April 12, 2015
Easter 2
John 20:19-31
Acts 4:32-35
(prayer)
We are one week past Easter Sunday, right now. But - in terms of our bible reading - it has only been a matter of a few hours. It is still Easter day!
So when we hear today’s reading from the gospel of John, we need to appreciate it is the evening of the same day that Peter and John had confirmed (to the rest of the disciples) what Mary Magdalene had told them: that Jesus’ body was missing - that the tomb was empty. It is the same day that Mary came rushing in again later in the morning and proclaimed that she “had seen the Lord”. She told them about seeing angels; she told the disciples about meeting Jesus himself outside the tomb after John and Peter had left; how she had assumed he was a gardener - until he spoke her name and she knew it was Jesus. Mary told them that Jesus said that he “[is] ascending to [his] Father and [their] Father, to [his] God and [their] God.”
All that happened earlier on the same day as what we heard from the second half of John chapter 20 today.
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If you were here last week, I mentioned that (in the various gospel narratives) a belief in resurrection seldom happens right away. We see that clearly in today’s reading.
It’s even in the first part of chapter 20, which we didn’t read today - but was read as part of the 8:30am service last week.
Belief in Resurrection seems to take time.
So, it is a good thing that - in the calendar of the church year - seven Sundays make up the season of Easter.
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When Mary (and Peter and John) saw the empty tomb, there is no indication that they concluded that Jesus was raised from the dead.
In John, chapter 19, it implies that the disciples had placed Jesus’ body in a nearby tomb hastily on late Friday afternoon because the Sabbath day would begin at sundown and dealing with a dead body on the Sabbath was prohibited by the Torah.
They probably used that tomb without permission.
So, most likely, when Peter, John and Mary saw that the tomb was empty on Sunday morning, instead of resurrection, they believed that someone had discovered that they had highjacked the tomb and took Jesus’ lifeless body away.
They probably used that tomb without permission.
So, most likely, when Peter, John and Mary saw that the tomb was empty on Sunday morning, instead of resurrection, they believed that someone had discovered that they had highjacked the tomb and took Jesus’ lifeless body away.
Mary was certainly grieving Jesus’ unexpected death but the indignity shown to his corpse had Mary in tears. When John and Peter left the tomb, Mary stayed nearby and cried. Maybe, she couldn’t bring herself to leave... just yet.
I have seen this dozens of times at cemetery services. It is hard for some people to walk away.
The next thing that the gospel of John tells us happened is that Mary took another look in the tomb and saw (what the text calls) ‘two angels in white’ but whom Mary doesn’t seem to treat
in anyway special.
in anyway special.
They ask her, “why are you weeping?” And she tells them about the fact that someone has “taken away [her] Lord, and [she does] not know where they have laid him”.
Then Mary turns away from the tomb and sees someone else standing there - the gardener, she assumes. He says the same thing the angels did (why are you weeping?) and she responds the same way (my Lord has been taken away but I not know where they have laid him). She goes on and asks the gardener directly “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away”.
But it was not a gardener, it was Jesus… raised.
And Mary ran back to the disciples with her belief in resurrection: “I have seen the Lord”.
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But… it doesn’t appear that Mary’s faith was contagious. It may have been - as the gospel of Luke reports - that the others thought it was just an “idle tale”. If they did have some spark of new faith, it certainly was weaker than the fear they had that the authorities might still be coming after them.
On the evening of the same day that they had discovered an empty tomb and the same day that Mary had proclaimed that she had seen the Lord, the group of Jesus’ followers we hiding behind locked doors.
Even Peter, who had once confessed that he thought that Jesus was the Messiah, was having difficulty believing that this meant anything now that Jesus was dead.
All of their hope and promise was tied to the life of Jesus.
In the shadow of Jesus' death, there was only room for a skeptical fear.
In the shadow of Jesus' death, there was only room for a skeptical fear.
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Jesus' disciples were afraid, huddled behind locked doors. And… Jesus came and stood among them. He said “Peace be with you” and he showed them [the crucifixion wounds on] his hands and his side. It is at that point that the disciples shared in Mary’s joy from earlier in the day.
It was 'then' that they rejoiced, [for] they [too had seen] the Lord.
Jesus told the disciples to go (as he had) and preach a forgiveness of sin. He says that this was a divine instruction - God was sending them as God had sent Jesus; they would be filled with the Holy Spirit to do this mission.
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When Thomas returned later in the evening, the group told him what had happened: that they had seen the Lord. Like they all had doubted when Mary shared that same goodnews earlier, Thomas could not believe any truth in what they were saying on their word alone. "Unless I see [for myself], I will not believe."
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At this point I imagine God-in-heaven saying "at this rate, this is going to take a long time."
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John's gospel doesn't tell us about anything that might have happened over the next several days. There is no indication that the disciples took any steps towards living out the new mission the Risen Jesus had given them on Easter evening.
What we do know is that, one week later, on the following Sunday, the disciples' situation was unchanged - they were still in the same place - stilled huddled behind locked doors - presumably still afraid for their own safety.
Jesus appeared again and repeated the words he had said one week earlier: Peace be with you. See the crucifixion wounds on my hands and side. The text of John 20 doesn't say it explicitly, but let's assume that Jesus also repeated the call to preach a gospel of forgiveness.
This time Thomas was there. And - as it was for the others - seeing was believing.
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I may be reading too much in to the text, but I notice that Thomas' proclamation seems to go further than the others. After Mary and the others had seen Jesus, they proclaimed "I have seen the Lord".
