Father Vassilios Argyriadis
The Gospel passage we heard today has a gloomy "setting" even if it is not visible at first glance. It's worth looking at carefully.
Jesus Christ was crucified on Thursday. On Friday, until the afternoon, His body (along with those of the two robbers) had to be immobilized, because the next day was Saturday and indeed the Passover of the Jews. But it was not expected that the crucified ones would have lost their cool. Death by crucifixion was extremely torturous precisely because it was slow. The victim died mainly from suffocation: the body, hanging on the cross with open arms, pressed with its weight on the lungs. And so that the suffocation was not short, the torturers put support on the convict's legs, either by nailing them, or simply by tying them to the wood. So that the crucified one experiences the agony and suffocation of suffocation, but the redemption of death does not come. (The horror and sadism of the killing of Christ is something that often escapes us, amidst the lyrical embellishments of religious sentiments). So it was rare for the crucified to have died within a day. So, in this case, the Roman guard had to break the legs of the two robbers (so that the bodies would no longer have support, and gravity would do its work), but not Jesus, because they found that he was already dead ("the Pilate admired if he was already born" ). Normally the Romans would leave the bodies to melt on the cross for example, or take them down and throw them over some cliff to be eaten by wild animals — the executed were criminals. In Judea, however, there was some sensitivity regarding the remains (the Law did not allow them to remain unburied), so the authorities would place the crucified in groups and casually in a pit.
Practical details all this, in the wake of a horror. The "evil" rabbi had been executed, his supporters scattered. All hope for them had faded. The normality of life sought to cover up a finished story.
And in this setting, appear in today's gospel passage some strange figures — a prominent member of the Jewish Council and some unknown women. And they do things that are not entirely unreasonable, but not entirely expected. Joseph "of Arimathea" was a member of the Council that condemned Jesus to death on the cross. But he, "daring" , asked to see Pilate. He could do such a thing because of his position. And "the body of Jesus was raised" . And he succeeded. One would assume that as a pious Jew he was taking care of the disposing of the bodies in view of the holiday and celebration - not unreasonable at all. But he, "who bought a shroud" , carefully removed the crucified Jesus, considering Him not as a criminal, but as the Lord. Even if all hope had already faded. And instead of consigning Him to a pit, He deposited Him in a respectable tomb, probably purchased for himself (Joseph) or some member of his family—how else could such a tomb be found suitable to the need of the moment? The "successful parliamentarian" distances himself from his class, and does things not irrationally, but with a dedication not so reasonable or commensurate with his social position.
"Mary Magdalene and Mary Joseph see where he is laid" - they saw the burial. And together with the other women they wanted to anoint the body of Jesus with perfumes. To be expected, that's how it used to be. They waited for the Sabbath to pass, which is also reasonable, since the Law forbade such activities on the Sabbath; apart from the holiday (it was Easter). At dawn on Sunday they started to go to the tomb. And after they started, they said among themselves: "who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?". How much sense does that make? To start doing something, knowing that you probably won't be able to. Did they think a miracle would happen? Rather improbable — the miracle-worker had died, hope had faded. And if the Myrobearers believed from the beginning that there could be such a resurrection, they probably wouldn't even go to anoint the dead. Nor would they expect the Sabbath to pass, keeping rules and ordinances—in the face of the possibility of a resurrection, what rules and ordinances stand? No. The Myrophores expected nothing. They were grieving women devoted to a loved one. Human history is full of figures of such women. There is nothing unexpected in their attitude. And yet, as expected as such thoughts and actions are, those of the Myroforos were just as strange and absurd.
In the wake of a horror, practicalities had to be sorted out. They were taken over by people who did things that were logical and also irrational, understandable and incomprehensible. Their hope had completely faded, but their devotion and loyalty to the person of Jesus remained alive. There is one word that describes all of this: Heroism. Heroism is what devotion becomes when hope has faded. Behind the horror that becomes one with the normality of life, behind the practical details that call for arrangements, behind the logical arguments that become tangled with the absurd, there are some hearts—Joseph and the Myrrh Bearers—that remain faithful to Jesus. They refuse to cancel within themselves devotion to His person. They refuse to be defeated by circumstances, by the horrors or logic of practical matters. They do not weigh logic and logic in their thinking and action. Their resolve does not waver. There is only one in them, Christ. Even if he was defeated, even if he was already dead. Even if His closest disciples had scattered. Yes, heroism is the word. Even if it does not refer to the Gospel passage, even if the heroes, men or women, prominent or not, were not aware of it.
And where the Myrobearers go to put an end to something already finished, they unexpectedly meet an angel. And they witness the resurrection. How subversive! Because in the Roman environment of late antiquity, the testimony of women did not have legal authority. So, God chooses women to witness the great upheaval. Because the Resurrection is the invisible upheaval that brings the world upside down.
Dear brothers and sisters, we live in perilous times today. Overwhelming events sweep the world; financial disasters, pandemics. Dystopias emerge from almost everywhere, either in the microcosm of our neighborhood, or in the macrocosm of the planet. Perhaps a world war is about to knock on our door. Logical and irrational things become a tangle in our daily life. The horror is inextricably mixed with the normality of life. Our ability to understand things is reaching its limits. So is our stamina. It is human, therefore, that a large part of the hopes that we usually cherish fade within us.
Today, however, the Church brings before us the example of an otherworldly heroism, a devotion to the person of Jesus, which overlooks fears and overcomes circumstances. Let us remain committed to this standard of heroism, to this devotion to the face of the Lord and His commandments. Because when hope fades, angels appear and people witness a resurrection joy that overturns the order of the world. Even if it seemed like just before this world ended...
