“Now when the Sabbath was past, [on] the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

“And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

“Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.’

“As [light] began to dawn, very early in the morning, the other Mary and Salome and certain other women with them, came to see the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. They came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, ‘Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?’ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb—for it was very large.

“Then they went in and, entering the tomb, did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. They were alarmed [and] afraid and bowed their faces to the earth.

“But [one of] the angel[s]—a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side—answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where they laid the Lord. But go quickly and tell His disciples— and Peter—that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you. Behold, I have told you.’

“They said to them [further], ‘Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ And they remembered His words.

“So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled with fear and great joy, and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid, [but] ran to bring His disciples word.” (Matthew 28.1–8; Mark 16.1–8; Luke 24.1–8; John 20.1–2)

We all want peace. Real soul-satisfying peace. The good news is that it’s actually possible because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. He took the sin and pain of the world on His shoulders so that we can experience abundant life and peace – His Shalom. God’s Shalom means living in peace with God, peace with others, and peace with yourself. May you experience the power and promise of hHs true peace now and always.

Maranatha!

Pastor Steve can be reached at PastorSteve@MaranathaBibleChurch.org