Conversation in Faith

Now that the celebration of Easter Sunday is over, perhaps we can take a moment to sit with Mark’s gospel. Try to forget what you think you know about the story and read it carefully.

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.’ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Mark 16:1-8 NRSV

What surprised you? Did you wonder why the women came with spices to anoint the body? They are not expecting an empty tomb, are they? Before we are too critical of the women, in Mark’s gospel Jesus talks about his death and resurrection three times. Each time, the disciples do not understand what he is talking about.¹ Recall that not all Jews believed in a resurrection of the death. Those that did, were expecting a mass resurrection, not the resurrection of a single person. The terror and amazement of the women makes sense. They were not expecting a single empty tomb.

As N. T. Wright explains, ” …[I]t is striking that the story bears no sign of anyone saying, ‘Ah yes, we should have expected this.’… the discover of the empty tomb is not presented as the historicizing ‘explanation’ of a belief in Jesus’ resurrection, but as itself a puzzle in search of a solution. It is not that someone believes in Jesus’ resurrection and now finds an empty tomb to confirm that belief; it is, rather, that they have found and empty tomb and are offered the startling and totally unexpected explanation that Jesus has been raised. The resurrection interprets the tomb, not vice versa.”²

The loss and grief of Good Friday and Holy Saturday are not assuaged on Sunday morning. If anything, things are now worse. Jesus body is gone. He is physically gone.

An unexpected young man, sitting in the tomb, does announce the resurrection. And what on earth is Jesus’ body doing in Galilee? It’s no wonder the women fled in terror, amazement and fear.

It seems odd to me that all the gospels begin their story of Jesus’ resurrection with an empty tomb. In the other gospels, sooner or later Jesus shows up. But there is a period of time where Jesus is risen but unseen.

And so I wonder, why is resurrection first announced by absence? I have been thinking about this since Holy Week. I don’t have an answer, and that’s alright. We are not required to have answers to everything. But this seems significant to me. I’m still sitting with this. The practice of sitting with an unanswered question is always challenging. And it reminds me that I can’t know everything there is to know about Jesus. If I think I have him figured out, he surprises me with the unexpected.

1. Mark 8:31-33 In response to Jesus talking about his death and resurrection. Peter rebukes Jesus. Mark 9:30-32 “But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask.”
   Mark 10:32-34, Immediately after Jesus talks about his death and resurrection James and John ask to be seated beside Jesus “in your glory”. ↩︎
2. The Resurrection of the Son of God, N.T. Wright, (Fortress Press: Minneapolis) 2003 page 628 ↩︎