READ COME AND SEE! CHAPTER 26 – NO BOULDER, NO BODY!
NO BOULDER, NO BODY! – Told by Mary Magdalene, a follower of Jesus
My head was spinning and I felt lightheaded. What had happened to my Lord? Who had taken away his body?! Tears of anger and frustration, mingled with deep despair, slipped down my cheeks.
MARY MAGDALENE, A FOLLOWER OF JESUS
As we climbed the final hill on our way to the tomb, I felt anxious. What would we find when we reached the tomb? My arms and legs began to tremble. Just nerves, I assured myself. But my knees continued to shake, and suddenly I could barely stand. Wait a minute. This wasn’t nerves! This was another earthquake! The ground beneath us shook violently, and we all lost our balance and tumbled to the ground.
Salome and Joanna looked at me, and I could see the fear in their eyes. What on earth is happening? We clambered to our feet, clinging to each other for support. With much anxiety and foreboding, we continued to the tomb.
The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as we came over the final crest of the hill. We immediately stopped in our tracks. Salome gasped. Joanna screamed. My mouth fell open and I grabbed Salome’s arm, digging my fingernails into her skin. I could see the entrance to the tomb now, at the bottom of the hill, but what I didn’t see was the huge boulder! At least, not where it was supposed to be. Someone had rolled the stone out of the way, and the entrance of the tomb stood gaping open!
The other women waited at the top of the hill, too fearful to come any closer. But I had to find out what was going on. If someone had broken into the tomb and had stolen the body of my Lord, I wanted to know. The other Mary (the mother of James), agreed to come with me. Terrified of what we would find, we hesitantly approached the entrance of the tomb.
As we stepped into the dark cave, I could feel the dampness of the air wrapping around me like a heavy, wet sheepskin. We peered around the tomb, waiting for our eyes to adjust to the dim light. Suddenly, the other Mary let out a startled gasp and clung to my arm. I looked to where she was pointing — at the stone slab in the middle of the cave — but there was nobody there. I mean, there was NO BODY there! NO… BODY! Jesus’ body was gone!
I gasped in horror and ran closer, wanting to make sure there was no mistake. Sure enough, the linen wrappings that had been around Jesus’ body were lying there, crumpled in a heap. I could still see the stains from where he had bled onto the fabric. My head was spinning and I felt lightheaded. What had happened to my Lord? Who had taken away his body?! Tears of anger and frustration, mingled with deep despair, slipped down my cheeks.
As if in answer to my questions, suddenly, out of nowhere, two men in dazzling white robes appeared in front of us, sitting on the stone slab where Jesus’ body had been. Mary and I both screamed this time, falling to our knees in terror. These weren’t just ordinary men. With faces shining as bright as a bolt of lightning, I knew these men had to be angels.
I bowed low to the ground. One of the angels spoke in a voice that sounded like a trumpet, echoing around the small interior of the cave. I shielded my eyes as I hesitantly looked up into his radiant face.
“My dear women,” the angel began. “Why have you been crying? Who are you looking for?”
I sat up and dried my face with the hem of my cloak. “Jesus of Nazareth,” I sniffed. “Someone has taken his body, and we don’t know where they have put it!” After all the things that had happened—Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, death… and now this—I didn’t think my heart could take any more. “All I wanted to do was say goodbye to my friend.”
Seeing my distress, the angel asked, “Why then are you looking in a tomb? A tomb is a place for someone who is dead!” He laughed merrily, and his smile filled the room. What was he talking about? Of course, a tomb is a place for a dead person. And why in the world is he laughing at a time like this?
“Don’t look so confused,” he laughed again. “The man you are seeking, Jesus of Nazareth, is ALIVE! He has risen from the dead, just like he told you he would!”
WHAT?! Jesus is alive? How is that possible? Surely, this man was trying to trick us.
“Don’t you remember?” the angel asked. “Jesus told you before he died that he would be betrayed, he would be crucified, and then on the third day, he would come back to life!”
And suddenly, I did remember! How did I miss it before? Jesus told us himself that he would rise again on the third day! It didn’t make any sense to me at the time, so I must have chosen to ignore it. But now, in light of all that had happened, it made perfect sense!
“You must go and tell the other disciples,” the angel urged. “Tell them that Jesus is alive!”
Jesus is alive! Could it really be true? I stood, grabbed the other Mary’s hand, and drug her out of the tomb into the bright morning sunlight. We ran back to the other women and told them all about the angels and the exciting news.
WANT TO GO DEEPER?
DOWNLOAD FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND SCRIPTURE PASSAGES HERE.
0 Comments