At the empty tomb, the women who had come to care for Jesus after his death encountered men in “dazzling clothes” who asked, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
Well, the tomb has been the usual place to look for someone who has died and been buried. Yet, in the resurrection, Jesus ushers in a new age where everything is unusual. God’s love and forgiveness and embrace has defeated all that is broken in the world, and brings new life, particularly in places were we only expect to find death. These next seven weeks of Easter show us just how wild and wonderful this transformation is! –ara
Luke 24:1-12
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.