Easter, 2015

JOHN 20:1-9

EACH OF THE FOUR GOSPELS TELLS THE STORY OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. BUT THEY ARE ALL A LITTLE DIFFERENT. SOME PEOPLE USE THAT AS AN EXCUSE FOR DOUBTING THE RESURRECTION – AFTER ALL, THEY SAY, IF THIS WERE A REAL EVENT, WOULDN'T THE WITNESSES ALL TELL THE SAME STORY? BUT THEY FORGET TWO THINGS; ONE IS THAT EACH OF THE GOSPELS WAS WRITTEN LONG AFTER JESUS DIED – MARK ABOUT 30 YEARS LATER, MATTHEW AND LUKE 45 YEARS, AND JOHN, ABOUT 60 YEARS. IN AN AGE WITHOUT TELEVISION AND WIDESPREAD ILLITERACY, THE STORY OF THE RESURRECTION WAS CARRIED BY THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIANS THROUGHOUT THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND EVEN AS FAR AWAY AS INDIA AND PERSIA BEFORE THE FIRST GOSPEL WRITER WROTE IT DOWN. THE GOSPEL WRITERS DIDN'T WRITE DOWN THEIR STORIES BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO GIVE AN ACCURATE HISTORY. IN THOSE DAYS PEOPLE WERE MUCH MORE INTERESTED IN WHAT AN EVENT MEANT, AND SO EACH WRITER WOULD TAKE THE BASIC STORY AND TELL IT IN A WAY THAT GOT ACROSS THE MEANING HE SAW IN IT. UP UNTIL THE MODERN ERA, THAT DIDN'T BOTHER PEOPLE. BUT IF WE TRY TO LOOK INTO THE GOSPEL STORIES, WE CAN PIECE TOGETHER THE STORY THAT WAS BEING CARRIED BY TRAVELING PREACHERS AND MIGRANTS DURING THAT TIME.

NONE OF THE GOSPEL WRITERS DESCRIBE ANYONE WHO ACTUALLY SAW JESUS' BECOME ALIVE AFTER BEING DEAD. ALL OF THEM START WITH AN EMPTY TOMB. THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY OTHER EXPLANATIONS FOR AN EMPTY TOMB; MAYBE THE BODY WAS STOLEN; MATTHEW IN FACT SAYS THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE OF HIS TIME STILL SAID THAT. MAYBE JESUS DIDN'T REALLY DIE, DESPITE HAVING A SPEAR IN HIS CHEST AND HANGING ON THE CROSS FOR THREE HOURS. MAYBE HE WENT INTO A COMA AND WOKE UP LATER AND MANAGED TO SOMEHOW CRAWL OUT OF THE TOMB AND HIDE. OR, MAYBE AS THE MUSLIMS SAY, IT WASN'T JESUS ON THE CROSS AT ALL, INSTEAD, A SUBSTITUTE WHO LOOKED LIKE HIM. THE EMPTY TOMB IN A WAY CHALLENGES OUR FAITH AND EACH WRITER HAS ONE OR MORE WITNESSES IN OR AROUND THE TOMB TO EXPLAIN THAT JESUS HAS REALLY RISEN FROM THE DEAD.

ANOTHER PECULIAR THING ABOUT THE ACOUNTS OF THE RESURRECTION IS THAT THE FIRST WITNESSES OF THE EMPTY TOMB ARE WOMEN, IN THE CASE OF JOHN'S GOSPEL, A WOMAN, MARY MAGDALENE. NOW IN FIRST CENTURY PALESTINE, THE TESTIMONY OF A WOMAN DIDN'T COUNT FOR MUCH. IF YOU WERE MAKING UP A STORY, IT'S UNLIKELY THAT YOU WOULD HAVE USED WOMEN AS WITNESSES. JESUS ALSO SHOWS HIMSELF TO WOMEN BEFORE HE APPEARS TO HIS OWN APOSTLES, EXCEPT IN THE STORY OF LUKE, WHERE SIMON PETER MAY HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TO WITNESS HIM IN THE FLESH – BUT EVEN HERE, IT MAY HAVE BEEN THOSE TWO DISCIPLES ON THE ROAD TO EMMAEUS.

