What just happened?
by Pastor Reid Matthias
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Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed (John 20:8).
Read John 20:1–18
It started with a sprint between a slower athlete and a faster one.
As you read this, you might think, ‘Ah, yes, the race to the tomb’. Brought on by Mary Magdalene’s revelation of the empty grave, the two disciples dashed off to see for themselves. Perhaps Mary’s words, ‘They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb’, were frightening enough that they needed to run. Maybe their thoughts started with, ‘What just happened?’
I’ve thought those words before, too.
Steven Bradbury was the oldest racer in the 1,000-metre speed skating field. After four races, he had nothing left in the tank for the final. His coach, Ann Zhang, told Bradbury, ‘Look, you are the slowest skater in the field, but the others might make a mistake and crash. Stay behind them and, if the opportunity arises, you could win a medal’.
Zhang’s words were prophetic. Bradbury won gold after the others crashed. In 2002, he also became the first athlete from the southern hemisphere to win a gold at the Winter Olympics.
I remember watching the replay of that race and thinking, ‘What just happened?’ I saw it with my own eyes, but I didn’t understand it.
Like Peter and John on the very first Easter, do you ever feel like that nowadays? Have you experienced the pageantry and pomp, the lilies and triumphant songs, and yet felt a sense of … ‘What just happened? Do I really understand it?’
Maybe this Easter, for the first time, you might experience the true, earthshaking relevance of the empty tomb, the risen Christ – he who was reviled and crucified, the one who seemed to finish dead last – proclaimed as the ultimate victor. When everyone and everything else has crashed, Christ has won, and we are the recipients of his golden deed. And as we ask that question, ‘What just happened?’, Jesus responds, ‘Resurrection. What was once thought dead is now alive. Victory’.
God bless you on this victorious Easter as Jesus, once again, raises his hands and celebrates with us. Death, sin and the devil have no more power. They have crashed.
God wins.
Heavenly Father, through your son, Jesus, the victorious risen Saviour, we have eternal life – here and now and then. Thank you. Amen.
Reid Matthias is the school pastor at St Andrews Lutheran College in Tallebudgera, Queensland. Reid is married to Christine, who, together with their three incredible daughters, Elsa, Josephine, and Greta, have created a Spotify channel (A 13) where they have recorded music. Reid has recently published his seventh novel, A Miserable Antagonist, maintains the blog ireid.blogspot.com and regularly contributes to The Lutheran magazine.
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