Luke 24:12
But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Sometimes I think that faith, at heart, is simply the capacity to wonder.
There are, I think, two ways to approach this world: with knowledge – the certainty of things that are – and wonder – the possibility of what things may be.
Peter starts with the same knowledge the women started with – the knowledge that dead is dead, that dead people aren’t raised, that the tomb is the last stop for all of us. And so he, along with the rest of the apostles, dismisses their testimony as nonsense.
But there must have been something about what they said he couldn’t let go of, something that kept pricking his memory and imagination. Because all of a sudden and despite his sure knowledge about the finality of death, he goes running off to the tomb anyway to see what they saw.
Luke doesn’t tell us what he found there, but he does tell us that Peter leaves amazed at what happened. And it’s that quality – the ability to be amazed, to question assumptions, to be open to the new and different – that is the mark, I think, of genuine faith.
In fact, sometimes I think that Peter is the leader of the disciples simply because he has the capacity to wonder and to be amazed. He’s willing, that is, to ask the central question of faith: “What if…?” Yes, we know death is the end, but what if…. Sure, no one has ever been raised, but what if…. I understand, our Lord and friend was crucified a criminal, but what if….
From this point of view, “What if,” may just be the central question of faith.
May we never stop asking it.
Prayer: Dear God, keep surprising us with your action in our lives and in the world, that we may always greet the gifts of life and faith with wonder and gratitude. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
It is difficult for me to accept the lack of belief that the disciples show when the women come back to tell them that the tomb is empty and angels have informed them that the Lord is risen.
The disciples were with Jesus during his whole ministry. They heard Him say that He would be raised after three days. They witnessed all His miracles, including raising Lazarus from the dead, so why all the skepticism on their part? If ANY group of people should have believed, it seems to me that they should have been that group!