Daily Devotion

 With Pastor Ancel Presnell

“SADNESS AT THE TOMB”

Following John and Peter’s discovery that the tomb of Jesus was empty, Mary goes back to look inside the empty tomb. Prior to this visit, she had only seen the stone had been rolled away. This time, she stood there and wept as she viewed the empty tomb with the linen clots lying inside.

Christ had already died, so what is it that is driving her grief to the point of weeping outside of His tomb? It is unbelief! We must remember Mary Magdalen’s life before Christ radically changed it. Mark’s Gospel recalls the specifics of Jesus and Mary’s relationship. He had previously delivered her of being possessed by 7 demons! She had not forgotten what He had done for her, but sadness is overtaking her through her unbelief now. The tomb is empty, and she thinks that they have taken what little bit that she had left of Him and stolen it away. She cannot even pay proper respect to Him at His tomb now.

“Unbelief is blind, and unbelief is dumb, She loves Him, yes, but love must be coupled with faith. She is weeping because she loves Him but also because she does not believe.” (McGee, 1998) The very one that made her life meaningful and whole is now dead and missing!

God makes our life meaningful and full of joy once He saves us. In His masterplan, He also gives us so much added benefit within our families and friends in faith too. Many of them are also saved by God’s marvelous grace. Sometimes, we lose someone that we love dearly, and we are overcome by sadness as we pay our respects to them.

 On December 24, 2021, my wife and I lost our precious 14-year-old son, Titus. We go to visit his graveside often to pay our respects to him. If I stare at that headstone too long, I find myself in a place of hopeless desperation. I must remind myself, just as Jesus is no longer in His tomb, Titus Ray is not in his grave either. Ty died a born-again believer and because Jesus lives, Titus lives now too! Mary had sadness at Jesus’ tomb because of unbelief and believing she had lost everything that Jesus brought to her life, boy is she going to be surprised when her unbelief meets the resurrected Savior!

John 20:11—” ¹¹ But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre”