The fact that they were not expecting the resurrection is proven by the fact that when they arrived at the tomb, found the stone rolled away, and saw that the tomb was empty, none of them said, "He is risen." Instead, the women went running back to Peter and reported to him that the body had been stolen. At that moment, Peter did not speak up and say that no one should be alarmed because Jesus had simply been raised from the dead. Rather, he and the other disciples finally came out of hiding, rushed to the now empty tomb and looked inside. Even when they stood looking inside of that empty tomb, none of them spoke up and said "he is risen just as he said." The disciples simply went back into hiding, wondering who had stolen the body of Jesus. It is important on this Easter Sunday that we remember that on that first Easter morning none of the followers of Jesus were expecting him to be raised from the dead.

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Over the course of that first day Jesus begins to reveal himself to his friends, and as he does their spirits are transformed and their faith is renewed. First he appeared to Mary Magdalene who had remained near the tomb after everyone else had left the cemetery. Then he appeared to all of his disciples at once. They were huddled together in the upper room, and the Bible says that while the doors were still locked and while the windows were shuttered, Jesus suddenly stood in their midst. Such a sight must have sent them into panic, because he had to calm them down like he had to calm down that storm on the Sea of Galilee by saying, "peace." He shows them his nail-pierced hands and feet, and he showed them the wound in his side caused when a Roman soldier thrust a spear into his body while he was still hanging on the cross to make sure that he was dead. Needless to say, the disciples were overjoyed. None of them were expecting the resurrection, but now all of them knew for a fact that Christ was risen from the dead.

Well, almost all of them knew that Christ was risen. It seems that one of the disciples; the one named Thomas was not with the others when Jesus made his miraculous and historic appearance. What a time to be absent; Jesus returns from the dead and Thomas was not there. God's victory over sin and Satan was being confirmed, but Thomas was not there. The Holy Spirit had been given to the disciples so that their ministry could have much of the same power as did the ministry of Jesus, but Thomas missed out on the Holy Spirit because Thomas was not there.

Let me break in right here and say that every time the saints of God get together you and I ought to be present with them, because you never know when Jesus is going to show up in a powerful and wonderful way. I do not know where Thomas was, just as I do not know where so many Christians are on any given Sunday morning. Maybe Thomas was having brunch at the local hotel or restaurant; that's what so many Christians do on Sunday. Maybe Thomas was playing golf or washing his mode of transportation (his camel or donkey); since that is what so many Christians do on Sunday. Maybe Thomas wanted to get a front row seat at the next chariot race or some other sporting event, because that is certainly what so many Christians do during baseball, basketball and football season.