Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!

 

 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.   Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' "  And they remembered His words.  Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. 

 

- Luke 23:56b—24:11 

 

Yesterday we read that it was about the sixth hour (noon), and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hand I commit My spirit.'" Having said this, He breathed His last.  So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done,  beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.   Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.  That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  

 

  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.   Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  The first day of the week is the day after the Sabbath; that is, Sunday.  In the Christian tradition, this is called the Lord's Day, and it is the day of worship (Acts 20:7).  

 

 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  My study Bible comments that the stone is rolled away not to let the all-powerful Lord out, but in order to let us witness Christ's Resurrection.  

 

 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  These two men . . . in shining garments are angels.

 

 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' "   My study Bible comments that, in order to dispel any doubt, the angel confirms his message by recalling Christ's own words.  In calculating the third day, the first day is Friday, the day on which Christ died before sundown.  The second is Saturday, the Sabbath on which Christ rested in the tomb.  The third day, which begins after sundown on Saturday, is the day of Resurrection, Sunday.  

 

And they remembered His words.  Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.  My study Bible comments that certain patristic teachers say that Mary the mother of James was the wife of Alphaeus, and this James was one of the twelve (Luke 6:15).  But most of the Fathers hold that this is the Virgin Mary, who was in fact the stepmother of a different James, "the Lord's brother" (see Matthew 13:55; compare Mark 15:40, 47).  In some icons of the Myrrhbearing Women, and in a hymn written by St. John of Damascus, it is sung, "The angel cried to the lady full of grace, 'Rejoice, O pure Virgin:  your Son is risen from His three days in the tomb."  

 

Why are women the first to hear the word of the Resurrection?  Indeed, in this account, they are the first to preach that Christ is Risen!  In the Church, these Myrrhbearing Women are also known as Apostles to the Apostles, for they are the ones who preach the word of Resurrection -- and tell of this good news -- to the apostles who are in hiding.  And why them, then?  Why these women?  These are the ones -- including Christ's mother, the Theotokos and Virgin Mary -- who have followed Him from Galilee, and been loyal to Him and supported Him all this time.  But I have read an interesting commentary in defense of the veracity of these Gospel accounts.  That starts, ironically, from the fact that it was men (in Christ's time) who were considered worthy witnesses.  Women were not generally considered to be reliable, or believable (as we can see confirmed in the reaction of the apostles to the news).  But this tends to lend credibility to the Gospel accounts, as it follows logically that if only men were seen as trustworthy witnesses, then an invented story would have used men as their witnesses.  St. Luke's Gospel, as we have repeatedly observed, pays close attention to the women involved in Christ's ministry, for we get a humane glimpse into their essential relationships with Christ, His sympathetic nature, and the values these women contribute.   Another traditional observation is that even as  the "first sin" began with the temptation of our maternal ancestor Eve, our fallen state is overcome in Christ when women are the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection.  So let us be grateful for these women, the myrrh they bear to anoint Christ's body, God's angels who announce the good news to them, and the Gospels that give us this so very worthy story to cherish and to build our lives upon.  For God uses everything available to us to glorify even the least of these, the smallest things in our lives, and out of them to create monumental values that hold through the test of time and our faith.  We also may observe the care and especially mercy that is symbolized in the anointing of oil and myrrh, for in their love and charity, these women tell us what God's grace will repay with glorious anointing in return.  They are saints we may call upon even when dire circumstances and loss come upon us, to teach us about gracious behavior and the mercy that supersedes all authority as we practice our faith as well.  God works through human beings, God's angels, and all of creation to bring us the good news of His glory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!

 

And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"  And they remembered His words.  Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

 

- Luke 23:56b—24:11 

 

Yesterday we read that it was about the sixth hour [or noon], and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour [approximately 3 p.m.].  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'"  Having said this, He breathed His last.  So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.  That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.   

 

And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  This first day of the week is the day after the Sabbath.  It is Sunday, which in the Christian tradition is called the Lord's Day (in Greek, Κυριακή/Kyriaki) -- the day of worship (Acts 20:7).  The spices which were prepared by the women (see the final verse in yesterday's reading, above) were traditionally prepared against the corruption of the bodies of the dead.  

 

But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  See Matthew 28:2.  My study Bible suggests that this stone is rolled away not to let the all-powerful Lord out, but so that we may witness Christ's Resurrection.

