Happy Palm Sunday! Did you know that the word “Easter” only appears once in Scripture? Acts 12:4 says, “And when he (King Herod) had apprehended him (Peter), he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions (quad of four) of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”
And it’s only found in the King James Version. The other versions replace the word “Easter” with the word “Passover”.
But the story of Easter is told in all four Gospels. It’s the reason Jesus came into the world. Don’t miss its significance.
Jesus and Mary
The disciple John gives the most detailed account of the first Easter. This makes sense since he experienced it personally as one of Jesus’ disciples. Mary Magdalene and her friends had first discovered the empty tomb. They had run back to the disciples and told them the disturbing news. Peter and John had checked it out and found that it was true.
We then come to this moving story (see John, chapter 20). After Peter and John leave, Mary Magdalene lingers at the tomb, upset and crying. She looks once more into the tomb and (to her shock) finds it occupied. But not by Jesus. Two angels are now seated on the stone slab that had been Jesus’ bed. They ask her, “Woman, why are you crying?” (although they probably knew). Mary explains (through her sobs) the strange disappearance of Jesus’ body.
At that point, Mary turns around and sees a man behind her that she assumes is the gardener. He asks her the same question, “Woman, why are you crying?” (I think he knew too). Mary says, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Instead of using the word “woman”, Jesus then replies with one word that will change Mary’s life forever. He simply says, “Mary.” He called her by name. In an instant, she knew who he was. It was a personal and profound experience.
Jesus and me
There was never a time when I didn’t believe in Jesus in my head. I had learned all the Bible stories at home and in Sunday School. I intellectually accepted the fact that there had lived a man named Jesus two millennia ago and that he had said and done incredible things. But it really wasn’t personal. It was more like hitching a ride on my parents’ faith.
When I was 12, I attended a meeting in which the speaker challenged us to put our name into the Bible’s best-known verse — John 3:16. So, I did. I said, “For God so loved me, that He gave his one and only Son, that if I believe in him, I will not perish but I will have eternal life.”
At that moment, my faith became personal. It went from my head to my heart. I realized that God knew and loved me personally. I understood that Jesus had died for me personally. And I knew that if I truly believed in him, then my sins would be forgiven and I would receive spiritual and eternal life. Like Mary, it was personal and life-changing.
Jesus and you
So, what about you? Will you experience merely a “cultural Canadian Easter” again this year, only thinking about the world’s substitutes (chocolate eggs, bunnies and new clothes)? Will you nod your head intellectually affirming that these events are probably historical but are not very relevant to your life today?
Or, will you make it personal and tell the Lord that you believe that He died on the cross for your sins and shortcomings, and that He rose again as your living Savior who has the power to give you new life — spiritual, abundant and eternal? If you do, Jesus promises to prepare a place for you in heaven. And that special place will have your name on it.
Jesus said to her… “Mary.”
Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
