Passover to Pentecost – Easter Morning Meetings         Week 3 Day 5

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning. Luke 24:1 (NIV)

Four different Gospel writings, four different writers giving their perspectives should give you four slightly different stories.  That is one reason the Easter story is believable.  These are the meetings that people had that are included in the “whole” story.

Women – The Women of the Resurrection add the human element to the story of Easter Sunday morning.  Having watched Joseph bury Jesus they realized that more could/should have been done.  They had appointments with the angels, possibly more than once.  The angel’s physical appearance should have left little doubt or added to the reality of their message that Jesus was alive, they had to tell the others, and they all needed to go to Galilee.  The meeting they had with Jesus makes perfect sense because I am sure the women were in shock from the angels, and Jesus wanted them clear in their resolve when they met with the “others.” I can imagine the meeting with the Eleven and the other people with them did not go well and they were labeled as hysterical.

Peter – This reference is one line from the disciples who ran back from Emmaus.  It is Luke 24: 34.  Apparently, after Peter and John ran to the empty tomb and left with a lot of questions, they separated and Peter was by himself.  Jesus must have shown Himself to Peter and talked with him.  This was not Peter’s re-installment as an Apostle.  My guess was it was a show of positive ministry, why?  Peter did not go out and hang himself like Judas did.  It would seem from the verse in Luke that he was not taken seriously either.

Guards – Their two appointments are important to the total story and are found in Matthew 28.  I did actually read a form of verse 15 several years ago in a Jewish publication (the body was stolen). (I do not have a reference for that last statement, I will add it if I find it again.)  Their first appointment started with a rolling stone because of an earthquake.  They took their meeting with the angel as deathly serious.  That leads to the second meeting they had that day and it was with the chief priest and elders, who were probably not too happy about having their Passover celebration interrupted.  It is interesting that they believed the eyewitnesses and acted accordingly.  It is a shame that their hard hearts would not allow them to change.

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