 

 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.   These two men in shining garments are angels.

Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"  And they remembered His words.  My study Bible comments that, in order to dispel any doubt, the angel confirms this message by recalling the words of Christ Himself.  In calculating the third day, the first day is Friday, the day on which Christ died before sundown.  The second is Saturday, the Sabbath on which Christ rested in the tomb.  The third day, which begins after sundown on Saturday, is the day of Resurrection, Sunday. 

Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.  My study Bible comments that certain patristic commentary teaches that Mary the mother of James was the wife of Alphaeus, and this James was one of the Twelve (Luke 6:15).  But most hold that this Mary is the Virgin Mary, as she is in fact the stepmother of a different James, called "the Lord's brother" (Galatians 1:19; see also  Matthew 13:55, compare to Mark 15:40, 47).  My study Bible further notes that the Virgin Mary appears in certain icons of the Myrrhbearing Women.  Moreover, in a hymn by St. John of Damascus, it is sung, "The angel cried to the lady full of grace, 'Rejoice, O pure Virgin:  your Son is risen from His three days in the tomb."

 

 Let us note how matter-of-fact these extraordinary events seem to be as they are told.  We're not given to great extremes here of astonishment, or anguish in mourning, or more superlatives about the emotions of the women, nor even stupendous appearances of these angels or even of the rolled away stone.  The most we're given in terms of unusual descriptive images is the clothing of the angels; they're wearing shining garments.  But even so, the text doesn't tell us directly that they are angels; they are "two men in shining garments."  It is only the shining, light-filled quality of their garments that speaks to us of the glory of the Lord reflected through them, and that they are angels.  The women, in response, are not so frightened that they run away.  Instead, we are told that they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth. This kind of fear is akin to awe at beholding what comes from God, and is therefore a kind of testimony to a power beyond our understanding.  It is a kind of fear that comes from the fact that it is outside of the earthly and the worldly, and inspired by the presence of the holy, which comes from God.  In these short verses, we're given no great cinematic style buildup to this event, but an almost quiet recounting of the way that the truly awesome and extraordinary intervenes in our lives, a kind of perspective that we can only understand upon reflection, and given time to understand all the tremendous meanings and effects that belong to this moment of revelation.  For that is what this truly is, it is a revelation.  As the stone is rolled away, so we might say that this is a type of apocalypse, the root meaning of which is to "uncover."   The stone is rolled away, so that a deeper reality might be revealed.  In this empty tomb, in the presence of these "two men in shining garments" we are given the true reality behind the scenes of the worldly, through their announcement to these women:  "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!"   This is also the pronouncement of the fulfillment of prophecy:  "Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"   And this is how the revelations of God happen in our own lives.  Not with the drumbeat of something approaching we can't quite grasp, not with an announcement before the whole world, but in our private places, like this empty tomb, and even in the quiet of what feels truly personal but may be extraordinary.  What we observe in a worldly sense is the response of the apostles to this earth-shattering news:  they think they are hearing idle tales, and they did not believe them.  So often, even in our own lives, we can expect that this is the way that revelation -- even those which change our lives -- comes to us.  The good news of Christ may come to us as we read the pages of one of the Gospels, as we pray alone, as we sit in Church and sense something of a change of attitude in ourselves, or maybe a sudden ease of the heart.  The powerful work of God does not come to us in the way an earthly spectacle dreamed up for a horror film, for instance, would give us garish images.  But God works in ways that move us deeply, that give us conviction and awareness even though none around may sense the same.  In this quiet place of an empty, unused tomb the angel gives the awesome, amazing, and yet gentle good news that they must no doubt struggle to comprehend.   First, with a question:  "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" and then, "He is not here, but is risen!"  It reminds us of Jesus' own words, teaching the Sadducees about the real nature of the resurrection they can't imagine nor understand, and do not expect -- that "He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him"  (Luke 20:38).  In this light of the true reality behind all the appearances of the world, this becomes perfect sense, that where God is, there is life.  There are those who may appear to us as living, but they are spiritually dead ("Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God," Jesus says to one who wants to follow but first go to bury his father, in Luke 9:60).  Jesus doesn't just promise water to those who thirst, but "rivers of living water" (John 7:38).  We observe earthly life even where there isn't faith, but Christ is the living bread which gives life to the world (John 6:33, 51).  He is the light of the world, which is the light of life (John 8:12).  We might see what we see, and live as we live day to day, but there is a deeper layer of what is real, and it speaks to us of what is truly alive, and what gives life -- even life "more abundantly" (John 10:10).   But one needs faith to take in what is being revealed.  The women come to the tomb, doing their duty, keeping their heads in ways that the frightened men in hiding are not.  But they do not find the dead, they find the angels announcing life and Resurrection, who remind them first of this truth by asking, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" and affirming the truth, "He is not here, but He is risen!"   Let us, also, not seek the living among the dead, because we won't find the life we seek there.  Let us remember these words, that He is risen!

