WHISPERS FROM THE AGES
Episode 05 — The Eighth Day
John 20:1–18 — The Empty Tomb
Released April 12, 2026

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PAVLY:
Welcome to Whispers from the Ages, where we explore the history and wisdom of the Early Church to make Scripture a living reality my name is Pavly…

RAMEZ:
And my name is Ramez.

PAVLY:
and we make biweekly episodes diving into the Orthodox Church’s weekly lectionary readings.

RAMEZ:
Today is a wonderful and gloryious eighth day of the week and of the eternal calendar.

PAVLY:
Wait, eighth day? We talked about this before, didn't we?

RAMEZ:
Yes, indeed we did, good memory, do you remember where we talked about this?

PAVLY:
Yes! We talked about it on our 3rd episode, where Jesus was getting circumcised! We highlighted that the Jewish concept of time was cyclical and capped at seven days, but the eighth day represents a disruption of order, a break in the loop of normal time, and the beginning of the new creation.

RAMEZ:
Yup! You got it! Well now we are going to be talking about the fulfillment and the reality of the eighth day. And the Bible describes the reality of this eighth day in our passage today: John 20: 1-18. But before we begin, let's start off with a quick prayer from St. Ephraim the Syrian:

“Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes and ears of my heart so that I may hear Your word and understand them, and by it fulfill Your will. Amen.”
PAVLY:
Amen. Before we dive into the glorious Eighth Day, we need to set the stage by looking at what happened just a few days prior. On Great Friday, Christ suffered the agony of the crucifixion and voluntarily gave up His Spirit on the cross. After His life-giving death

at the ninth hour, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus lovingly took His body
down, wrapped it in linen and myrrh, and laid Him in a newly hewn tomb.
RAMEZ:
But the Jewish leaders were still anxious because they remembered Jesus promising to rise on the third day, so they went to Pontius Pilate to secure the site. They sealed the heavy stone and stationed a watch of armed guards directly outside the sepulcher, specifically to make sure that the disciples wouldn't secretly steal His body and fake a resurrection.

PAVLY:
Which makes the reality of the Resurrection even more powerful! St. John Chrysostom tells us that our Lord actually rose from the dead while the stone and the seal were still perfectly intact on the sepulcher. He didn't need the tomb to

be opened to leave it. Instead, a great earthquake took place, the stone was
rolled away by an angel, and the terrified guards fled the scene.
RAMEZ:
While we are on this topic, let's pause and talk about the Roman guards for a second, because understanding who these men were adds so much weight to the Resurrection. Roman soldiers were absolute experts in killing. They would never leave someone alive "by accident", much less on a cross.

PAVLY:
Exactly. Under strict Roman military law, if an executioner failed to kill a condemned prisoner, the soldier's own life would be demanded in their place. That is precisely why the soldier pierced Christ's side with a spear on Great Friday; he was verifying the death beyond any doubt to protect his own life. The idea that Jesus somehow survived the crucifixion and just woke up in the tomb is historically impossible.

RAMEZ:
And that exact same brutal military law applied to guarding the tomb! If a Roman guard fell asleep on his watch or abandoned his post, the penalty was death. These were highly trained, heavily armed professionals. For a full unit of them to suddenly abandon their post in terror, it tells us that what happened was completely and totally out of the ordinary.

PAVLY:
It completely forces us to believe that Christ truly rose! Those guards would never have risked their own lives and abandoned their post for a simple grave robbery. And think about that detail! The fact that they ran to the Jewish chief priests to take bribe money, rather than reporting directly to their Roman commander Pilate, proves how desperate they were. They knew they needed political protection from the death penalty because what they witnessed—the earthquake and the blinding angel—was an undeniable, terrifying miracle that they couldn't fight against.

RAMEZ:
Now going back to the topic of Jesus resurrecting, the tomb was only opened after the Resurrection simply to prove to the world that it was already empty. So, by the time Sunday morning arrives and Mary Magdalene begins her journey in our passage today, the guards have already withdrawn and reported what happened to the Pharisees, setting the perfect, uninterrupted stage for the discovery of the empty tomb.

PAVLY:
Alright, let’s begin reading the passage for verses 1-10:

Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
RAMEZ:
There is so much packed into these first ten verses. First, let's look at the timing and what the Eighth Day truly signifies. St. Augustine points out that this "first day of the week" is what Christians now call the Lord's Day, specifically because it is the day of the Resurrection of the Lord.

