This gospel passage proclaims the heart of our faith. What we hear proclaimed is the report of an empty tomb. If you already believe, the empty tomb makes sense. Mark tells us far more than we may imagine, and at the same time less. Have you ever noticed that no gospel describes the resurrection itself, an event that is terribly difficult for us to imagine? The New Testament writers certainly believed and taught that Jesus rose from the dead. They also understood his resurrection not to be a simple resuscitation, but a transformation. What the risen Christ became was unlike what he had been before he died on the cross.
What is the resurrection? That is a crucial question for us to ponder since our faith is based on it. We are convinced that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. If historians were to rank the significant events of all time, I believe that many would place this incredible event at the top of their list. Probably no other event has had a greater impact on world history than what happened on the third day following Jesus’ death on the cross. On that day an empty tomb was discovered.
Some say the event was a hoax and that Jesus wasn’t really dead when he was taken down from the cross, but recall the passion story. We were told that water and blood poured from his side when a soldier lanced him. That meant Jesus died of asphyxiation, the usual cause of death for anyone who was crucified. Even if he was alive when he was taken down from the cross, can you imagine anyone being able to walk around three days later after what he had endured?
Some skeptics contend that the apostles came and took his body away from the tomb. Moving the stone and doing that without disturbing the nearby soldiers sounds like an impossible feat but what makes the notion of a hoax so unlikely is how the apostles never changed their story even when they faced persecution and death themselves.
What literally happened cannot be humanly explained yet the story Mary Magdalene and other witnesses told has stood the test of time.
Had he not risen from the dead, the good news of Jesus would have faded from memory long ago and we would not be here. At best we would remember him as a great ancient teacher like Plato or Aristotle. But he did rise from the dead and within a century this historical truth spread like wildfire throughout the cities of the Roman Empire. The event touched the lives of many people then and still does today.
Why should such a story even matter to us? For one thing, the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth gives us reason to believe that life is more than the span of time from the womb to the tomb. Until that first Easter, the Jews envisioned the Messiah as one who would liberate them from Roman oppression, but throughout his ministry, Jesus kept telling this listeners that his kingdom was not of this world.
He left evidence that our time here would be a stepping-stone to new life beyond the threshold of death. What he said in those few years were not empty promises or false hopes. Jesus has come to free us from the oppression of sin and suffering. His resurrection validates his claim.
Our bodies will rise again on that last day but be forewarned, not all will rise to glory. The bible tells us in the Book of Daniel, “Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Thus the fullness of new life is not a given, which is why Paul encourages us in his letter, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above…Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. If we want to live new life with Christ in eternity, we must live his new life now.”
What Mark tells us in this gospel passage is more than just a punch line to a dramatic tale. Unable to explain how the resurrection happened, all Mark could do is tell us the reaction of those who saw the evidence and believed.
Picture the women on the way to the tomb, grieving and apprehensive. Who will roll back the stone for us? How many unmovable stones do we have in our lives? What wrongs, doubts, and fears have troubled you recently? Perhaps you have struggled with being underemployed, a lost relationship, or the onset of a grave illness. Or perhaps you doubt your self worth before God because of what you have done or failed to do. You have pushed and pushed against the stones in your life and none seem to be budging.
Perhaps you exchanged hurtful words with your spouse or a friend; words you now regret and wish you could take back, but pushing the stone of forgiveness seems to be futile.
The one who emerged from the tomb on the first Easter, died, bearing our sins and trials. He emerged understanding our fears and worries, not just those of the disciples, but also yours and mine 2000 years later.
Hopefully, our Easter celebration will inspire us to leave today with a new resolve to praise the Lord, not just today but from this day forward. This is what alleluia means. Let us rejoice and be glad because this is the day the Lord has made; this is the day, indeed the season that is meant to be a source of salvation and hope for all of us.