 

 

 

 

Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!

 

 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"  And they remembered His words.  Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

 

- Luke 23:56—24:11 

 

Yesterday we read that it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'"  Having said this, He breathed His last.  So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.  Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.  That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

 

Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.   These are "the women who had come with Him from Galilee," as indicated in yesterday's text, above.  The spices and fragrant oils are preparations for the corruption of Christ's body, intended to delay and disguise decay.  The first day of the week was the day after the Sabbath -- in other words, Sunday -- which in the Christian tradition is called the Lord's Day, the day of worship (Acts 20:7).  

But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  See also Matthew 28:2.  My study Bible comments that the stone is rolled away not to let the all-powerful Lord out, but to allow us to witness His Resurrection.  

Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. The men in shining garments were angels.  

Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"  And they remembered His words.  My study Bible comments that in order to dispel any doubt, the angel confirms his message by recalling Christ's own words.  In calculating the third day, we understand the first day to be Friday, the day on which Christ died before sundown.  The second day is Saturday, the Sabbath on which Christ rested in the tomb.  The third day -- which begins after sundown on Saturday -- is the day of Resurrection, Sunday.

 

 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.  My study Bible says that certain patristic writers teach that Mary the mother of James was the wife of Alphaeus and this James was one of the Twelve (Luke 6:15).  Most, however, hold that this is the Virgin Mary, being in fact the stepmother of a different James, who is "the Lord's brother" (see Matthew 13:55; compare to Mark 15:40, 47).  

What does the empty tomb signify?  How strange that an empty tomb, with the stone rolled away from it, signifies the greatest "contents" anyone could ever imagine.  The Venerable Bede writes on this passage that, having kept the Sabbath in accordance with the commandment, the women come to the tomb to anoint Christ's body because they think He is dead.  To find the tomb empty gives the appearance of finding nothing, but in effect, they make the greatest find of all:  that Christ is risen and will in fact now be present in the sacraments.  The rolled away stone, as my study Bible comments, leaves the tomb open precisely so that human beings can discover this truth.  (Christ did not need the stone to be rolled away!)  It is akin to the tearing of the veil of the temple (see yesterday's reading, above), which enables human beings to come closer to God, to commune with the presence of God which was once hidden behind the temple veil.  This discovery -- although not at first believed by the Twelve -- enables the comprehension of Christ's repeated prophecies of His death and Resurrection, which was hidden from the disciples when Jesus taught them these things.  The proclamation of the angels begins to make sense out of His death.  Both St. Chrysostom and the Venerable Bede comment that the angels affirm that the sufferings and resurrection of Jesus are part of the divine plan as foretold by the ancient Scriptures and by Jesus himself.  The words of the angels will call to the minds of the apostles the remembrance of these prophecies, and gain their understanding.  Moreover, in the spiritual history of Israel, Genesis tells us that it was a woman who caused corruption to be brought into the world through temptation and lies; but here it is women who are the first to be told the truth of the Resurrection, and who spread that news to the disbelieving men.  St. Cyril of Alexandria teaches us that just as angels appeared at His birth, so they now appear in the empty tomb.  But they are not there to announce death; they are once again present to announce life itself (John 14:6).  St. Cyril writes, "Let no one seek among the dead him who ever lives."  In yesterday's commentary, we noted St. Cyril of Alexandria's commentary:  "Observe that no sooner had Christ endured the Passion on the Cross for our sakes than He began to win many unto knowledge of the truth."  This quick resolution of so many open questions continues especially in today's reading, in the image of the empty tomb, the presence of the angels, and the women who are the first to hear and to relay the good news.  The empty tomb confirms the presence of life itself, the opening of communion with God in the sacraments, the presence of the angels immediately teaches us the reality of the good news, making full sense of Christ's teachings and predictions of His death and Resurrection.  There is, of course, more to come, but the immediate effects are palpable and enlightening, as if something that one day seemed entirely undone is suddenly wrapped up as a beautiful gift.  We should always remember this in our own lives also, on an intimate scale, that where there is a crucifixion, with Christ there will always be a Resurrection, for He is the way, the truth, and the life.  The angels ask, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?"  In Luke 9:60, Jesus taught one who would be His disciple, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  To "follow Him" is the way of life and the good news is in the empty tomb.

