April 16, 2025 at 9:25 a.m.
Alleluia, Alleluia, the tomb is empty!
“On that first day of the week, Mary Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.” (John 20:1-9) Why did Mary Magdala go to the tomb early in the morning on that first day of the week? We can presume for the same reason as told in the Gospel of Luke 24:1-12, to anoint the body of Jesus with spices as was the Jewish custom. We also know from the passion narrative that there was no time to anoint the body of Jesus on Friday, the day Jesus died on the cross, because the Sabbath began at sundown. There was only time to place Jesus’ body in the tomb.
Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. — Colossians 3:1
Mary Magdala goes to perform the ritual custom as prescribed by the law, to anoint Jesus’ body. We are not told in John 20:1-9 if Mary Magdala was alone or if she was with other women when she went to the tomb. We are given a hint that she was not alone from her telling of the incident to Peter and John the beloved disciple, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” (John 20:2) The resurrection account from the Gospel of John 20:1-9 tells us that, while it was still dark, Mary Magdala arrived at the tomb and saw the stone rolled away. We are not told that the tomb is empty or if Mary investigated the tomb. We are told that she runs back to tell Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved that the stone was rolled away. Mary leads Peter and John, the beloved disciple, to the tomb. They ran to the tomb and found it just as Mary Magdala had said: the stone was rolled away. The passage tells us that John reaches the tomb first, but he does not go in, he waits for Peter. It is Peter who goes in first, this is a reference to Peter having the position of leadership among the other Apostles. When Peter bends over and sees the empty tomb, he sees the burial cloths are in separate places in the tomb. What does this mean? It is a sign that the body was not stolen, but that the risen Lord had removed the cloths and left them in two separate places.
Peter and the other disciples believed the tomb was empty but did not yet understand what empty really meant. Their witnessing compels them to proclaim the kerygma, which is the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The proclamation of the kerygma of the church is a profession of faith that helps to bring others to believe.
When Mary Magdala brought Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved to the tomb, where the stone was rolled away, she was witnessing to her faith in Jesus by leading the others to the tomb. In the verses that follow in John 20:11-18, which we will hear on Tuesday of the Easter Octave, Mary Magdala will have the ability to further witness to the resurrection when she encounters the risen Lord after Peter and John report to the others what they had witnessed.
Like Mary Magdala, we are all called to proclaim the kerygma of the church, bringing others to the empty tomb so that they can witness themselves that the tomb is empty. Also, like Mary Magdala, we are called to witness from our own experiences and tell others how we have encountered the risen Lord in our lives.
The Easter mystery reminds us to proclaim the kerygma of the church by proclaiming the words of the Psalm response from Psalm 118, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” Mary Magdala proclaimed the kerygma of the church by leading Peter and the disciple Jesus loved to the empty tomb. We are all called to be Mary Magdala to others and lead them to the empty tomb so that they can encounter the risen Lord.
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