05/04/2026
The Mysteries Behind the Resurrection of Christ
Text: John 20:1-17
Writer: Amb Progress Moses
On that morning, just as He had said, Jesus rose from the dead. The earth had witnessed what heaven had already concluded. Yet, when the women came to the tomb to anoint what they believed was still a dead body, they met a reality they were not prepared for, the stone was rolled away, and Jesus was no longer there. Many times, when we read this passage, our focus rests only on the miracle of the resurrection, but beneath that glorious event are deep spiritual mysteries and sobering lessons for every believer.
The first thing revealed in this story is the danger of having zeal without alignment to God’s Word. Mary Magdalene and the other women loved Jesus deeply, no one can deny that. Their coming early to the tomb proves devotion, commitment, and sincerity. But sincerity is not always spirituality. Jesus had already told them plainly that He would die and rise again on the third day, yet they came expecting a co**se. Their actions, though passionate, were rooted in unbelief. This is the tragedy of many believers today; we are active, committed, and emotionally invested, yet disconnected from what God has already said.
They allowed religious routine to override spiritual understanding. Instead of standing in expectation of resurrection, they came prepared for burial. Instead of aligning with prophecy, they clung to tradition. And so, they missed the moment they should have been celebrating. This is how religion subtly replaces obedience, when patterns, rituals, and familiar practices become more real to us than the living Word of God.
Even the disciples were not exempt from this. Peter, who once declared bold loyalty, returned to fishing. To him, it was over. The vision had died with Jesus. Hope was buried in the tomb. So when the women came with the news of the empty sepulchre, the disciples ran, saw the linen cloths, observed the evidence and still walked away unconvinced. They saw proof but lacked perception. They encountered mystery but held on to doubt. How many today sit in churches, hear the Word, see signs, yet remain unchanged because belief has not taken root?
Mary remained at the tomb, weeping not for a risen Savior, but for a missing body. Even when angels appeared, seated where Jesus had been laid, one at the head and the other at the feet, she was too consumed by her expectations to discern heaven’s activity. They asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” and her response exposed the depth of her unbelief: “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Imagine standing before angels and still being blind to the supernatural because your heart is fixed on the wrong narrative.
This is the condition of many believers, we are spiritually surrounded, yet inwardly disconnected. Busy with church patterns, denominational doctrines, and trending Christian culture, yet unable to recognize divine encounters. It is possible to be present in holy moments and still miss God entirely.
Then Jesus Himself appeared. The very One she was crying for stood before her but she did not recognize Him. She thought He was the gardener. That is the height of spiritual blindness, to be seeking Jesus and yet fail to recognize Him when He stands right in front of you. What a picture of a life overwhelmed by religious activity but void of spiritual sensitivity.
There are people today even preachers who are so busy doing the work of God that they no longer hear the voice of God. Activity has replaced intimacy. Noise has replaced discernment. I remember a pastor friend who once told me he had stopped hearing from God. He said there was a time when messages flowed effortlessly, when inspiration came alive as he studied, but now he struggled. He had resorted to copying messages online just to keep going. And I told him something simple but piercing: sometimes, not getting a message from God to His people is also a message for you. It is a call to return.
Because Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice.” If the voice is no longer heard, the issue is not with the Shepherd, it is with the distance of the sheep. When you are too busy to hear Him, you are already too far from Him.
Mary stood before Jesus and still insisted on her version of reality: “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him.” She was ready to carry a dead body, but not ready to receive a living Christ. That is what misplaced zeal does, it keeps you laboring in the wrong direction. Some believers today are shouting, “Lord, send me! Use me! I will go anywhere!” while God is saying, “Sit down. Learn of Me. Grow. Be rooted.” But zeal without knowledge will always lead to misalignment.
Then Jesus did something profound. He called her name, “Mary.” Not just a word, but a tone, a familiarity, a personal resonance. And suddenly, her eyes opened. “Rabboni!” she cried. In that moment, recognition was restored, not by sight, but by relationship. She knew that voice. She remembered that tone. It was the voice she had heard before. This reveals something powerful: when you lose sensitivity to God, sometimes the way back is to reconnect with how you first knew Him.
Jesus understands human weakness. That is why in the next chapter, He goes after Peter in a language Peter would understand. He met him at the sea, in his place of regression, and repeated the miracle that first called him “Cast your net on the other side.” When the net overflowed again, something awakened in Peter. Memory met revelation. And he knew this is Him.
Sometimes, God will revisit your past encounters just to restore your present alignment.
That is why this message is a call, a deep, urgent, uncompromising call: go back.
Go back to your first love. Go back to the place where His voice was clear. Go back to the altar where fire once burned. Go back to the Word that once fed your spirit. Go back to the prayer meetings, the quiet moments, the hunger, the sincerity. Go back, not to religion, but to relationship.
Pastors, ministers, believers go back.
You can be busy and yet barren. Active and yet empty. Loud and yet disconnected. This is not the season for religious performance; this is the season for spiritual awakening. Revival is not noise, it is birth. And birth demands travail.
Leonard Ravenhill said it clearly: at God’s counter, there are no sales days. The price of revival has never changed,it is travail.
We do not need more echoes, we need voices. Not more equipment, but enduement. Not commotion, but creation. Not mere action, but unction. Not rattles, but revival. Above all, we must be dynamic, not dogmatic.
The resurrection is not just proof that Jesus lives, it is a mirror revealing that many who claim to follow Him are still living as though He is dead.
Wake up.
Return.
Listen again.
And pray:
Lord, help me to hear You. Let me not be found busy in religion yet empty in spirit. Restore my sensitivity. Rekindle my fire. Bring me back to the place where I can recognize Your voice again. Deliver me from noise, from routine, from lifeless activity. Draw me back into true fellowship. Help me, Lord… Amen.
I remain Amb Progress Moses, please don't joke with this call, response to it, share to others. DON'T BE RELIGIOUSLY BUSY BUT SPIRITUALLY DOING NOTHING PLEASE.
Amb Progress Moses
Christian Teenagers and Youths Forum