At daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. 5 They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? 6 He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.” 8 And they remembered his words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the others. 10 The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles, 11 but their story seemed like nonsense and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went home amazed at what had happened.
At daybreak, a group of women went to the tomb carrying spices—not because they expected a miracle, but because they believed the story was over. Their devotion is real, but so too is their sorrow. Yet what they find is not death but a mystery: the stone rolled away, the body gone, and two radiant messengers declaring the unthinkable—He is risen.
Luke emphasizes that these women are the first witnesses of the Resurrection, reminding us that faith often begins in the quiet spaces of grief and confusion. The empty tomb is not proof in itself; it requires a divine interpretation which comes through the angels: “Remember what he said to you…” (v. 6). They are invited to recall Jesus’ prophecy (cf. Luke 9:22; 18:32–33), and in remembering, faith is awakened.
Their journey mirrors ours. We, too, approach the tombs in our lives—places of loss, silence, and sorrow—expecting only what is reasonable. But the Resurrection interrupts our human expectations. It reveals that God’s power breaks through death, and it invites us to view suffering and emptiness in light of His promises. The empty tomb is not the end; it is the threshold of divine reversal.
Peter’s sprint to the tomb and his amazement (v. 12) foreshadow the journey every disciple must make: from doubt to wonder, from seeking explanations to kneeling before a mystery. The tomb is empty, but the heart is being filled. As St. Paul will later write, “If Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith” (1 Cor. 15:14). Yet precisely because the tomb is empty, our faith is full of life and power.
This moment fulfills the Old Testament hope that God would act powerfully on behalf of His people. The angels' question, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” echoes the prophetic rebukes in Isaiah and Jeremiah, when Israel looked for life in dead idols (cf. Jer. 2:13). Now, in Christ, the true and living God has conquered death and opens the way to new life.
The Resurrection is not only a past event—it is the defining reality of the Christian journey. As Paul teaches, “We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death… so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might live in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). The grace that flowed from the tomb is not confined to history—it reaches into every heart that dares to hope, believe, and begin again. To follow the Risen Christ is to allow His triumph to transform our own struggles, doubts, and sorrows. The empty tomb announces not only Christ’s victory, but the beginning of ours.
Risen Lord, when we seek you in sorrow and silence, remind us that the tomb is empty and your promises are true. Help us to remember your words, to run toward the light of your Resurrection, and to live each day in the joy of your triumph over death. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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