When the sabbath was over,
Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome
bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
Very early when the sun had risen,
on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
They were saying to one another,
“Who will roll back the stone for us
from the entrance to the tomb?”
When they looked up,
they saw that the stone had been rolled back;
it was very large.
On entering the tomb they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe,
and they were utterly amazed.
He said to them, “Do not be amazed!
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.
Behold the place where they laid him.
But go and tell his disciples and Peter,
‘He is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him, as he told you.’”
My first thought was that it is strange that a group of women would go to the tomb with spices and ask the question “Who will roll away the stone for us?”. Surely they would have sorted that out before making the trip. This text is from the reading.
ReplyDeleteOn entering the tomb they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe,
and they were utterly amazed.
He said to them, “Do not be amazed!
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.
Behold the place where they laid him.
But go and tell his disciples and Peter,
‘He is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him, as he told you.’”
I find it interesting that Mary bumps into Jesus in the reading later in the week (1st of April Mt 28:8-15) and Jesus tells her to tell the others he will meet them in Galilee. That suggests that this account from Mark comes after the one from John…. That aside, this is another account of the discovery that Christ has risen.
Your thoughts about Mark 16:1-7 are interesting! Here's a breakdown of your observations and some additional insights:
DeleteQuestion about the Stone: You find it curious that the women wouldn't have planned for the stone beforehand. This is a common question, and there are a few possible explanations:
Size and Weight: The Gospels describe the stone as being very large. It might have been impossible for the women to move on their own, even if they had planned to.
Emotional State: Their grief and shock might have caused them to overlook this practical detail.
Symbolism: Some interpretations see the question as symbolic, representing the obstacles they must overcome in their faith.
Significance of the Appearance: The appearance of the young man is a central event, marking the revelation of Jesus' resurrection.
Order of Events: You're right about the seeming discrepancy between Mark and Matthew. Mark has the women meeting Jesus later in Galilee, while Matthew has Mary Magdalene encountering him earlier. There are different theories about the order of events, and the Gospels may not be presenting a strictly chronological account.
Here are some additional thoughts:
Multiple Appearances: The Gospels depict Jesus appearing to multiple people in different locations after the resurrection. This emphasizes the reality of the event for various witnesses.
Importance of Galilee: Galilee seems to be a significant location for the disciples' post-resurrection encounters with Jesus.
Overall, your reflection raises good questions about the text and highlights the importance of the resurrection narrative in Mark's Gospel.