They Were Hesitant
Humans are indeed born with all their potential, but we are also faced with the fact that humans in their bodies also have many limitations. Our bodies are created in such a way that we cannot live in places that are too extreme, at least without aids. We cannot breathe underwater, or fly like birds in the air. The human body has a tolerance limit for pain so that extreme pain can make us shocked and unconscious. The human body also contains millions of cells that have a regenerative time limit. When that limit is met, human cells will stop growing and regenerating. Death comes, which is a sign of the end of life. Humans with their bodies cannot fight death.
So when Mary of Magdala, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women found the rolled stone of the tomb and the body of Jesus that had passed away, they were shocked beyond belief. First, an ordinary human body could not possibly roll the stone away by itself. Second, it was impossible for Jesus' cold body to disappear by itself. The Gospel of Luke explores very dramatically the experiences of these women in processing their experience of the empty tomb. Human decision making often involves sensory perception when drawing conclusions about a phenomenon. So it is fitting that the final conclusion of the entire sensory process results in extreme confusion or in accordance with Luke 24:4, namely "they were astonished". Jesus' body disappeared, an experience that was truly unexpected and beyond reason. Sadness mixed with confusion enveloped them like a cloud covering their heads.
Divine intervention is then presented to awaken their consciousness and remind them of past memories of the Savior. It is manifested through the presence of two people dressed in glittering clothing, not specifically described as angels as in other gospels. The man said, “Why are you looking for the living One among the dead?” Life and death are the most authentic and essential bodily experiences. A body that still enjoys life is a body that is free and can be anywhere, but not in a cemetery as a site to remember death and lay down a body that has lost its life.
One thing the two men then asked was to remember what Jesus had said to His disciples when He was still in Galilee. Jesus will be delivered into the hands of sinners, crucified, and resurrected on the third day. The human mind is so powerful. Precise and specific memories of an event can even make us feel as if certain past events are present in the present. So when the memory of Jesus' words was awakened, the women became aware and immediately responded to run and testify to everything they had experienced. Jesus kept His promise! He did not remain in death, but was resurrected and lives among His people!
They Choose Not to Believe
Unfortunately, the disciples and apostles did not believe them so easily. Was it because they were women? The party that at that time was only a complement and was put in second place? Or did the statement go against all their logical thinking and the possibilities that could be thought of? There is no explanation recorded in the text, so both are very possible. However, if we reflect further, isn't the attitude of the apostles often a choice of our life of faith. We often doubt His presence. In fact, the God we worship is a living God and is with us in living life. He is among the living, so the divine messengers said to the women.
The only proactive action shown occurred in Peter. Luke does not explain that Peter had concluded that Jesus had risen. He chose to process the sensory experience further. Slightly better than the other apostles who chose to simply deny it.
Being Among the Living
Ultimately, Christ's resurrection confirms His choice to be with His creation. Save us from the shackles of sin and offer life to those who believe in Him. Jesus has experienced human experience in His body, all the pain and suffering have been borne by His body, becoming a sign that He became like a human. An act that confirms God's compassion for all our suffering. However, He surpassed those human experiences through His resurrection. Defeating death as a form of affirmation of His power. Thus through His resurrection, He not only underlines God's compassion through Christ's human experience, but also His ability to free humans from the law of sin, through His resurrection.
So it has become clear to us that in God there is always hope. His resurrection confirms this. Life does not always offer ease, even often difficulties, challenges, and dark clouds come one after another. However, God's love is always greater than these things. Isn't His resurrection the clearest and most real proof of all that. Hope is not just optimism, but a dynamic of faith that experiences God's presence and presence in all situations, whether everything is according to our expectations or otherwise.
Reflective question: What is the meaning of Christ's resurrection in your pilgrimage of faith so far?
