Thoughts for the Day

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 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.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We have been looking at the sights, sounds and actions of Holy Week, and Easter Sunday is no different. So let us look at the way the three principal figures of Mary Magdalene, Peter and the disciple 'whom Jesus loved' (probably John) greet the news that Jesus has risen from the dead. Mary discovers the tomb is empty and runs for help; Peter and John immediately go to check out her news and end up having a race with the beloved disciple winning though he does not enter the tomb; and in the meantime Peter enters the tomb. But now look at their reactions:

John believes: his instinctive response is to believe that Jesus has risen as he has said he would. The beloved disciple had stayed at the foot of the cross until the end, and his faith in Jesus does not waver.

Peter runs: he has been running away from Jesus, but now he runs towards the grave. Does he need to say sorry for denying Jesus and not being at his death? Does he hope the same thing will happen to Jesus as happened to Lazarus?. Or is he just curious?

Mary hears: she comes weeping to the tomb to mourn Jesus, and stays after the others have gone home. Blinded with tears she doesn't recognise the angels, and thinks Jesus is the gardener. But at his voice she recognises him, and is given the commission to tell others that Jesus has risen from the dead.

Can we recognise ourselves in these three characters on this glorious Easter Day: the times when we our faith is strong, like John; the times when we are contrite and our faith may be limited, like Peter; and the times when we hear our Lord's message of love and feel able to tell others of our faith, like Mary?

Lord Jesus,
as we celebrate Your resurrection,
renew our faith in You.
Breathe fresh life into us
and help us trust You more deeply.
Where doubt has crept in,
replace it with unshakable belief.
Let this Easter season be a turning point
where our faith grows stronger,
anchored in the truth of Your victory over death.
Amen.

(from 'Prayer and Scripture')