Holy Saturday – 19th April 2025
On the first Easter, very early in the morning, the women come to the tomb with spices to anoint Jesus’ body. They find the stone rolled away so they enter the tomb, but they do not find Jesus’ body. Two angels appear and the women bow down in fear, looking at the ground. Then the angels ask, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
That’s a good question. Of course, it was a good question in the context of the story of the women going to the tomb on that first Easter. It’s still a good question for us this Easter, living some 2,000 years later.
Why do you look for the living among the dead?
For the women, this must have been a surprising question. Think about it. They had gone to the tomb to attend to Jesus’ body. They had served their Lord during his earthly life. Now they would do one last act of service for Jesus. They had witnessed his death. They knew that there was no time for a proper burial. So, they came with spices to complete the burial rites. Their beloved Lord was dead. They could at least perform this one last act of love for him. But their hearts must have been heavy.