The Empty Tomb - Luke 24: 1-13
Mary
and I spent the night curled into each other, drained of all tears, holding
each other so that neither of us would go flying apart into a million
pieces. I woke first, a habit from my
earlier career of finding it best to be up and about early, so that I could
hustle the customer along and begin preparations for the next. The minute my eyes opened the loss hit me
again. I had believed him longer than
any of our group, had known he meant death when he said his time of trial would
come soon, when he said he would be leaving us.
This is why I bought the perfume, why I risked dredging up my old reputation
even now that I was new under his gaze.
Still, the finality of it, the pain of it…it nearly undid me. I squeezed my eyes shut again, shifted closer
to Mary, wanting to forget forever.
Wanting to return to dreamland and just drift in nothing for all
time. It did not work. I stretched quietly and moved away from the
bed, starting some water to boil, slicing a few pieces of bread. We would eat, and then we would go finish
what could not be finished on the Sabbath: preparing his body for a more permanent
burial. I knew that guards of the Roman
leader stood outside, that a stone large enough to need four men to roll it,
had been placed over the entrance to the tomb.
What I did not know is how we would overcome these obstacles. I looked out the window while I contemplated
the problem, and stared into the heart of a storm. The clouds were black and moving quickly, the
trees nearly bent double to pay homage to the ruling winds. As I watched, a torrent of rain abruptly
started, stopping as suddenly a few moments later. The sun peaked weakly out behind some low
clouds on the horizon, and I saw that everywhere was a heavy fog, an uncommon
sight in these arid lands. Everything
was obscured and uncertain. Everything
was hushed and damped down. Everything
was lost, I thought, and turned from the gloomy sight to see Mary sitting dully
on the edge of the bed, no life in her eyes.
I ran the few steps and kneeled to take her hands in mine and rub them
vigorously, as if trying to waken life in her this way. But already she had come fully awake and was
now silently crying, the tears pooling between our feet. The water boiled on the fire, and I jumped
away from her with a quick hand patting her head. I prepared the tea for us both, and brought
her a cup, insisting she take it when she did not react.
In
a half hour we had both rallied enough that we had dressed, obtained the
supplies we needed, tied them up in a cloth on our back and started out the
door. Today would not be easy, but the
work needed to be done. We owed him at
least that. (to be continued)
