by Eugene Burnand (1898)
"The disciples Peter and John running to the tomb on the morning
of the Resurrection"
John 20: 1-3
Early on the
first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb
and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to
Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them,
"They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they
have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the
tomb.
Reflection
Don't you know, just by looking
at this painting, without knowing the title, that this has to be John and
Peter? Look at their faces and figures: big ole craggy-faced Peter in sturdy
brown, and the younger, slighter John in white. They are rushing forward; their
hair and robes are being blown back. The beautiful new day is dawning golden
all around them. Their faces emanate both hope and worry, yet in different ways.
Peter's huge hands look quite
capable of hauling in fishing nets all day, while John's are clasped in prayer.
I imagine what my prayer would be, if I were in his place. It would be fairly
inarticulate - just "Oh Lord please please please please let it be ... I
don't really know, I don't understand what's happening ... just let it be
okay."
When Jesus was with them, he
spoke of being raised again, but I can't imagine that his disciples completely
understood what that meant. In verses 8 and 9, it says that "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."
In the grief and confusion of
this first Sunday morning just after Jesus' death, what would you think if you
heard that the tomb was empty? Would you assume that someone had stolen the
body? Or would you begin to hope?
Some two thousand years later,
growing up with the Gospel, hearing it week after week, and reflecting on it
year after year: we still find it difficult to grasp. Jesus willingly followed our Father's plan,
died for our sins, and was raised again. And brings life eternal for us all. Imagine
being the first people to encounter this, the most wonderful news of all.
I think Eugene Burnand has done
an excellent job of portraying the possible first reaction of these two men.
Nancy Langham
by Eugene Burnand (1898)
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