John 20:1-10 (ESV)

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. ² So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” ³ So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. ⁴ Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, ⁷ and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. ⁸ Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹ for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to their homes.

John begins by noting that it was the first day of the week. According to the Jewish calendar, the week closed with the Sabbath, which lasted from Friday evening to Saturday evening. So the first day of the week was Sunday. When Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and discovered that Jesus was no longer there, it was Sunday. Because the resurrection took place on Sunday, traditionally Christians have gathered together on the first day of the week to celebrate Jesus by worshipping together as a community of believers, being taught the Scripture, and participating in the ordinances of the church. Although other women went to the tomb of Jesus early that Sunday morning, John mentions only Mary Magdalene. He also notes that it was still dark. Mary came to the tomb very early. When she arrived, she was devastated. Someone had removed the stone that sealed and guarded the body of Jesus. She ran back to Peter and John and let them know that Jesus’ corpse had been taken. Peter and John ran to the grave as quickly as they could and saw that what Mary’s report was true. Then Peter and John went back home.

The linen cloths Jesus had been wrapped in, along with the cloth that draped Jesus’ head, the face cloth, were neatly folded. Why would someone take the body of Jesus, unwrap him, and then neatly fold the burial cloths? John realized this was no robbery. In fact, verse 8 notes that when John went in, he saw or perceived, and he believed. John got it! Jesus rose from the dead and went right through the burial cloths and the stone that sealed his tomb. But if Jesus was able to go right through the stone, why was it rolled away? The stone was rolled away to let his disciples in. If you are a believer, think about what Jesus has done to “let you in,” allowing you to perceive truth about who he is and what he accomplished for your soul. He loves you so much that he rolled back the stone or removed the veil from your eyes and allowed you to see the empty tomb. Realize that because Jesus lives, we will live with him. We will have new bodies no longer limited by the consequences of sin and death, but liberated to be all that we desire and long for.