Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Mary and another woman went to the tomb where the body of Jesus had been placed on Friday afternoon. The stone that had protected the remains had been rolled away. It had been sealed by the Roman soldiers. We are not told that they are anywhere to be seen.

Something is wrong. They wondered how they would move that rock, and a man is sitting on it. They do not recognize him, and when they ask about their Lord, he says that He is not there. Something is right.

Mary runs to find the disciples but sees a man whom she thinks must be a gardener. She cries for him to tell her where they moved Jesus. When He smiles, she knows this is her friend and Lord. What will it take for others to believe that what He said was true?

Peter and John ran to see for themselves and still didn’t believe it when they saw the grave clothes were empty. They returned to the others and believed when they saw Him. They had to. Thomas still doubted even when the ten said that He had been there.

The two men on their way to Emmaus did not believe even when their teacher repeated the proof of who He was, because they questioned why He did not know what had happened in Jerusalem. They recognized Him when He broke the bread at dinner.

When they were fishing in Galilee and saw a man on the shore who told them to lower the nets again, and the boat was almost swamped, only John said, “It’s the Lord.” Peter then swam to shore and didn’t try to walk on the water. Peter knew who He was when He asked Peter three times if he loved Him.

The Jewish and Roman leaders must have thought about believing when the guards told their story of the stone being moved and not finding Jesus in the tomb. They would have other opportunities to accept the truth. Did they ever do that?

If you did not believe in the resurrection when you first heard about it, don’t beat yourself up. It took me at least a year. I remember being ten when I was drawn to accept Him and put it off for a year. He was gracious enough to give me that year. Imagine my surprise as a college student when it occurred to me that I could have died that year from a gunshot wound.

You have had numerous opportunities yourself. Today is the day you should say yes to the Savior. You don’t have to be in a church or have anyone around you. Just tell Him that you know you are a sinner and want Him to be your Lord. I hope you did that, and if you did, welcome to the family. Subscribe, and we will continue to discuss how to strengthen your meager faith.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger