The Easter Vigil is fashioned to take us on a journey, a journey that begins in darkness and ends in light, a journey that begins with creation and ends in a recreation, and a journey which begins in despair and ends in hope. This year our journey ends with the telling of the empty tomb story as it was written by the evangelist Mark.
Mark weaves several important themes into his telling of the Gospel. First, the Gospel story begins in a place that indicates an absence of faith. The women are going to anoint a corpse. These visitors believe that Jesus is dead and that his body was lying undisturbed in a tomb hewn out of rock. Their conversation as they make their way to the grave also indicates their lack of faith as they express concern over the stone that had been rolled into position to seal the tomb.
The second theme is that of a supernatural experience and a divine communication. The surprise of the women turned into amazement when they entered the tomb, and, instead of a dead body, they found a young man clothed in white. He responded to their amazement in the way that heavenly messengers traditionally respond to human beings who are overwhelmed by a supernatural experience. He addresses their fear and then delivers the message.
Finally, the third and final theme charges the women, who had come to attend a corpse, to become the first heralds of the resurrection. The young man dressed in white issues both a proclamation and a commission. He attests to the death of Jesus who has truly died. Then he announces the resurrection brought about through the power of God. Then he confers a commission on these women. They are to announce the resurrection to Peter and tell the disciples to go to Galilee.
However, the very next verse of the Gospel (which is not included in tonight’s reading) stops us in our tracks. Mark writes: “Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
We can hardly blame them. We have had more than 2,000 years to dwell upon the story of the empty tomb, and it still fills us with amazement and wonder. For those of us gathered here tonight, faith has replaced our doubts and hope has allayed our fears. However, I dare say that had we been in the company of these women, we would probably done the same thing they did.
In fact, as the Gospels clearly indicate, the faith of the disciples did not begin to evolve until Jesus started to appear before them. Had he not done so, it is hard to believe that the story of the empty tomb alone would have convinced us of the Resurrection. We also have the benefit of the preaching of St. Paul who pushes us to another tenet of our faith; namely, that we too shall rise from the dead and will live with God forever by virtue of our baptism into his death.
We name this night the most sacred of all nights. We begin our celebration of Eastertide at its very beginning, at the tomb of Jesus which is no longer a tomb. That which made it a tomb to begin with is no longer there. A tomb without a corpse is simply a hole in a rock or in the ground. It holds no terror for us any longer.
So it is that we come together tonight not only to remember that Jesus rose from the dead, but that we also have died with him through baptism and have risen with him to new life. For Christ is surely risen, risen as he said, alleluia, alleluia.