PAVLY:
And St. Theophilus of Antioch beautifully explains that this first day is a type of the life to come, because that life will be one continuous eighth day, not cut short by any night, since God Himself will be the sun there that never sets.

RAMEZ:
That is incredible. And notice Mary Magdalene's zeal.

PAVLY:
What about it?

RAMEZ:
St. Cyril of Alexandria notes that Mary had a deep, earnest longing to visit the tomb, but her fear of the law for the Sabbath curbed the vehemence of her zeal so she wouldn't incur a penalty. But the absolute second the Sabbath was over and the dawn of the next day was appearing, she hurried back to the spot. Normally, people would sell things the day after the sabbath, eager to catch up on work and responsibilities, but Mary did no such thing, and wasted no time pursuing her Lord. AND St. John Chrysostom further tells us that she was entirely full of loving affection towards her Master, and could not bear to rest, desiring to find some consolation from the place of His tomb.

PAVLY:
Man I wish to have that kind of eagerness in me.

RAMEZ:
Same Pavly, same.

PAVLY:
You know what?! It's also so interesting to see the dynamic between Peter and John as they sprint to the tomb. St. Theophilus of Antioch mentions that John is contemplative and intelligent, while Peter is practical and prompt. The contemplative man is generally beforehand in knowledge, which is why John gets there first and perceives the mystery, but the practical man uses his fervor and activity to get the advance of perception, which is why Peter is the first to actually step inside the tomb to investigate.

RAMEZ:
And what they find inside is absolute proof of the Resurrection. St. John Chrysostom emphasizes the profound significance of the grave clothes. He points out that Jesus was buried with much myrrh, which glues linen to a body as firmly as lead. A thief stealing a body wouldn't have been so foolish as to waste time carefully unwrapping those glued clothes.

PAVLY:
Exactly! And there is absolutely no way they would’ve taken the extra trouble to carefully roll up the head napkin and place it by itself apart from the other linens. As St. John Chrysostom says, this was not the act of men acting in confusion or haste; this careful arrangement proves it was a deliberate, unhurried divine act.

RAMEZ:
I know there is a popular internet rumor that says folding the napkin was a cultural sign that a master was coming back to finish a meal, but the early Church Fathers give us a much more profound reality. The folded napkin and the discarded clothes aren't about a meal—they are about Christ's absolute victory over death!

PAVLY:
Right! Think about Lazarus. When Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, Lazarus came out of the tomb still wrapped in his grave clothes, because he was just a mortal man who would eventually die and need them again. But Christ left His grave clothes behind completely!

RAMEZ:
He left them behind because He had absolutely no intention of returning to the grave! As St. Paul says in Romans Chapter 6 verse

“For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.”
He traded those earthly linens for the eternal robes of glory, proving that His resurrection wasn't just a temporary revival, but the ultimate, eternal triumph of the Eighth Day!
PAVLY:
You know, St. John Chrysostom actually uses the reality of Christ leaving His grave clothes behind to give us an incredible, practical teaching on how we handle Christian funerals. He points out that people spend a foolish amount of money putting fine clothes and spices on the dead, trying to show off their ambition and vainglory. He says this is madness, because it just gives tomb-breakers a reason to rob the grave, or the clothes will just be eaten by moths and worms anyway.

RAMEZ:
Wow, I love when the Church Fathers take a historical event and apply it directly to our behavior. What does St. John Chrysostom say we should do instead?

PAVLY:
He says that if we truly want to honor the departed, we should clothe them in the garment of alms-doing! He says this is a robe that will actually rise again with them. Instead of wasting money on expensive cloth that just becomes a table for worms, we should persuade the dying person to leave something to the needy, making Christ their heir. That is the kind of clothing that will make them glorious at the Resurrection.

RAMEZ:
That is such a profound application. Okay, let's read the passage for the next few verses, starting at verse 11:

11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
PAVLY:
So, the disciples go back to their own homes, but Mary stays outside the tomb weeping. St. Augustine points out that while the men returned, the physically weaker sex was fastened to the place by a stronger affection. St. John Chrysostom agrees, saying that the very sight of the tomb tended greatly to comfort her.

RAMEZ:
And then she stoops down and sees these two angels sitting exactly where Jesus's body had been—one at the head and one at the feet. St. Augustine provides a brilliant spiritual meaning for this. Since the Greek word for "angel" means "news-bearer," their positions signify that the Gospel of Christ is to be preached from "head to foot"—meaning from the beginning even to the end.

