And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. —Luke 23:48-55
Daric Easton said his own daughter is around the age of the girls missing from Mystic. “I can’t imagine what these parents are going through, and I don’t need to. I just need to make sandwiches,” he told CNN. “If I keep making sandwiches, people can still be fed. If responders are fed, then they can save lives,” he said. (Quoted by WDSU News of New Orleans)
In the face of unspeakable tragedy, we sometimes feel unable to comprehend the enormity of it all and are at a loss. Nothing we can do seems to make any difference. The dead cannot be brought back to life. After the incredible flooding in Kerr County, Texas, in the early morning hours of July 4, which swept away two dozen young campers and their counselors at Camp Mystic, people in Texas and indeed the whole country were stunned and grieving. Rescue teams have been diligently searching the ruins and riverbed for survivors or bodies.
On June 7, the Gospel reading for the Daily Office was the crucifixion of Jesus as described by Luke. The passage continues after Jesus’ death. We might not read the rest very carefully or think it very important, given the eternal significance of Jesus’ death. But a man named Joseph— used whatever influence he had to convince the Roman Procurator, Pilate, who had passed the death sentence, to give him Jesus’ body so he could give him a dignified burial. (Romans usually left the dead bodies on the crosses for days as a terror tactic.) That took courage; he could have been arrested as a dangerous follower of the executed criminal, and his fellow members of the Sanhedrin were sure to find out what he had done and condemn him for it. But it was something he could do, so he did it.
Likewise, the women, who were standing afar off with the rest of Jesus’ acquaintances during the gruesome execution, saw what they could do. They followed Joseph to the tomb to see where Jesus was laid and then returned home to prepare spices to anoint the body properly, according to their custom. No one seems to be thinking of Jesus’ promise to rise after three days. They saw his death, which they recognized as final, but did not let their grief paralyze them. Instead, they were determined to do what they could do. We know what happened when they returned to the tomb on Sunday morning, but they did not know what to expect.
Mr. Daric Easton of Kerrville, in making sandwiches for the searchers and rescue teams, expresses the same determination to do what he can, helpless as he is to undo the tragedy. He says he knows he cannot imagine the grief of the parents of children his child’s age as they hear the horrible news. He does not say whether his home or business was flooded, but we know his town is in ruin. But he can keep on making sandwiches, and he will as long as he’s needed.
May God give us the strength to follow these good examples.
The Rev. Dr. Jean McCurdy Meade is a retired priest of the Diocese of Louisiana and formerly the rector of Mount Olivet Church in New Orleans. She lives now in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas, as well as Santa Fe, New Mexico, and New Orleans.
