John 20:11-18
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
Reflection
Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb and lingered in her grief. At first she thought Jesus was a gardener (John 20:15), but when Jesus spoke her name Mary recognized him (v. 16). The Good Shepherd had laid down his life and taken it up again. Now he called one of his sheep by name and she recognized his life-giving voice (10:4). The gospel is no mere invitation; it is a summons from our Shepherd. Those who are his sheep will know his voice and follow.
1 Peter 1:22-25
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
0 And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Reflection
Peter quotes the prophet Isaiah’s words about the eternally enduring quality of God’s Word (1 Pet. 1:23; Isa. 40:6, 8). Notice that Peter says the Word that remains forever is “the good news that was preached to you” (1 Pet. 1:25). According to Peter, the gospel “remains forever” (v. 25).
The gospel of grace is not a passing fad, trendy, or temporary. It is the abiding hope of the world. Even though “the grass withers, and the flower falls” (v. 24), the gospel never will. The gospel that Christians believe in has no expiration date!
Psalm 119:89
89 Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Because the gospel endures forever, it provides solid footing for our lives in every generation. Do not be swayed by trendy teaching or new ideas. Pray for God’s help to hold tightly to the gospel message faithfully preserved for us in the Word of God, so that you will never go astray.