PAVLY:
The angels are wearing white, which St. John Chrysostom says represents a dress full of much radiance and joy, representing the new state of Christ’s resurrection. And notice what they say to her: "Woman, why are you weeping?" St. Augustine explains that by asking this, they actually forbade her tears, announcing that a future joy was at hand. It was as if they were telling her, "Weep not, there is a reason for joy, not sorrow". But Mary doesn't understand yet.

RAMEZ:
Sometimes we ourselves can be in this position like Mary, where we don’t yet understand the good thing that has happened right in front of us. Let’s continue and see what happens next.

PAVLY:
Yeah Ramez, we can see that something fascinating happens next. Before she even hears an answer from the angels, she suddenly turns herself back. Why did she turn around in the middle of talking to them?

RAMEZ:
St. John Chrysostom gives a brilliant psychological reading of this moment. He suggests that while Mary was speaking to the angels, Christ suddenly appeared behind her. The angels, beholding their Ruler, immediately showed by their awe, their posture, and their movements that they saw the Lord. It was the angels' stunned reaction that drew Mary's attention and caused her to turn backwards!

PAVLY:
I love that detail. But when she turns, she mistakes Him for the gardener. St. John Chrysostom tells us that Jesus purposefully appeared in an ordinary, lowly form so as not to suddenly terrify her with His glorified state, gently leading her step-by-step from her earthly sorrow. We saw this same step-wise approach when Jesus revealed Himself to the Samaritan woman as well, as we discussed in our last episode.

RAMEZ:
We can also see that throughout this entire interaction, Mary’s sole fixation and pursuit is Christ. When she was in the presence of literal angels, she didn’t stop to think about what she was seeing, but rather asked about her Lord. When she turned around and mistook Jesus for a gardener, still, the first thing that she asked about was Christ.

PAVLY:
Wow Ramez, we keep seeing how Mary’s passion for Christ is shown over and over. Let’s continue and see what else is happening with Mary in this garden.

RAMEZ:
For sure, we can continue and see that this meeting in the garden is incredibly profound. St. Cyril of Alexandria calls this interaction a complete reversal of the Fall, making Mary Magdalene the "New Eve". In the beginning, the first woman, Eve, brought the curse of sorrow upon humanity by listening to the serpent in a garden, and God told her, "In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children".

PAVLY:
But now, in another garden, Christ meets Mary and specifically commands her to refrain from weeping. By wiping away her tears, He officially releases womankind from the ancient curse of sorrow that was placed upon Eve in Paradise. He then crowns Mary with double honor by making her the very first messenger of the Resurrection to the disciples, bringing tidings fraught with life eternal!

RAMEZ:
It is so beautiful. Now, let's read the passage for the final verses, starting at verse 16:

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.

PAVLY:
Christ reveals Himself simply by naming her: "Mary!". As St. John Chrysostom points out, He sets the matter before her not by appearance, but by His Voice. In John chapter 10 verse 4, it says

“When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
RAMEZ:
Exactly Pavly, we can see Christ’s intentionality in revealing Himself to Mary through his voice for this reason. We can also see that Mary responds, with Rabboni. Pavly, what’s the significance of that word?

PAVLY:
Good question Ramez. The Jews often called their doctors Rabbis, great men. Their critics tell us that Rabbon was a more honourable title than Rabbi; and therefore Mary chooses that, and adds a note of appropriation, My great Master.

RAMEZ:
Wow, what a great detail in what seemed like a simple address to her Master.

PAVLY:
Exactly, but immediately after she recognizes Him and calls Him Master, we get one of the most mysterious commands in the Bible: "Touch Me Not". Ramez, why would Jesus tell her not to touch Him?

RAMEZ:
The Church Fathers give us three incredible, distinct layers of meaning here. First, St. John Chrysostom explains that Mary wanted to converse with Jesus with the same earthly familiarity they had before His Passion. Mary may have seen the situation in a similar way to the resurrection of Lazarus, like Jesus would stay with them. However, Jesus tells her not to cling to Him in order to raise her thoughts, teaching her that His glorified body must now be approached with profound awe and reverence. He wants her to understand that matters are not in the same state as before.

