Mark's Gospel-the earliest writing in the New Testament shows us the empty tomb. The person in white tells the women to go to Galilee for a new beginning for the movement. We have no physical appearances by Jesus in Mark's Gospel. These do not appear in Christian writings for another 50 years until after the fall of the Temple when there was an effort to make Jesus the Living Temple.
Rome thought that by executing Jesus, the radical social movement would end which He started. Rome was always afraid of uprisings and saw the "Jesus Movement" as a threat to its rule.
Jesus led a group for love and social equality. Easter marks the moment when the defeated members re-grouped in Galilee and fought on for the rights of the poor, the outsider, the immigrant and women sensing Jesus Spirit powerfully alive in them. They were transfigured by the love of Jesus burning within. They took risks, moved beyond their comfort zones and started the movement anew, a movement of which we are today-members!
This fight goes on today as the church must always speak truth to power. Easter is our starting day of Resurrection. We march on in love following Jesus alive in Spirit in Us
Happy Easter!
