"...and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there."
Had that been the end of the story, it would not have been worth retelling; at least not beyond the mere historical notice of the brutality of the Roman system of punishment in those days. But in fact, that was not the end of the story. As I sit building these particular pages to update our website for our family and friends around the world, it is coming up on 4:40 a.m. on Saturday, April 19, 2003 - the day before Easter Sunday. This year, more than any other in my lifetime, the Easter Story is as real to me as the table at which I sit to do this work. And it is my hope, indeed our hope - both Jennifer's and mine - that as many as come to read our story will also take to heart...
The Conclusion to The Greatest Story Ever Told
Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!" Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side. Then the other disciple also went in, and he saw and believed-- for until then they hadn't realized that the Scriptures said he would rise from the dead. (John 20:1-9)
Jesus' disciples saw him do many other miraculous signs besides the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life. (John 20:30-31)