PAVLY:
Secondly Ramez, St. Augustine adds to this, explaining that "touching" represents spiritual belief. Mary was weeping for Him as a mere man, but she needed to ascend in her understanding. St. Augustine says that Christ ascends to the Father mystically within the mind of the believer. When a person makes enough progress in their knowledge of Christ to acknowledge that He is fully God and in no ways unequal with the Father, that is when He has ascended in their heart, and that is when He is truly and rightly touched. We see this supported in 2 Cor. 5:16, where it says:

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.”

RAMEZ:
That completely changes the meaning of "Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended". He is essentially telling her, "Do not believe in Me according to your current earthly, bodily notions. Wait until I ascend to the Father in your understanding, and you recognize Me as equal to God".

PAVLY:
And St. Augustine gives us another amazing symbolic meaning here too. He says that Mary Magdalene also serves as a symbol, or a type, of the Church of the Gentiles. Because the Gentile Church did not spiritually "touch" or believe in Christ until after He had actually ascended to the Father in heaven.

RAMEZ:
And finally, the third layer from St. Cyril of Alexandria is deeply sacramental. He says this is a type for the Church. Before the Resurrection, Jesus mingled with sinners and let anyone touch His holy body. But after He defeated death, humanity needed to be purified by the Holy Spirit to approach His glorified flesh. Because Christ had "not yet ascended," the Holy Spirit had not yet been sent down. Therefore, we must be spiritually circumcised through Baptism and receive the Spirit before we can partake in touching His body in the blessed Eucharist.

PAVLY:
That is amazing! And in that exact same breath, He gives her a specific theological message. He says, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God". Notice how He doesn't just say "Our Father" or "Our God."

RAMEZ:
Right! St. Augustine and St. Cyril point out the crucial distinction here. God is Christ's Father by nature, but He is our Father by grace, or adoption.

PAVLY:
Exactly. St. Cyril says He calls God "His God" because He humbled Himself to take on human flesh, becoming a Man for our sake, but God is our God because we are His creations and subjects. It perfectly highlights that Jesus is simultaneously fully God and fully man, our Mediator.

RAMEZ:
And notice the incredible grace of Christ here. He calls the disciples "brethren". Matthew Henry points out that despite the fact that the disciples had treacherously deserted Him and fled, He doesn't send them an angry message. He is not ashamed to call them brethren, forgiving them completely and letting Mary serve as an apostle to the apostles.

PAVLY:
Wow. So, to wrap up today's episode, "The Eighth Day" marks the moment the old cyclical world of death ended, the curse of Eve was reversed, and the eternal, incorruptible reality of God's new creation finally began!

RAMEZ:
Before we pray, we want to leave you with a practical reflection question for your week, just like we always do. Think about Mary at the tomb. Are you trying to cling to an earthly, comfortable understanding of Jesus, or are you ready to "touch Him spiritually"?

PAVLY:
Exactly. Ask yourself if you are truly approaching His glorified presence in the Eucharist with a purified heart, having clothed the departed in alms, and standing in profound awe of His resurrection? And have you let Christ ascend in your own understanding, fully recognizing Him as equal to the Father?

RAMEZ:
And that perfectly ties into our second point about the grave clothes. Just as Christ left His grave clothes in the tomb because He had no intention of returning to death, we must also leave our old ways behind. Look at how fervently Mary was pursuing Christ at the tomb, coming at the first opportunity, and eagerly looking to console her sorrow for her beloved, which would eventually turn to Joy.

PAVLY:
So… when we rise from the death of sin to a life of righteousness, we must completely abandon our own spiritual grave-clothes. We cannot walk into the new creation of the Eighth Day while still wearing the dead, heavy habits of our past! We must pursue Christ with all our hearts.

RAMEZ:
Let's close out with a quick prayer. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Lord Jesus Christ, You who rose on the glorious Eighth Day, grant us the strength to leave our spiritual grave clothes behind. Help us to completely abandon our old ways of sin and step fully into Your life of righteousness and pursue you as Mary did. Grant us the spiritual understanding to touch You in true faith, approach Your glorious resurrection with awe, and wipe away the tears of our fallen nature just as You did for Mary in the garden. Guide us to recognize You as our God and grant us the grace of adoption. Amen.

PAVLY:
Amen. Thank you all for joining us on this glorious Eighth Day.

RAMEZ:
We wish you all a happy and wonderful Easter!

PAVLY:
And we'll see you next time on:

Whispers from the Ages!