“When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen Him, they did not believe it” (Mark 16:9-11).

Jesus had assembled a motley crew of disciples. Among them were a Publican, a terrorist, and this woman who had been demon-possessed. They were not an impressive bunch hiding out there in the upper room. Their emotions were raw and their hearts were full of fear that the hostility of the crowd would spill over onto them.

The first to see Jesus risen was Mary Magdalene, whose life had been dramatically changed. When she reported the encounter to the disciples, they refused to believe. Because their hope had been stripped, they could not believe in anything beyond their own selves.

Hope is a necessity in life. Without hope, we might as well end it all. But seeing Jesus had revived hope in Mary. Getting a glimpse of Jesus always revives hope in people. Get another good look at Jesus today and remember what His word says, and have your hope restored.