And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

Mark 16:6

So a follower put Him to bed. Tucked Him in for a rest. And everyone thought He’d sleep like everyone else slept before Him. Hibernation for years and years, never to wake again. Jesus’ body was so tired… so… so… tired.

But Jesus is like a kindergartener. Too restless to sleep too long. Stuff to do. People to see. Gotta get up. It’s just a nap; not bedtime. Stretching His arms; full of energy; full of power. The alarm goes off; the earthquake shakes everything awake.

Confused seekers come to the tomb expecting a sleeping body, like all the bodies of friends and family they’d put to bed before. Just sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. But this body – Jesus’ body – it’s different. “He’s up already, ladies,” the angels said, “pass it on to the disciples.”

Jesus is awake. Jesus is risen. And that means something. It means we don’t have to be tired much longer. We don’t have to put to bed too many more loved ones. Because Dad is up from His nap and He’s going to wake everybody up. Look, it takes a while to wake the family up. It takes some time. Kinda like trying to get a teenager to get up. Takes a while. Jesus woke up from death, and the promise is that all people will wake up from death too, once He comes back. Wake the world up, Jesus.

No more fatigue, heavy eyes, or pain. No more tiredness. Only life.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for the empty tomb! Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die and rise for forgiveness of our sins. Bless us this Easter and throughout the year. He is RISEN! He is RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

Daily Reading: Mark 16:1-8

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– Excerpts from sermon delivered on Easter Sunday 2018 by
Pastor Andrew Johnson, son of Tom and Kathy Johnson