“Then the other disciple, who reached the
tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not
understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead”—(John 20:8-9 NRSV).
Just as Jesus predicted, it happened. The
story wasn’t over. In fact, it was just beginning. On that first Easter Sunday,
“while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene
came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb” (John
20:1).
I
don’t know about you, but like Mary Magdalene, I would have assumed someone had
stolen the body. John tells us she immediately ran to Simon Peter and the other
disciple—the one whom Jesus loved—and told them Jesus’ body was missing.
While Peter and the other disciple raced
toward the tomb together, I wonder what they were thinking. Were they ready to
begin a massive hunt for the body? Were they ready to fight whoever had removed
Jesus’ remains? While we don’t know these answers, we know the other disciple—whom
we believe is John—outran Peter, arriving at the tomb first. When he bent down
to look in the tomb, he saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go
in.
I often wonder why this disciple didn’t enter
the tomb. Was he afraid? Was he waiting on Peter?
When Simon Peter arrived, he went into the
tomb. He, too, saw the linen wrappings and the cloth that had been wrapped
around Jesus’ head. I wonder what Peter thought upon entering the tomb. Was he
as perplexed as Mary and the other disciple?
