John 20:11-14 As Mary wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been... They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She said, “They have taken my Lord away and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
We have come to the end of the story of Jesus earthly life as told us by the Apostle John. If we stop reading here, we would be like Mary, wondering who this was that had spoken to her. The Apostle says it was Jesus, but how do we know? Who on earth is there to validate the statement? How could he come back to life after dying on the cross?
My kids hate it when we sit down to watch a movie and with two or three minutes left I get up and go to bed or do something else. “Don’t you want to see how it ends?” they complain to me. My answer is always, “No, I know how this kind of story ends.” There not impressed. But I do know.
The story of Jesus does not end here. The Apostle’s account of Jesus continues for another chapter. It is there that we find the corroborating evidence. In that chapter you have people who faced the same news of Jesus’ death. But something happens between here and the end. Jesus appears and shows himself to many of his followers. The end of the news story has changed for them. It is not over. Jesus is alive, he rose from the grave. They saw him, touched him, talked with him, and ate with him.
After you read the final chapter how will you respond? Do you see the truth being told about Jesus in these pages? Have you accepted Him as your Savior and your Lord? Will you repent of your sins and ask Him to forgive you? Here rests the final decision.
