It was the women, not the men, who adored the Lord with their presence, even in His death. They knew that Jesus’ body had not been fully and properly prepared before his burial and so:
“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’” (Mark 16:1-7)
The love of the women was rewarded when they were honored with being the first witnesses to the Resurrection! They thought that all they could do was wash and anoint His dead body. In their great grief they didn’t think about anything except going to the grave to ‘do the proper thing.’ It wasn’t until they got close to the grave that they remembered the stone over the entrance and asked ‘Who will roll away the stone’.
Imagine their conversation on the path to the grave.
“I am glad we were able to get all the spices we needed,” Mary sighed. “I was worried the market might not have them all or that the price would be too much.”
Mary Magdalene patted her friend’s arm, “The cost would not have mattered. I would have paid whatever the merchant asked. Assuring that the Rabbi is properly honored is more important than anything.”
“Wait! I just thought of something.” Salome stopped in the middle of the dirt path. “There is a great stone over the door to the tomb Joseph used. How will we get in?”
The trio of women stared at each other, aghast.
“I’m sure there will be some gardener or passer-by who will help us,” Mary Magdalene nodded decisively, as if her words could cause it to happen.
“Maybe…” Mary frowned and looked at Salome.
The other woman shrugged. Together they followed Mary Magdalene deeper into the garden. With heads bent they did not notice that their friend had stopped until Salome bumped into her.
“Look…” the woman from Magdala pointed at the grave.
“What?” Salome and Mary asked simultaneously. Then they saw it, too.
“The stone is rolled away already,” Mary Magdalene stated. “I wonder who did that?” She hurried toward the opening. The other women ran after her, heedless of the solemnity of their purpose. At the door, the three women stopped. The shelf where Joseph had so tenderly laid the broken, bloody body was empty.
“He is gone,” Mary gasped in horror.
“Look!” Salome whispered.
The three women inhaled fearfully when they saw a shining figure sitting where the body had been. The figure held up a hand in a calming gesture.
“Do not be afraid; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here,” the messenger announced. “Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”
The women looked at each other in astonishment.
“Did you hear that?” Mary Magdalene was the first to speak.
Salome and Mary could only nod and stare at the figure who bowed in blessing and disappeared from sight.
“He is risen!” Mary Magdalene repeated. “He is not dead!”
“What does that mean?” Salome asked almost fearfully.
Mary smiled and raised her arms in adoration. “It means nothing will ever be the same.”
“Alleluia, He is Risen!”
“The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia!”
The traditional Easter acclamation rings out in churches and between friends today. The Empty Tomb turned the world upside down as the people of Thessalonica realized. “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also…” (Acts 17:6)
How does your understanding of the Resurrection turn the world upside down? This video is one way that the women’s story does indeed change the perspective of life. (Be sure to watch all the way through!)
What if the women were right?
The women at the tomb did not find what they expected. Our lives should be forever changed by what we find when we open ourselves to God. As Henri Nouwen (The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life) says:
“Dear God, I am so afraid to open my clenched fists! Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands? Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that I am not what I own, but what you want to give me. And what you want to give me is love, unconditional, everlasting love. Amen."
Like my grandson on the monkey bars, we can learn to trust God enough to let go and not hang on tightly...
I invite you to join me during the Easter season (from April 11 until the end of May) when I’ll be meditating about living more fully and openly, in Christ, based on Nouwen’s book The Way of the Heart. See you next week.
