Second Reading 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
1When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6But 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. 7But 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.” 8So 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.
The Gospel of Mark has two endings—and this was the first. Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Salome come to the tomb only to find that Jesus is gone. They focus on the problems they anticipate: “who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb?” But they are worried about the wrong thing. Jesus isn’t there. “He has been raised; he is not here.” All of a sudden the problem they considered first is unimportant. Something much larger has happened and they do not know what to do. They do the only thing that they can: “So they went out and fled form the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
At first this seems like an off-putting way to end the Gospel. Is it even good news? But it may be my favorite Easter story now—because it reminds us that Jesus is both outside our grasp, unable to be controlled, and waiting for us in the world. The resurrection means that Jesus no longer belongs to one tomb, or even one place. He has gone on ahead of us, waiting to be found in our churches and neighborhoods and homes. He has gone on ahead of us. Our job is to follow.
Holy God, make the way clear; and let the good news of Jesus Christ drive us into the world expectant of your presence, wherever we are. Amen.
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