Nonsense

“…they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:11, NIV).

When Mary Magdalene and the other women shared what they had witnessed on the first Easter morning, the disciples must have thought the women were out of their minds. A couple of Scripture-quoting angels, a huge boulder mysteriously set aside, a grave with no body – it was all too much to make sense of. Their leader and friend, Jesus, had been put to death on Friday. There was no doubt about that. But now, on this Sunday morning, these women were claiming that he had risen. How preposterous!

Peter decided to check things out for himself. He had always been the disciple to take things into his own hands. Just imagine what Peter must have been thinking as he ran to the tomb of Jesus. Jesus’ body, the women had said, was no longer in the grave. Surely this disappearing act could be easily explained. Someone could have stolen the body, a cruel trick, but one more believable than the alternative. But what if there really was no rational explanation? What if things were just as these supposed angels had said? Jesus, after all, had made such claims while he was still with the disciples.

Despite the “nonsense”, the foolishness, of a dead body coming back to life, there was a glimmer of hope in Peter’s heart as he approached the tomb and saw for himself that it was empty. Soon his hopes would be realized as he would see Jesus for himself, alive and well. Jesus had risen from the dead!