God cares. This what Easter really means to me. We serve a God who cares.

In the Gospel of John chapter 20, John writes about Mary Magdalene’s encounter with Jesus at the tomb. The scripture says, “Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the bomb and found the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.” John 20:1 Notice that it says that Mary was at the tomb while it was still dark. Do you think perhaps she couldn’t sleep? After all, she saw Jesus die on Friday. Saturday was a day filled with sorrow, questions, fears, doubts, and agony. (I’ve had a few “second day” Saturday experiences in my life. Have you?) Finally, the third day arrives. After a sleepless night, Mary heads for the tomb perhaps because she doesn’t know what else to do.

And this is the part that hits me. Even though it’s so early in the morning that it’s still dark, the stone has already been rolled away! In rising from the dead, God didn’t for the normal activity of the day to begin. He didn’t wait for a crowd. He didn’t even wait for the dawn. For the Scripture to be fulfilled, He had to wait for the third day. But once the third day arrived, God moved immediately. He didn’t wait any longer than necessary. God didn’t want the disciples to suffer any longer than absolutely necessary. Why? Because God cares! Our feelings matter to Him. Our sorrows, questions, fears, doubts and agony matter to Him. We serve a God who cares.