Grave to Grace: The Risen Christ Still Chooses Us
Easter Isn't About Power - It's About People
Even as the shadow of the cross loomed, Jesus chose compassion over comfort. He healed, forgave, taught, and loved. He put others first, right up to His final breath. Before we move on to the Resurrection, let’s look at some examples before and during the crucifixion.
Jesus took the place of a man who had both murdered and caused a (likely) government uprising (Luke 23:25). If there had ever been a time for Him to show His power and free them both, that would have been ideal. But He didn’t.
On the cross, His pain was severe. His flesh was torn and bleeding. But, Jesus took care of the thief nearby on the other cross (Luke 23:39-43). He granted Him salvation - a trip to Heaven for all of eternity. We will meet this thief someday.
Jesus took care of his mom. (John 19:26-27). He assigned her a disciple, and the disciple to her. “This is now your son. This is now your mother.”
Jesus took care of us. (John 3:16). He made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can all gather in heaven someday.
When He walked, floated, or somehow passed out of that tomb three days later, He still focused on people. I guess not much had changed—except for everything, of course.
When we think of the resurrection, we often picture victory—light breaking through the darkness, an empty tomb, a risen Savior. And rightly so. Jesus conquered sin, death, and hell itself. But what’s easy to miss is what He did next.
Jesus didn’t ascend straight into heaven. He didn’t march into the temple to silence His critics. He didn’t hover over Jerusalem with a blazing crown and angels at His side.
And He certainly didn’t say what I would have been sorely tempted to say: I told you so.
Instead, He again took care of the people.
He appeared to a weeping Mary
John 20:11-18
Mary Magdalene was precious to Jesus, as we all are. She was chosen for this very important role. However, she mistook Him for the gardener. This is such a powerful moment. Why a gardener? Symbolically, it echoes Genesis, where humanity was first placed in a garden. Now, in this garden, Jesus—the “new Adam”—met Mary, and something new began: resurrection, redemption, and restored relationship.
How uplifted and euphoric Mary must have felt to see her adored Teacher, alive!
Jesus then gave Mary a mission: “Go to my brothers and tell them…” She became the first witness of the resurrection, an apostle to the apostles. In a time and culture where women’s testimony held little value, Jesus entrusted the greatest news in history to a woman. This speaks volumes about the dignity, value, and role of women in God’s kingdom.
Mary left a legacy. Her story reminds us that God chooses the unlikely, restores the broken, and uses the faithful to carry the most beautiful messages of hope.
He walked alongside two discouraged disciples
Luke 24:13-27
This reminds me of a time when hubby’s sister was at the same airport as us, and we had no idea. We were walking along, having a conversation no one else should hear, when she appeared at his side, giving me the shush lips symbol. Of course, I chuckled. But then I had to elbow him—I needed him to hush on the topic at hand!
I love how Jesus just appeared, walking alongside them as He always had before. If you didn’t believe me that Jesus has a sense of humor, maybe you will now. He even held a full conversation with these people who couldn’t see who He was. He said, “Hey, what are you talking about?” as they were glooming and dooming about His death. After an entire conversation, they invited Him for a meal. He accepted, and it was only as they broke bread that their eyes opened.
He entered a locked room to calm the fears of His friends
John 20:19
And, of course, scared them as thoughts of “Casper the Friendly Ghost” ran through their minds. Kidding, of course. But the scriptures do say they thought they’d seen a ghost. Our Lord had a physical body, but He had been glorified (as He requested earlier in His prayer to His Father) and was no longer limited by walls, gravity, or time in the same way we are.
Now let’s look at the timing here. Even after hearing Mary’s testimony, even after the incident on the road to Emmaus, and even with Jesus right in front of them, they still struggled to believe. Why?
Because fear and grief can cloud even the clearest truth.
You gotta love their sheer humanness.
Jesus made breakfast on a beach for His friends
John 21: 1-14
He provided sustenance for the fisherman when they were emotionally and physically drained, and He did it at the best place ever. OK, I might be a bit biased since God often meets me at the beach, and I love it there. But even though the beach likely represented work for them, this meant something wonderful and comforting. Cooking for someone is more than just meeting a need—it’s a way of offering care, fellowship, respect, honor, and dignity.
When Jesus made breakfast on the shore, He wasn’t just feeding hungry fishermen. He was saying:
“I see you.”
