Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 But 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. 7 But 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.” 8 So 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.
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Happy Easter in the name of our God who rose from the dead! On Easter morning, Jesus's followers had no idea what lay in store for them and all the world. According to Mark's Gospel, only three disciples arrive at the tomb. The others are nowhere to be found. How about Peter? Not there. The beloved disciple? Not there. Thomas? Not there. Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome are the sole people present. Grief, anger, and fear propelled them to take their first steps that day. They are three women doing the sort of task society deems undignified yet necessary: the perfuming of a dead body.
The fact that they show up with spices (essentially... essential oils) reveals that they don't believe Jesus had been resurrected. Nevertheless, they show up. What kind of miracles do we miss simply because we don't show up to see them? Just as notable as the spices is the message the women receive from an unidentified young man. He says, "tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee" (Mk. 16:7). In Mark's Gospel, we don't actually see the risen Christ. Rather, we are promised that he goes ahead of us. As we carry our spices through the coming days, we go from places of endings to paths of new beginnings. We show up.
Going Forth Prayer: Lord, you are resurrected in glory and majesty! We have arrived to see it, and to spread this good, good news. Amen.
