Easter: The miracle no one saw

"Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found the stone was rolled aside from the entrance." (John 20:1)

With those words from the Gospel of John, we are introduced to a most unusual miracle. The miracle that no one saw.

According to the words from the text, it was dark; there was no one around. Everyone, including Jesus' followers, had given up hope. It hardly seems the proper setting for a miracle. Because miracles are big and flashy, right?

Just a week earlier, on Palm Sunday, would have been a good opportunity for a miracle. It was a day for a parade. There was a huge crowd and plenty of excitement. But that event, which seemed like the pinnacle of Jesus' earthly ministry, was not the miracle moment. The miracle of Easter happened when no one was looking and was first witnessed by someone who was not considered a reliable witness: Mary Magdalene.

In the culture of that time, women didn't count for much. This particular woman, Mary, had a less than stellar background. See had a past history of demon possession that had consumed her life. Mary also had her life changed by an encounter with Jesus. She was one of the followers to remain at the cross until Jesus died. To Mary, Jesus' death seemed so real, so final.

It's from this background that Mary "comes and sees the stone rolled away from Jesus' tomb." The tomb is empty, the body of Jesus is gone. Mary is afraid. She runs to tell the disciples, who run back to the tomb to verify what Mary had told them. Possibly they also had doubts about Mary's reliability.

However, Mary's account was accurate; and they find the tomb empty, and they leave. Mary stays behind.

The complete passage (John 20: 1-16) tells us that Mary was weeping outside of the tomb, and she had bent over to look inside. It's interesting to me that Mary had to bend to look into the tomb. Perhaps she just needed an unobtrusive view. But maybe, just maybe, she was curious to understand what was happening; she needed a closer look.

Through her weeping, Mary sees two angels sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying. The angels ask her why she's crying; and she tells them that someone has taken Jesus away. She turned from the tomb, and at that moment she saw Jesus; though she mistook him for the cemetery caretaker.

Then Jesus said her name, and in that instant, she recognized her Lord. Grief melted away and joy rushed in. And now the greatest of all miracles, which had taken place with no one to witness it, becomes the "good news" of the resurrection. Mary and the disciples could not contain themselves. Everyone, it seems, was shouting and running around. Everything had changed.

That's the way it is with resurrection, new life and Easter. It brings a new purpose, impulse and a joyful movement to life.

Another reason Easter, the miracle which took place without fanfare, became the greatest Christian celebration, is that it's a miracle that lasts forever. The feeding of the multitude kept the folks satisfied for a few hours, but they had to come up with food again for their next meal. The calming of a storm only lasted until the next storm came. The miraculous catch of fish didn't set up the disciples for life. They had to fish again.

On and on it goes. We can't, it seems, count on a miracle for security. But when we are confronted with the resurrection of Jesus, everything changes and life is new again. Here is a miracle we can count on. It's a miracle that's a cure for death and lasts forever.

The miracle of Easter was a miracle no one saw and even Mary missed it at first glance. Maybe there's a lesson to be learned here. The biggest miracle in our life might be so unexpected that we miss it entirely. We may have to look more closely, just as Mary did. We may have to ask questions through our tears and doubts. And, in God's amazing grace, we will see what we need to see, even if it takes place out of our sight and takes us completely by surprise.

May God open our eyes to see the miracles all around us that we miss every day. And in seeing, may we be transformed by the miraculous love of our almighty and everlasting Heavenly Father.

— Dan Van Ommen is a Zeeland resident and a member of the Reformed Church in America. Contact him at dan.vanommen@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Easter: The miracle no one saw