Gabriel came to me saying, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”
Who would have known my son would amaze and astonish us in the many ways he has. Who would have known the announcement made to me was only a glimpse of the things to come. Who would have known what was to come that spring day years later.
The weather that day was nothing spectacular a few white puffs scattered the bright blue sky left from a passing shower the week before. I could feel a brisk cool breeze and hear the birds which were chirping as if to celebrate the passing of winter. The air had the smell of morning dew mixed with fresh flowers. This was a beautiful day but for me at that moment it was horrifically dark. How could a mother enjoy such a day while heading to the tomb of her first son. A mother should not be anointing her son, it is her son that should be anointing his mother.
My son had done many unexpected things in his life. For instance the time when we left him at the temple as a young boy, we were all surprised to find him teaching at such a young age. He had no fear; I don’t believe he even knew we had left him. His compassion was shown at our neighbor's wedding when he helped them when they ran out of wine. Or the time when he fed so many people with only a few loaves of bread and some fish. He was always full of surprises. Walking to the tomb that day I could not be prepared for the surprise which was waiting us.
My heart was broken the day he went before Pilate for the second time. The first time he was released, I was sure this time that Pilate would have no reason to hold him. I never felt so distant from my people when they wanted Barabbas to be released in place of my son. How was I to relate to a group of people whom would let an innocent man go in place of a murderer? I can still hear the people chanting, “crucify him, crucify him, crucify him!” I wanted to make it all stop. I wanted my son to surprise us all again and escape in some miraculous way. I grew sick to my stomach when Pilate made his announcement, deciding to give the people what they wanted. My people had turned on me, who did I have to turn to.
When Friday came I was hopping my son would surprise us one more time and release himself. I could not believe after all the miracles he had performed that he would not perform a miracle to save himself. As he walked to the place of the skull I watched from a distance. I couldn't even recognize him as my son. He had been badly beat; his back was covered with dried blood glistening as the fresh blood was still slowly creeping out of his wounds. His forehead also had dried blood, which went came from his hairline and into his face. His face was swollen, discolored and distorted. And yet, he remained silent the whole way, not a word left his mouth. I could not hold the tears back my son was going to die and I could do nothing but watch. The next few hours were a blur. All I remember of them was it became dark and the ground shook before he breathed his last. Later that day the other women and I went to the tomb where my son lay. We prepared the spices and oils to put on the linens but we had to leave them until Sunday for the Sabbath drew near.
This Sunday morning was a morning I will never forget. The women and I returned to the tomb with the spices and oils we had prepared. As I said the weather was not unusual, the day had started like any other spring day. We all got up early to draw water and get everything in order that we might leave for the tomb. What we found when we arrived at the tomb was unexpected. I know I had seen my son do many wonderful things but there was no way I could ever dream of what happened that spring day.
We walked down the road to the tomb where the man named Joseph; a council member had laid him. We did not talk on the way to the tomb. The only sound was that of our sandals against the ground and the sound of the birds chirping. The walk was the longest of my life, it was not a long distance but it seemed like a hundred miles. I was not in a hurry to arrive at the tomb, I hoped if we kept walking I would not have to face the fact my son was dead. As we neared the tomb the suspense grew with each and every step. A tear fell from my eye as the fact my son had died was beginning to set in. I did not want to believe we were actually walking to the tomb to prepare the body of my son. In the eyes of the other women I could see almost as much pain as that which I was experiencing. I remembered the promise my Lord had given me before the birth of our son. How would he be great, how would he reign forever, how could my Lord let me down, how was my Lord going to fulfill these promises now that my son was dead. The smell of those oils and spices will always bring back the memories of the miracle, which would top all the other miracles of my son.
As we came with in seeing distance of the tomb the stone appeared to be rolled away. I wondered who rolled the stone away for I saw no soldiers standing outside the tomb. My wonder ended for the next thing I knew the stone was rolled away and we were entering the tomb. The air was dense and cool and it felt very heavy. My eyes took a while to adjust because it was so dark inside. When my eyes adjusted and I could see, I did not believe what I saw. Where my son had been laid was nothing but the cloth that had covered his head neatly folded and the linens in a pile separate form the cloth. I wanted to believe my son was not there and the whole thing was only a dream. As began to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming two men appeared in the tomb with us.
The men were dressed in shining garments, garments, which were familiar to a time in my past. As we bowed our faces the men began to speak. They asked why we were looking for the living among the dead. Then they told us the words, which would change the world for the rest of time. They told us he was not there but he had risen. They explained to us what Christ had meant when he told us he must be crucified and then rise again on the third day. The words they spoke were the words I longed to hear for three days. Christ has risen, he is no longer dead, he has conquered death, and death has no hold on him! The joy, which filled my heart that day, was a joy I had never experienced before in my life.
We left the tomb and ran to the Disciples of Christ. I felt I could run forever, I was filled with joy and energy. As we ran I could feel the wind blowing through my hair and hear my heart pounding. When we arrived to the place where the eleven were I could barely get the words out. I was out of breath and so excited it took all I had to get the words out. When I did, Peter jumped to his feet. I could see amazement in his eyes. He ran all the way to the tomb to see for himself that what we said was the truth.
It was later on that spring day I realized, when Jesus died on that cross I did not loose a son but gained a savior from that empty tomb.
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