 

 

It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them

 And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"  And they remembered His words.  Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

- Luke 23:56b-24:11

Yesterday, we read that it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'"  Having said this, He breathed His last.  So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.  Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.  That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  They they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

 And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.   My study bible explains that the first day of the week is the day after the Sabbath; this is Sunday.  In Christian tradition, Sunday is called the Lord's Day, the day of worship (in Greek, it's "Kyriaki" - literally, day of the Lord). 

But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.   The stone is not rolled away in order to let the all-powerful Lord out, but rather for all of us so that we may witness His Resurrection through these women.

 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.   The shining garments give us an image of divine light; these are angels.

Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"  And they remembered His words.  My study bible says that in order to dispel any doubt, the angel confirms his message by recalling Christ's very words to them.  When the third day is calculated, we begin with Friday -- the day on which Christ died before sundown.  Saturday, the Sabbath, was the second day in which He rested in the tomb.  The third day, which begins after sundown on Saturday according to Jewish spiritual tradition, is the day of Resurrection, Sunday.

 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.   Commentators like St. Ambrose of Milan point out that while Genesis teaches us that temptation to the Fall was offered by Eve, here in the Gospels it is the women who offer the good news of Resurrection.   We note that the apostles can't believe what they hear!  These "myrr-bearing women" become Apostles to the Apostles with the good news of Resurrection.

I don't think we can even imagine the good news here in all of its real ramifications, and how much it keeps "doing" for us so many centuries later.  Many commentators by tradition see this scene as "rehabilitation" of a type of woman-kind, at least as far as the Scriptures go -- setting the Fall of human beings aright with the "good news" borne by women.  In that sense it's a "rehabilitation" of the image of women, but it's also much more than that.  Christ's Resurrection is to bring "good news" to everyone.  The early Councils of the Church focused on just exactly who Christ was -- man or God, all-man or all-God, two natures in one, or two natures?  So many questions could be asked, and were.  But many of the fathers (and mothers) can be summed up in the Church's teaching on just "who" Jesus was in the following statement, often ascribed to St. Athanasius:  "God become man so that man could become a god."  What that statement really tells us is of Christ's mission to transform everything about us.  Rehabilitation isn't just about an external image and it's not just about one issue or another:  it's a renewal of all that is.  The Resurrection means new life in everything and for everything, and this is the true identity of Jesus Christ for us.  In this vein it is the women to whom the good news is revealed and they become the apostles to the apostles, just as Christ was born into the world through the faith of a woman, His mother.  In the paradox of our faith, a human woman gave birth to God.   The world is renewed and transformed, and these ministers -- the faithful women who have supported Jesus' ministry all along the way from Galilee -- become apostles.  Nothing is left out in this transformation of any one of us from mere human being to someone who can be "like God," that is, a person who shares in the attributes of the divine, capable of so much more than we can understand.  It is the Resurrection that elevates and transforms, and brings us into touch with our true capacities for faith, for strength, for truth, for courage, for producing "good fruits" into the world.  We turn to the Resurrection as the ultimate victory over anything "fallen," whatever seems "less than."  And this is the great purpose and meaning of salvation and what it is to be truly "saved."  This is the purpose of the mission into the world by Christ.  He came down to lift us all up with Him.  The ramifications of this truth are ongoing, unfolding, bringing us into something new every day, and it is really up to each one of us to understand and to experience what this means in our own daily lives.  When we are struggling with difficulty, we turn to faith and have to find our own crosses, and our own resurrection in Him.  Nothing may turn out just the way we expected it to, but in return we may find something much, much better once we become accustomed to the "good news" we may not even understand nor give any value to at first hearing!  But here we see these women and their great role given in this particular story, which is the greatest and most profound story, the best and most outstanding news possible.  Let us remember whom He elevates and what He brings to us, and let us never lose hope for our own part in this story of Resurrection.   He came to save, and to bring each one of us up with Him.