ONE THING THE GOSPEL WRITERS ARE ALL AGREED UPON IS THAT JESUS' RESURRECTION IS NOT MERELY A RESUCITATION; HIS RESURRECTED BODY SHOWS A CONNECTION WITH THE BODY THAT WAS CRUCIFIED – HE HAS NAIL MARKS IN HIS HANDS AND FEET, AND A WOUND IN HIS SIDE WHICH CAN BE TOUCHED, AND HE CAN EAT – BUT AT THE SAME TIME, HE CAN APPEAR IN A LOCKED ROOM, HE CAN APPEAR ON THE SHORES OF A LAKE, HE CAN SUDDENLY BE WITH TWO DISCIPLES WALKING ALONG A COUNTRY ROAD. HE ALSO IS NOT RECOGNIZED UNTIL HE ALLOWS HIMSELF TO BE RECOGNIZED. MARY MAGDALENE THINKS HE IS THE GARDENER AT FIRST. THE APOSTLES THINK HE IS A GHOST. THE DISCIPLES HEADING FOR EMMAEUS THINK HE IS A FELLOW TRAVELER. IN JEWISH AND PAGAN LITERATURE THERE WERE STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE COMING BACK FROM THE DEAD. USUALLY THEY WERE QUITE NORMAL AND EVENTUALLY WENT ON TO DIE OF OLD AGE. IN SOME CASES, LIKE THAT OF SAMUEL WHO APPEARED TO SAUL, THEY WERE GHOSTLY BEINGS. THE WAY JESUS WAS WHEN HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

AND THAT'S WHY THE RESURRECTION IS SUCH AN INCREDIBLE MYSTERY. THERE'S NEVER BEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE OR SINCE.

THE MESSAGE OF THE RESURRECTION IS THAT THIS PRESENT WORLD MATTERS; THAT ITS PROBLEMS AND PAINS MATTER, AND THAT GOD HAS PLUNGED INTO THIS WORLD WITH HEALING AND ALL POWERFUL LOVE. ALL THE EVILS, INJUSTICES, AND PAINS IN THE WORLD CAN NOW BE SEEN AS HAVING LOST; HEALING, JUSTICE AND LOVE HAVE WON. THAT'S THE ANSWER TO OUR PRAYER, “THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.”

EASTER IS NOT SIMPLY ABOUT BELIEVING THAT GOD HAS A COMFORTABLE AFTERLIFE FOR SOME OF US. CHIRSTIANITY IS NOT A PIE-IN-THE-SKY IN THE SKY RELIGION. EASTER FAITH IS NOT ABOUT BELIEVING THAT JESUS ROSE IN SOME SPIRITUAL SENSE; CHIRSTIANITY IS NOT A LET -THE – WORLD – STEW – IN – ITS – OWN - JUICE RELIGION. EASTER FAITH IS NOT JUST ABOUT ME AND YOU FINDING A NEW DIMENSION IN OUR LIVES THAT WE CALL SPIRITUAL OR MYSTICAL; CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A WARMTH – IN – THE - HEART RELIGION.

IF JESUS CHRIST IS TRULY RISEN FROM THE DEAD, CHRISTIANITY BECOMES WHAT THE NEW TESTAMENT INSISTS THAT IT IS: GOOD NEWS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD, NEWS THAT WARMS OUR HEARTS PRECISELY BECAUSE IT ISN'T JUST ABOUT WARMING HEARTS. THE LIVING GOD HAS IN PRINCIPLE DEALT WITH EVIL ONCE AND FOR ALL, AND IS NOW AT WORK, BY HIS OWN SPIRIT, TO DO FOR US AND THE WHOLE WORLD WHAT HE DID FOR JESUS ON THAT FIRST EASTER DAY. CHRISTIANITY IS AN ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN RELIGION.

THAT IS WHY WE CELEBRATE EASTER WITH MATERIAL THINGS: WATER IN BAPTISM AND BREAD AND WINE AT THE LORD'S SUPPER. EASTER IS ABOUT THE LIVING GOD CLAIMING THE WORLD OF SPACE, TIME, AND MATTER AS HIS OWN. THAT IS WHY WE CELEBRATE IT WITH CANDLES AND FLOWERS AND INCENSE AND PROCESSIONS AND BANNERS AND, ABOVE ALL, MUSIC: THE WORLD OF CREATION HAS BEEN RECLAIMED BY THE LIVING AND HEALING GOD. THE REASON FOR LENT, AND HOLY WEEK AND EASTER IS NOT TO SET ASIDE A TIME IN WHICH TO STEP OUT OF OUR ROUTINE WITH A FAST AND UNIQUE LITURGIES AND CELEBRATION, AND THEN RETURN TO HOW EVERYTHING WAS BEFORE. NO, THE LIVING GOD WHO HAS BROKEN INTO OUR WORLD IS STILL THERE; JESUS IS STILL WORKING THROUGH IS SPIRIT TO GATHER EVERYTHING UP AND BRING IT BACK TO THE FATHER. AND WHEN WE WAKE UP MONDAY MORNING MAY YOU AND I STILL BE EASTER PEOPLE, KNOWING THAT WE ARE PART OF THIS GREAT MYSTERY.