Many try to compensate for the hard parts of life by seeking pleasurable experiences. Or they accumulate things attempting to derive a sense of security from them. We were intended by God to enjoy life, but when we pursue pleasures apart from God, the ultimate pleasure we seek eludes us. Only God gives us lasting joy and contentment.
Solomon gave himself permission to investigate all of the pleasures of life to see if, without God, they were as fulfilling as a life in relationship with God. He gave himself permission to make the most of as many pleasures as he could with the goal of finding out if those luxuries could bring contentment and purpose.
He looked at laughter and mirth, he looked at alcohol. He looked at material wealth–houses vineyards, gardens and public parks. He built reservoirs for work and pleasure. He acquired servants and slaves to do his work. He became a large rancher with more herds and flocks than the population of Jerusalem. He also amassed silver, gold, popular singers, and had many women for himself. He found that the pursuit of all of these things resulted in futility. All the toys eventually break, all the shine begins to fade.
Humans will never find purpose in the pursuit of or acquisition of stuff. Humans can only find meaning by letting God be the center of all they do. Those who commit their hearts to God and pursue God's teachings will find solid footing and discover security in someone permanent.
Christmas, observed during the "dead of winter", commemorates the birth of Jesus and the restoration of light to humanity. Easter, occurring in "the bloom of Spring" is the remembrance of Christ's voluntary death and resurrection, and the restoration of humans who choose to be restored in fellowship with God.
The word resurrection means, obviously, "to raise from the dead or the grave, to reanimate, restore to life". One 1895 dictionary states that the correct form is resurge which carries the meaning "to again keep straight, to guide" a word related to rule, and to guide. Thus, from the etymology of the word, resurrection is "to again guide or rule" which is exactly what Jesus did. After his crucifixion he "again directed his followers, and led them in a straight line to God, and he still does it today.
Her encounter with Jesus and his ministry had changed her life. He liberated her from the grip of demons that had controlled her, indicating that he healed her of some extensive disease(s). She expressed her loyalty to Jesus with her presence at His crucifixion. She stood near His cross along with Jesus’s mother and other women. She also observed as Joseph took Jesus’s body from the cross, prepared it for burial, and placed it in his personal tomb.
Now Mary appeared at the garden once again. Early that morning, Mary arrived at the garden where the tomb was located. As she made her way to the tomb the thought that the tomb might be empty had never crossed her mind. When she got to the garden she must have been stunned. The stone that covered the entrance to the tomb had been removed.
Mary’s response went immediately to the disciples. They needed to know what had happened, and she set out to tell them. She didn’t waste time getting there but ran to them. As soon as she arrived, she talked to Simon Peter. John listened carefully as Mary talked about seeing the empty tomb. Mary’s report contained two distressing facts. First, someone had stolen the body. Second, nobody knew what had happened to Jesus’s body. So Peter, John and Mary went back to the tomb. The boys went in and checked it out and then went on their way leaving the women behind.
Mary kept her distance outside the tomb, watching the disciples as they went inside to investigate. She could not control her tears. They exhibited the depth of her anguished sorrow over the mystery of what had happened to Jesus’s body. As she was crying inconsolably, she stooped so she could take a look inside the tomb for herself. Two angels met her in the tomb in which Jesus’s body had been laid. They began to talk with her. First, they greeted her with a title of kind respect—“Woman.” Then they asked her about the reason for her inconsolable tears.
Mary didn’t respond to their presence or the question with fear, bewilderment, or shock. In fact, she gave the impression she barely noticed they were angels. Her concern about Jesus’s body had consumed her to the point their presence did not disturb her. Without hesitation, she answered their question by reporting that the body of her Lord had been “taken away.” This was a terrifying situation for her. The horror and shame of seeing Jesus naked, bloody and suffering body in unimaginable pain, all the while being completely helpless to do anything about it; and now, again, his body is violated and she can do nothing to help.
Mary Magdalene not only loved Jesus, but she also courageously refused to leave Jesus in spite of her fear, grief and horror. The presence of angels had not distracted from her grief, and their conversation with her did not diminish her resolve to find out what had happened to Jesus’s body. Neither did she seem disturbed by the person who stood in front of her when she turned around. Her heart and mind had been focused exclusively on finding Jesus’s corpse. Consequently, she did not pay attention to the identity of the individual who was standing there.
Jesus greeted her with the same title of kind respect—“Woman.” Jesus underscored His kind compassion by asking Mary two questions. First, He asked why she was crying. With this question, He showed that His heart went out to her. He then asked the second question. He knew she had been looking for His body. However, He also knew that in her search, she had not considered His resurrection.
Even the sound of Jesus’s voice had not registered with her, at least not yet. She had locked her mind on the search for His corpse. Mary never considered the slightest possibility He would be alive. And after such a bloody, brutal, and torturous death, who could blame her for believing that he was permanently dead. But then Jesus spoke her name. When she heard her name through His voice. Her tears vanished, her heart lurched, and her mind jolted.
Up to this point, she may have considered herself to be in the company of strangers as she stood in the presence of the two angels and a nameless gardener. But now, she knew for certain she stood before Jesus—He had called her by her name! She replied by referring to Him with a title familiar to her—“Rabboni.” Mary’s heart turned from extreme sorrow to incredible joy when she saw Jesus standing right in front of her and talking with her. Jesus had been resurrected, but he had not yet ascended to Father.
The message of the resurrected Christ is to be shared with others. Mary could see for herself that Jesus had conquered death. Immediately she went from being a heartbroken but determined disciple in search of a corpse to becoming a sincerely humble but extremely overjoyed worshiper of her living Lord. As she worshiped, she clutched Jesus in a way that underscored her adoration as well as her determination not to let go of Him. Jesus instructed her that now was not the time for clinging to Him in worship. Instead, it was the time for sharing the marvelous news that He was alive.
Jesus instructed Mary to take the news about His resurrection to His brothers and to tell His disciples about His upcoming ascension. They needed to know His ministry would not end with His resurrection. Mary stopped clinging to Him and followed His instruction by taking the message He had given her to His disciples. Once she made her way to them, she made an announcement that would make a monumental difference for everyone everywhere. She told them she had “seen the Lord” with her own eyes. She had just been in the presence of her living Lord, so her announcement must have been given with complete confidence and indescribably joy. After sharing the announcement that she had seen Jesus alive, she went on to relate her encounter with Him as well as the instructions He wanted her to pass along to them. Later that same day, they saw Jesus for themselves. He promised them that the Holy Spirit would be at work in them as they talked about Him everywhere they went.
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