 

Why do you seek the living among the dead?

 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.

And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"  And they remembered His words  Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.

- Luke 23:56b-24:11

In yesterday's reading, we read about Jesus' death on the Cross.  It was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  Then the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.'"  Having said this, He breathed His last.  So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"  And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.  But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.  Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.  He had not consented to their decision and deed.  He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.  That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.  And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.  And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.  Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.  But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.  Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.   My study bible points out that "the first day of the week was the first day after the Sabbath, which is Sunday, called the Lord's Day in Christian tradition."

And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.   The men in shining garments are angels.  The light reflected from their garments reminds us of the Transfiguration.

Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"  My study bible notes, "He is risen!  The news of great joy, heralding the new dispensation, resounds throughout the whole world, transforming the creation and the lives of millions of men and women."

And they remembered His words  Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.  And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.  My study bible explains that "the women going to inform the eleven and . . . all the rest implies that the group of faithful followers of Jesus was larger than the eleven disciples (see Acts 1:14-15)." 

Here we have it, the great good news, found in an empty tomb.  Coming after the shock of crucifixion, what could these women think?  Let us notice that the angels, the two men in shining garments, are there to remind them of the words of Jesus, the promise He told to them.  From the beginning of their lives without Him in the flesh, we see the movements of the Church, the stirrings of the things that make for the Church.  There are Joseph of Arimathea and these women, in yesterday's reading, going about their business and doing what they must do to serve Him, even in His death.  And today, the angels of heaven come to remind them of His words.  This is the grace we know and understand that creates His Body, the Church.  These are the actions we understand.  We do what we can to serve, and in turn, the grace of God serves us, reminding us of His words, adding meaning and fleshing out all things that we read of His words and His promises.  I find the meaning of their words quite astounding, when they say to the women, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?"  These words of grace point us to much more than just these women in the tomb who seek Christ, and seek to know where He is.  They also tell us about our lives, about direction, and about finding what makes for the life of the Church.  Jesus has earlier told one who would be His disciple, "Let the dead bury their own dead."  We have a sense of what enlivens and what does not, to the extent that One who has been crucified on a Cross, in a public execution lives, while others have been called "dead" who "bury their own dead."  In the light of the angels' garments, we find more evidence of life, the life in abundance that was promised in Jesus' teaching to His disciples, the light that shines in the darkness, even in the darkness of a tomb.  The early church has left us with many things, but perhaps there is none so distinctive as its emphasis on two ways:  the way of life and the way of death.  The earliest surviving writing we have called the Didache, or the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, begins with the following declaration:  "There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between these two ways."  Evidence tells us that from the beginning, the earliest members of the Church would distinguish between the two ways, and theirs was the Way of Life.  So we have it in the words of the angels here in this scene.  Why do you seek the living among the dead? can become a metaphor for everything in our lives.  What gives us life, and what does not?  Are there people in your life who seem to enliven, to help with what is good, to practice the commandments of Christ such as charitable living toward others, the kindness in a cup of water -- and are there others who do not offer this life at all?  Perhaps one of our greatest concerns isn't so much whether people call themselves spiritual or religious, but whether or not the ways of life or the ways of death are what we find around ourselves, and the choice we make in the midst of them.  In this question, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" the angels remind us that Christ has come to free us from what afflicts us, from the 'strong man' that binds, that restricts life and takes it away from us, that burdens and shuts out the light.  Let us remember that He is here to give us the fullness of life in abundance, and that to follow His commandments is to find and seek that life, the Way of life.  As you go through your day, consider what really brings you life, and what may deaden it and bring affliction, shutting out the light.  It is the light that shines in the darkness that distinguishes this Way, and the grace of the Spirit that continually unfolds His words and meanings and teachings for us, giving us life, so that in His light we see light.  Grace for grace, the Spirit gives so that we may share.  Don't waste your time on whatever blocks it out of view, the things that cause us darkness at noon.