“I still love you.”
“You still belong.”
“Let’s begin again, my beloved friends.”
He met them not only in their physical exhaustion but also in their spiritual confusion and emotional shame—especially Peter. But He didn’t lecture. He served.
Cooking is an act of humility. It takes time, thought, and intention. They were worth it to Jesus, and someday in heaven, you will see how much He values you as well.
He restored a broken Peter, not with judgment, but with love
John 21:15-19
Along with providing essential nutrients (and eating with them, too), Jesus decided to use food as an example. He asked Peter if Peter loved Him and said, “Feed my lambs…Take care of my sheep…Feed my sheep.”
Three times to equal the three times Peter had denied Him. He invited Peter into a life of serving others, for the purpose of building the Kingdom.
As we know, Peter’s restoration was essential. He intentionally named him “Peter the Rock.” Matthew 16:18 says, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
After Jesus ascended, Peter quickly emerged as a central figure among the disciples. In Acts 1, he led the group in choosing a replacement for Judas. Then, in Acts 2, during Pentecost, Peter stepped forward and gave the first great sermon of the early church, boldly proclaiming the risen Christ. The result? About 3,000 people were baptized that day. Many see this as the moment the church began.
Ongoing, Peter performed miracles, had a vision that led him to see that Gentiles were included in God’s eternal plan, shepherded thousands, and wrote first and second Peter, two wonderfully wise books of the Bible that are still read and studied today.
Peter was it.
Do you see how Jesus was thinking beyond just the people present and reaching ahead to future generations? He was putting all of us first, not just by dying for our sins and making heaven possible, but by ensuring that we had community—bodies of believers to encourage, train, instruct, provide, and be there for us when we fell.
Peter was it. You and I are it.
The resurrected Jesus still prioritized people for forty days, and He continued to do so even right before He ascended by speaking a blessing over them.
He didn’t rise just to prove a point. He rose to restore people. He rose to bring peace, clarity, forgiveness, and purpose—person by person, story by story. He rose so that we could spend eternity in the beautiful heaven that I visited. And He’s still doing that today.
The resurrection wasn’t the end of the story. It was the beginning of a new kind of closeness with the Savior—a reminder that His power is always expressed in personal love.
If you have times when you feel like a weeping Mary, a doubting Thomas, or a devastated and sinful Peter, look how Jesus met them where they were. Read up on how He restored them and what powerful roles they took on for their Savior.
Did they fully grasp the impact of their lives before they entered Heaven? Probably not. Will we fully understand ours? Most likely not. But does that lessen the significance of our impact—now or in eternity? Not at all.
A Prayer Inspired by Mary Magdalene
Jesus,
You met Mary in her darkness and called her by name.
You healed her, restored her, and gave her purpose.
You entrusted her with the greatest message ever spoken:
‘He is risen.’
Thank You for choosing the humble, the faithful, the unlikely.
Help me to love You with that same fierce devotion—
To follow You even when others fall away,
To seek You early, even in the dark,
And to speak of You boldly, even when I don’t feel worthy.
Like Mary, may I live as one transformed by grace.
Use my life to bear witness to Your resurrection—
In word, in action, in quiet faithfulness.
And when I do not see the full impact of my obedience,
Remind me: You do. And that is enough.
Amen.
I bet you thought I was going to talk angels! I really wanted to, but Substack discourages writers from writing full books in one post. :-) Maybe next time.
Other posts in this series:
Don’t Forget!
You can download your free book (PDF) of some of my posts, a new near-death story, and a new angel encounter here. Please, please, please pass it on to someone who might be encouraged by reading it.
You can listen to my Heaven Playlist on YouTube here. I’ve added some songs. If you don’t have YouTube Premium, I recommend installing an ad blocker.
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I hope that you can join us at the first-ever MPC (Ministry Panel Chat). I will be joining
(Veritas Daily), (Seeking Truth, Finding God), (Circle of Chairs), and (Poems, Prayers, and Stories) as we discuss raising the Kingdom potential here on Substack. Your questions are welcome, and the event is free. Register here.
Julie, this is one of your best pieces yet. So well written and executed.
So many examples from the Bible that we’re living in today and many people don’t even realize it! Jesus is still more alive today and still healing people although people say “ it’s so long ago” NO! He’s still here with us if you believe! Very inspiring!