Disciples other than Peter & John fled from Gethsemane probably to Bethany. This probably includes Mark. They return to Jerusalem after the Sabbath.

Peter & John followed Jesus to the House of the High Priest where Peter denies Jesus and leaves bitterly ashamed of his denials.

Only John remains and is at the cross.

The women, maybe clearing up from the Passover or maybe simply spread out over various lodgings, collect at the cross.

Luke notes in 8:2 that they were Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; ³ Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others.

 At the cross we know the following were there:

John J

Mary, mother of Jesus J

His mother’s sister, J

Mary the mother of Zebedee’s sons Mt

Mary, wife of Clopas-maybe Cleopas of Emmaus J

The ‘other’ Mary, mother of James the younger and Joses Mk

Salome Mk

Mary Magdalene J Mt Mk

Plus ‘many others’

We know that John took Mary home and we can assume that possibly Mary’s sister went with them.

 At the Burial:

Joseph of Arimathea

Nicodemus

Mary Magdalene Mt Mk

The ‘other’ Mary, mother of James the younger and Joses Mt Mk

 They went to the tomb but Jesus was not in the tomb!

Went to the tomb early:

Mary Magdalene J L Mt Mk

The ‘other’ Mary, mother of James the younger and Joses  L Mt Mk

Salome Mk

Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household L

Plus other women

What did they see?  An empty tomb and an angel/young man telling them “he is risen; he is not here.” Mk

 Some of them met Jesus on the way back into Jerusalem

Some of them went ‘to the eleven and the others’

Mary Magdalene J L Mt Mk; The ‘other’ Mary, mother of James the younger and Joses  L Mt Mk; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household Lk; In Matthew 28:8 we are told they met with Jesus. Mary Magdalene clearly missed this, probably because she was ahead of the group, running to tell Peter and John the news.

 others told no one about it. Mk maybe Salome was one of them.

 Went to the tomb later:

Simon Peter; John; Mary Magdalene return to the tomb. John gets there first and looks in; Peter goes in but neither see Jesus or an angel at this point.

Mary stays at the tomb and is rewarded for her persistence with the first certainty that Jesus was alive.

 Before nightfall, Peter had met Jesus and Jesus had also met  Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus.

 That evening Jesus appears to the assembled disciples, excluding Thomas who has to wait a week before Jesus re-appears when he is present.

 What do we make of this?

 First, it is a story that holds together. The 4 gospel writers’ narratives hang together. This is not made-up stuff or badly reported.

 Second, these are real people. They don’t go around in a single group but divide and reconnect like any other group. Some move faster, each travel a different path but they all met a risen real Jesus!

Thirdly, the story continues. We are blessed by Thomas’s absence and cynicism because we have this wonderful statement by Jesus

^{John 20:29  “}Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The disciples were slow to believe for good reasons. Their view of the arrest and execution of Jesus was this is the end. It took some time to wake up from the depression. Secondly, it is common for grieving people to have visions of the recently died. So they were right to be cautious about reports that people had ‘seen’ Jesus. The talks that Jesus gave on the road to Emmaus and in the upper Room were necessary to get them to realise that Jesus was actually right about himself, that the scriptures were all about him. They had to unlearn the religious prejudices of the day and learn that Jesus was the truth! He had died for their sin and God had raised him from the dead as the start of a new order where death is not the end but the beginning of something far better. Eternal life starts when you put your faith and trust in Jesus.

Do you get it?

Faith in Jesus is very precious. You , just like the first disciples will be confused, bewildered and often feel lost because Jesus is God’s son and his ways are very different from our ways. But he is alive! He is God with us! In the good times and the difficult times he walks with us even when we are not aware of his presence. Jesus wants you to enjoy the special blessing of Easter day.

“blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Today is only special because we are reminded again that Jesus has triumphed over life and death, live knowing that he lives. And when death arrives, do not fear it because he is with us through death into glory! Enjoy living, endure the crises of life, live in the victory that Jesus brings! Look forward with hope!