The Empty Tomb [April 8, 2012]

The Sunday Gospel [Easter Sunday - April 8, 2012]

John 20:1-9

1On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.  2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” 3So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. 4They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; 5he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 6When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 7and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. 8Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. 9For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

Reflection

“They did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” ~ v. 9

What a humble statement! Here is John, the beloved apostle, admitting that he hadn’t yet grasped the truth that Jesus would rise from the dead. And not only John but Peter and the other disciples doubted that possibility. Even Mary Magdalene, who saw the empty tomb, supposed that someone had stolen Jesus’ body (John 20:2).

Now, Jesus had told his disciples this would happen (Matthew 16:21). They saw him raise other people from death (Luke 7:11-17; John 11:38-44). They believed in Jesus. They trusted him. They even confessed him as the Son of God. But as you might imagine, the idea of a resurrection is not the easiest thing to believe!

All that changed, however, when they found themselves face-to-face with the risen Lord. Actually seeing Jesus alive convinced them. It filled them with faith and gave them the boldness they needed to build the church.

So here we are celebrating Easter two thousand years later. Unlike the apostles, most of us have not seen Jesus. We have to trust in him based on the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the proclamation of the church, and the teachings we find in Scripture. But we do have one thing that the apostles didn’t have: the witness of their lives! We have the stories of how fully they devoted themselves to Jesus. We have the accounts of their sacrifices for the church, the persecutions they endured, and even the martyrdom that many of them suffered, Would they really go through all of this just to keep a ”myth” alive? Not likely!

Today, as we celebrate Easter, let’s listen to the witness of the apostles. They met Jesus, and they found new boldness and courage to believe. Surely, if it happened to them, it can happen to us!

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarroabel.blogspot.com/).