Peter and the beloved disciple (this includes us) rush to the tomb with the women. The beloved disciple arrives first, but still being young, bows to the seniority of Peter and waits for him to go in before him. This same respect, courtesy and humility are asked of all of us.
Peter goes in and sees that Jesus’ body is not there, but
only the linen cloths that had been wrapped around his body, and, separately, the head cloth, rolled up. What does Peter make of this? What do I make of it? What has happened to Jesus’ body? Can I wait patiently and courteously for the mystery? Can I live in the questions when answers are not yet clear, or may not become clear for extended periods?
We do not hear what Peter felt or believed in that moment. Perhaps confusion, questions,
and processing of what Jesus had said as he taught, healed, and shared. If I think I really know and understand God, then that is not God. However, even without all the answers, I can truly love God. Most importantly, I know that I am beloved of God because Jesus became incarnate in love and then “gave his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The ‘other disciple’ was gifted with immediate understanding of what the empty tomb and
discarded linen cloths meant. There are times when a new insight seems to just ‘land in our laps’. May we be grateful for those times! Even the disciples “still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead (John 20:9). Our spiritual lives are a journey, not a destination. Let us keep seeking.
Will I keep searching for God, who cannot be fully known or understood?
What questions have I
pondered over? Where am I growing in faith and in my relationship with God?
What do I believe about Jesus/God right now? Has my faith journey happened in spurts, or is it unfolding gradually over many years?
