In our Gospel today from John 20:1-8, we hear that Mary saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. She didn’t even look inside but ran to tell the disciples. She just assumed that his body was taken by robbers. When the disciples arrived, Peter saw “the cloth that covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place”. When I was younger, I wondered what the significance of that statement was.
Despite Jesus telling the disciples many times that he would rise from the dead, the disciples were still not expecting it to happen. The fact that his burial cloths were still there was a pretty good clue that his body was not stolen. To the secular world, the only thing of value that was buried with Jesus were the expensive spices in the burial cloths, which were something robbers would not have left behind.
Seeing that Jesus had risen from the dead gave these disciples the courage to step out in faith, knowing that he had triumphed over death. Which kind of believers are we? Do we take Jesus at his word, or do we need proof? As Jesus told doubting Thomas when he asked for proof, “blessed are those who haven’t seen, yet still believe”.
De Colores, Deacon Kevin
