Who Stole the Body?

"Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed." - Jn 20:8 As she ran, Mary encountered Peter and John "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." - Jn 20:2 The moment she said it, they knew what would follow. The Jewish leaders would blame them. Rome would believe it. And stealing bodies was punishable by death. Grief had crushed them. Fear for their families Had kept them behind locked doors. And now the body was missing. So they ran. No thought of resurrection. Just the urgency of men who knew danger stalked them. John reached the tomb first, stooped, and saw the linen clothes lying there. He didn't go in. Peter arrived a breath later, stormed inside, and froze. The grave clothes lay where the body had been. The face cloth was folded and set aside, a detail that offered no explanation. It only meant this: the body had been stolen. John stepped in behind Peter. The text says, "he saw and believed." - Jn 20:8 But what did he believe? John's gospel answers the question for us. First, "For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead." - Jn 20:9 Second, "Then the disciples went back to their homes." - Jn 20:10 John wasn't believing Jesus had been raised. He believed Mary's report- His body was stolen. If he had believed Jesus had been raised from the dead, he wouldn't have gone home. He would have raced to tell the other disciples. So they did the only thing men do when the world collapses and nothing fits: they went home. Carrying a knot of fear that squeezed their chest with every step. Bound up in fear and despair, unsure what to do next. The stone was rolled back. The body was missing. The morning felt colder than the night before. They didn't know this about Jesus, but the greatest surprise in human history was upon them- a light no darkness could hold back. Reflection Question: Where do I assume loss, when Jesus is at work? What it Means to Me: I need to avoid assuming the worst when I can't see Him. Prayer: Father, steady my heart in the risen Jesus. I ask this is His name. Amen.