But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." John 20:11-13

Think of the incredible sadness experienced by those who loved the Lord Jesus when He was arrested, tried, and condemned to death. How deeply must their hearts have ached when He was beaten, crucified, and then buried. How much more must Mary’s heart must have been torn in two when His body was missing!

Contrast those emotional torments with the incredible joy they all must have felt when they saw Jesus risen, and believed!

Most of us will not know the depth of their despair because we did not live through those hours of Christ’s torment. Most of us did not understand His death until after we knew that He rose.

Oh, that we might feel some sense of sadness over our sin, since it was our sin for which He suffered His anguish! May we feel the sting of sorrow for our sins, for which our Savior bled and died.

And may our sorrow be turned to the greatest joy ever, because after He died for us, He rose for us!