The Invitation - Day 47

So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened.

 You can imagine the scene: these women running back to the group gathered during the worst hours of the burdensome Sabbath. They can barely contain themselves as they run around to tell everyone about what happened to them at the tomb.

I wonder if they needed to embellish this story or make it more believable. They must have known how crazy this story would sound to anyone else. I have always thought that they might have wanted to tone it down a little, or maybe they would have wanted to try to create a narrative that wasn’t so unbelievable.

However, they didn’t want to change the story in their rush to get home.

I say all this because there is always a desire to make this story seem more reasonable and logical and not lean into the supernatural nature of what had happened. We do this when we become nervous that those we speak to about the resurrection might not want to believe something as unbelievable as this sounds.

I mean, men with dazzling white robes, an empty tomb, and even women being the first to be told about his rising from the dead. Remember, this wasn’t a resuscitation, like Lazarus. This was a resurrection, something no one had experienced before. This was on a whole different level, something new, something unbelievable, and something so out of the realm of possibility that it either had to be a lie or it had to be God!

Is it so hard to believe that the God who created everything could do something like this? And should we shy away from telling others about the power that God has over life and death?

I don’t think we should water it down. I don’t think we should make this story into something it is not. I have this sneaking suspicion that when we speak of the power of God, that power somehow shows up to convince, convert, and collect the people who might be open to hearing it as good news.

Let's allow God to be God in all of the unbelievable. True faith isn’t always looking for proof; it is looking for open hearts from those willing to take that leap of faith!

1. Have you ever tried to water down the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus? 
2. What was the result of that? 
3. Why do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus? What convinced you of it?