‘It’s been moved!’ Arriving in the still dark hours of the early morning (v 1), Mary found the stone rolled away. Someone else had got there sooner. Surely it had to be graverobbers? Running, breathless conversation, more running, and Peter tumbles into the tomb, with John more tentatively behind. There, the linen cloths tell a different story. No one taking the body – friend or foe – would have had the time or inclination to remove the graveclothes, never mind folding them neatly (vs 6,7). Realising that Jesus’ body no longer rests there and hasn’t been robbed, John’s heart stirs (v 8). Belief settles more deeply, sending out new roots and shoots that will soon be nurtured into understanding by scripture and Spirit (v 9).

Seeing, believing… and later, understanding. Is that the way we’d like it to go? Certainly, there’s a grace in seeing (whether in person, as the apostles did, or through scripture and other sources as we do now) coming first. But would we prefer understanding to precede believing – especially when we encounter unexpected emptiness or inexplicable events?  What we see and believe in God’s apparent absence is significant. Even in our breathless confusion, the shrouds of mystery we find can point us to the truth of who he is and the new life he gives.