There are two distinct sets of stories in the Gospels about the Resurrection of Jesus. The one set, about which I wrote last year, concern the appearance of the risen Christ to the women, the apostles and others; these are what come first, as we see from the Gospel readings of the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. But before the risen Christ appears, first we must encounter the empty tomb.
In a certain way these two sets of stories are two sides of the same coin. Both are necessary for a genuine Resurrection faith. It is obvious that, without the appearances of the risen Jesus, the empty tomb would prove nothing. We read in St Matthew’s Gospel that it was put about that the disciples of Jesus had stolen his body, and although this would be a slightly odd thing to do, it would certainly be a more plausible explanation than the Resurrection, which is, to say the least, unprecedented.
