Matthew 28:1-10
A Visit to the Cemetery
James Sledge April
16, 2017, Resurrection of the Lord
I
suppose it’s something of a stereotype. The women are the ones still trying to
care for Jesus. There’s not much they can do, but they can at least go to the
cemetery. They’d been briefly on Friday, but the Sabbath had interrupted, and
they are observant Jews. Now, with the Sabbath over and morning breaking, they
head there again.
I’m
not sure where the men are. They’ve been AWOL since Thursday night, running
away when Jesus was arrested. Peter makes a brief appearance outside the home
of the high priest but denies knowing Jesus when people think they recognize
him, and he’s not been seen since. Perhaps the men are in hiding, fearful that
they could be arrested as well.
Or
perhaps they’re upset and angry at how things played out. A week ago they were
on cloud nine. They had visions of being part of Jesus’ cabinet with he took
power. Yes, he had spoken repeatedly about a cross, but Jesus often talked in
riddles. They had bet that Jesus was different from all those other Messiahs
who appeared and then got executed by the Romans. But now he was dead. Some of
them probably felt Jesus had let them down.
Regardless
of where the men are, two women named Mary head to the cemetery early on a
spring morning. Perhaps they stopped at the local Safeway to pick up some
flowers. That’s the sort of thing you do when you visit a cemetery.
Most
of you have probably made such a visit, perhaps taken some flowers, too. It’s
a perfectly normal sort of thing to do.
People do it all the time. People also go to cemeteries just to be there. They
are quiet, peaceful places, often garden-like. There may be benches where you
can sit and meditate.