“And they fled from the tomb; because, terror and confusion had taken hold. And they said nothing to no one; because they were afraid…” (Mark 16.8).
And just like that, it all made sense. The counter-intuitive proclamations, the stories that seemed to have so many meanings, the terrible way it all seemed to end were all so confusing and troubling. Had that been all of it, if the close of this teacher’s story was in blood and pain none of it would have made sense. To this day the faithful would still be plumbing the depths of his story to try and tease some meaning out of it.
But that morning, as the sun was just starting to bring light to the sleeping world, it all became clear. As the scene resolved, the angel and the empty grave explained everything. This was the key to the complicated lock of this man’s ministry and words. Holding it, all the tumblers turned so that, with a soft click in the dawn’s silence, the mystery resolved.
In fact, the women understood so well that they ran off as if a bear had come rushing out of the tomb.
Jesus, many bumpers and notebooks declare, is the answer. All the questions that seem to fill our life and world are met, they seem to say, if only we believe in the craftsman from Nazareth. Have faith in the miracle of that Sunday morning, and everything will begin to make sense. Everything: from the death of a loved one to the storm that destroyed homes to the ever present wonder of why we are here.
I believe that what happened that morning impregnates the world with meaning. That it is no coincidence that it came with the rise of the morning sun; because, the Resurrection is a light that illuminates what the darkness often hides—that there is hope even when there seems there isn’t, that nothing is for naught; because, love will prevail to heal and reunite everything. It is what allows us to sorrow but not despair.
But meaning’s very different from answers. While the other Gospels give us the miraculous appearance of Jesus to those who walked with him, Mark emphasizes the reality they and all of us who follow experience: that this happening was almost impossible to comprehend. That our minds struggle to make sense of what we don’t understand.
Jesus may very well be the answer, but it is not one anyone has quite figured out. To confront this moment and this season is to stand in front of an emptiness that should not be. It is like staring up into the great gulf of the universe at night, knowing that what lies there is too big for us to ever comprehend. It may send us running, our minds trembling in fear.
Yet, somehow, our hearts seem to understand.
Jesus, your words, your life, and your Resurrection can be too much for my mind to grasp. It is as though you’ve come from place where everything’s turned topsy-turvy from this one, and you are turning our world upside-down. And though my head tells me to run, help me trust my heart, which says your way is the way it was always meant to be.