As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You

In the agony of nails driven through his hands and feet, Jesus said, “It is finished.” Three days later he rose from the dead and appeared first of all to Mary Magdalene.

The disciples saw the empty tomb, yet went quietly home without any great rejoicing. Mary, by contrast, took Jesus for an ordinary man, yet she would not leave the place, and in the end she met the risen Lord face to face. God looked not at the measure of her faith but at the sincerity with which she held on to the end.

The resurrection shows that there is an eternal life that death does not bring to an end. The disciples had locked the doors for fear of the Jews, and only after they had seen the risen Lord for themselves did they cast off their fear and come forward as his witnesses. Those who believe in that resurrection are not afraid of the world and can proclaim the gospel boldly.