After the crucifixion Peter, John, James and the other disciples had gathered in a house not far from Joseph’s garden, where they sat like men bereft of their senses, stunned and silent. The execution of Jesus had come upon them like a thunderbolt out of a blue sky; of all things, they had not expected that. It was no less a shock than if the foundations of the earth had shifted under their feet.
As for the women who had gathered at the foot of the cross and helped Joseph take down the body, they had wept and prayed until they could weep no more. Mary the mother of Jesus had seen him into the grave, and soon she would return to Nazareth. The woman from Magdala, who was also called Mary, was going to remain in Jerusalem for a little while.
Very early on the morning after the sabbath, Mary the Magdalene went to the garden where the tomb was, taking some spices in case any more were needed to preserve the body. It was still dark. After the burial she had seen Joseph and Nicodemus roll the stone into place over the tomb, and she was surprised to see, in the half-light, the stone rolled back and the tomb yawning open. She wondered if she had come to the right grave, and she looked inside fearfully.
There she saw the linen cloth wrapped up and empty, but no body.
She ran out and hurried to the house where the disciples were staying, and said to Peter and John, ‘The master’s tomb is empty! I’ve just been there, and the stone is rolled back, and the body is gone!’
She told them everything she had seen. A woman’s testimony being of little value, Peter and John hastened to the garden to see for themselves. John ran faster and got to the grave first, and looked inside to see the linen cloth lying empty; and then Peter pushed past him and went inside, and found the cloth just as Mary had described, with the cloth that had wrapped Jesus’s head not lying with the rest, but apart by itself.
John said, ‘Have the Romans taken him away?’
‘Why would they do that?’ said Peter. ‘Pilate released his body. They wouldn’t be interested.’
‘What else can have happened?’
‘He might not have been dead when they took him down. Only fainted, like. Then he might have woken up… ’
‘But how could he have rolled the stone away from inside? His legs were broken. He couldn’t move.’
They could make no sense of it at all. They left the tomb and hurried back to tell the other disciples.
Mary the Magdalene, who had remained outside, was weeping. But then through her tears she saw a man close by, and took him for the gardener.
‘Why are you weeping?’ he said.
‘They’ve taken my master’s body away, and I don’t know where he is. Sir, if you know where they’ve taken him, please tell me, I beg you, and I’ll bring him back here and look after him properly.’
Then the man said, ‘Mary.’
She was startled, and she looked at him more closely. It was still not quite light, and her eyes were sore, but surely this was Jesus, alive.
‘Master!’ she cried, and then moved to embrace him.
But Christ stepped back and said, ‘No, don’t touch me now. I shan’t be here for long. Go to the disciples and tell them what you’ve seen. Tell them I shall ascend soon and go to my father, to God. To my God and your God.’
Mary ran and told the disciples what she had seen, and what Christ had said to her.
‘It was him!’ she told them. ‘Truly! Jesus was alive, and he spoke to me!’
They were half-sceptical, but Peter and John were more ready than the others to believe her.
‘She told us how the cloth was laid out in the tomb, and we went and we saw it, just as she said. If she says he’s alive – well, that would explain it! It would explain everything!’
They passed that day in a state of half-hopeful wonderment. They went again and again to the garden where the tomb was, but saw no more there.