Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
This verse takes place on the morning of what Christians call Easter — the day Jesus rose from the dead. Mary Magdalene, a devoted follower of Jesus who had watched him be crucified and buried, comes to his tomb before sunrise and finds it empty. Alarmed, she runs to find Simon Peter — the leader of Jesus's followers — and another close disciple (likely John, who wrote this gospel). Her words reveal no theological insight, no hope, no expectation of resurrection: only panic. She assumes the most logical thing — grave robbers, a misplacement, a final cruelty. This is what the first moment of Easter actually sounded like. Not triumph. Terrified bewilderment.
Jesus, I confess I often mistake Your silence for abandonment, and an empty tomb for a stolen body. When I'm running and confused and can't find You where I expected, help me wait for what I cannot yet see. You were not taken. You rose. Let that truth be bigger than my panic. Amen.
"They have taken the Lord." She's sprinting, chest heaving, and her theology hasn't caught up to her feet yet. Mary Magdalene is one of the most faithful people in the entire gospel story — she didn't abandon Jesus when his disciples fled, she stood at the cross when it cost something to be there, she showed up before sunrise to care for a dead body. And her first response to the empty tomb is not faith. It's panic. It's loss doubled — first the man, now even the body. This is one of the most human moments in all of Scripture. How often do you stand at an empty tomb and conclude that something has gone terribly wrong — when the real story is something you haven't yet understood? The 3 AM moment when God feels completely absent. The prayer that seems to disappear into silence. The thing you counted on that simply isn't there anymore. Mary's confusion didn't mean the story was over. It meant she was standing in the middle of it, not yet knowing the ending. Her story didn't end at verse 2. Neither does yours.
Why do you think John chose to record Mary's panicked, confused response rather than a more composed or faithful-sounding reaction? What does that choice tell us?
Have you ever had a moment of spiritual panic — where something you expected from God seemed to simply vanish? What did that feel like, and how did you respond?
What does it say about God that He meets Mary in her confusion and grief rather than waiting for her to arrive at the right theological conclusion first?
When someone you know is in a "Mary moment" — running, frightened, convinced something has gone wrong — what does this story suggest about how to be present with them?
Is there an "empty tomb" situation in your life right now where you've been assuming the worst? What might it look like to wait a little longer for the rest of the story?
And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
John 11:34
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
Matthew 10:2
And when he was gone forth into the way , there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
Mark 10:17
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning , they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Luke 24:1
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
Acts 3:1
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple (John), whom Jesus loved (esteemed), and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him!"
AMP
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
ESV
So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.'
NASB
So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
NIV
Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
NKJV
She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
NLT
She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, "They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him."
MSG