A Thought For The Week Of March 28, 2016

"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb." (John 20:1) Light always wins. Whenever I read this passage from John's Gospel that's always the first thing that comes to my mind as I think of Mary Magdalene approaching the tomb of Jesus. The words "while it was still dark" sound simple  - related almost in passing. It's a reference to time. It's early morning, and the sun probably hasn't risen yet. But it's more than that. At this point in the story it's spiritually dark as well. The last time Mary Magdalene or any of the disciples had seen Jesus, he was dead - a beaten, bruised and bloodied corpse on a cross. How much darker could it possibly have been for them? Everything was lost. But the sun always rises. Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb while it was still dark - but the sun was about to rise and drive the darkness away. And, of course, for Mary Magdalene and Jesus' other disciples, it was still spiritually dark. As far as they knew, Jesus was still dead. Why wouldn't he be? But the Son was about to rise - and had, in fact, already risen. This isn't a new thought for me, but somehow I found myself understanding the imagery of darkness and light more fully this year. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb in darkness, and suddenly light appeared. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb in grief, and suddenly Jesus appeared. Jesus always appears - eventually. Death cannot hold him. No tomb can keep him captive. The power of darkness has no power over him. Light always wins! Life always wins! That, boiled down, is the message of Easter. Hallelujah!