Nowadays, we tend to use the word Lord (almost exclusively) as a divine title, but it has much broader roots. It is a title of authority and respect - used for God (yes), but also for people. Jesus was these people's rabbi, their teacher; he was their leader and master.
Calling him Lord does not mean they saw him as divine.
Calling him Lord does not mean they saw him as divine.
I have seen the Lord just means I have seen the master.
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It is Thomas who says to Jesus: my Lord and my God.
Good ol' Doubting Thomas may have ended up with a 'deeper faith' sooner than the rest of them.
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I was reading this week that - in Latin - the word for 'believing' is credo (it is where we get the word 'creed' from - a creed is a list of one’s beliefs). What I read was that behind the word credo (believe) is cor (heart). Belief and heart are related… at least in word play.
I like that.
I have often said that faith is more like an emotion than a thought. "Belief is more than intellectual assent; a person who believes give's one's heart - their whole self to something." (SeasonsFUSION Lent-Easter 2015, pg 128).
In Thomas, we have an example of this - faith in the heart.
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In the end, believing in the resurrection (thinking that Jesus has been raised - either by our own experience or trusting the word of others) is not as significant as what we feel about who the Post-Easter Jesus is.
What is in our hearts?
Can we, like Thomas, call Jesus, Lord and God?
Can we feel the presence of a living Messiah, even when the risen Jesus is not present? An important question because Jesus said to Mary that he was not raised to stay physically with them, but that he would be ascending to God. Whatever that means it sounds like these resurrection appearances would not last long.
In the end, Mary, Thomas and the others were left with the challenge of whether or not they would unlock those doors at some point and leave the safety of their sanctuary to proclaim God's compassion and mercy - will they live out the mission that their Lord gave them to share God's forgiveness and renewal?
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If we had time, I would have liked to have read John, chapter 21 as well. In that part of the story, the disciples go back to Galilee, but Peter (at least) does not seem to embrace the new mission. "I'm going fishing", he says. He seems more ready to go back to his life before Jesus rather than embrace a new life after Jesus.
You may know the story about Peter - after Jesus had been arrested - denying that he was one of Jesus' followers or that he even knew him. Not just once but three times.
It is never said explicitly, but it is possible that Peter felt unworthy of Jesus' new call. Instead of continuing to fish for people, he would be a simple fisherman again.
So in John 21... Jesus makes 'the call to preach forgiveness' tangible for Peter.
In a final resurrection appearance in John, Jesus speaks to Peter directly. A straightforward question:
"Do you love me?"
"Do you love me?"
"Yes, Lord, you know that love you."
"Then, care for my sheep."
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This question and answer pattern repeats two more times.
Three times, Jesus asks Peter, "do you love me".
Three times, Peter says "yes".
Three times, Jesus says "care for my sheep".
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I know that there are slight variations in the phrasing of each question-and-answer and (in the Greek language of New Testament) that the verb used for love changes the third time the question is asked. But
setting all that aside, there is an obvious simple significance in what Jesus is doing in this conversation with the one he nicknamed 'The Rock'.
setting all that aside, there is an obvious simple significance in what Jesus is doing in this conversation with the one he nicknamed 'The Rock'.
Earlier, Peter had denied Jesus three times.
Now, Peter was given the opportunity to express love for Jesus three times.
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This is confession and assurance.
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And Jesus' response? 'Carry on my work'.
Forgiveness opens to the door to deeper and more meaningful connections.
Peter was being shown the power of forgiveness: the power of relieving someone of a stifling burden so that they are able to embrace a new future.
Knowing what it feels like to receive forgives and renewal, perhaps Jesus was hoping that Peter (and the others) would want to share that goodnews.
The rest is biblical history.
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Jesus calls his followers to be a forgiven and forgiving people.
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In six weeks, when this season of Easter is concluded, we will acknowledge another significant date on church calendar.
Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem for the Passover festival when he was arrested and killed. In the first century hebrew calendar fifty days after Passover was the Festival of Weeks - celebrating the spring harvest. Although 'Weeks' did not draw the huge number of pilgrims that Passover did, it was still a time when people were draw to the temple - to appreciate new life and the first fruits of the land.
Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem for the Passover festival when he was arrested and killed. In the first century hebrew calendar fifty days after Passover was the Festival of Weeks - celebrating the spring harvest. Although 'Weeks' did not draw the huge number of pilgrims that Passover did, it was still a time when people were draw to the temple - to appreciate new life and the first fruits of the land.
The story goes (as we will hear on May 24th this year), that Jesus' disciples were again together in Jerusalem but this time they were making noise in the streets rather than hiding behind locked doors.
That first Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection (as the Festival of Weeks was also known) is often interpreted as a time of rebirth of the Jesus Movement. We could say that locked doors were flung open wide and the Church of Jesus Christ emerged.
That first Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection (as the Festival of Weeks was also known) is often interpreted as a time of rebirth of the Jesus Movement. We could say that locked doors were flung open wide and the Church of Jesus Christ emerged.
Somewhere in that 50 days, the compassion, mercy and forgiveness of God re-energized this group of fearful, dejected followers.
We see the impact of this new life in our second reading this morning from a part of Acts, chapter two that immediately follows that Pentecost story.
Forgiveness and acceptance set the tone for life within the early church, where compassion reached beyond a person's individual needs and considered the health of the community as a whole. Great Grace was known among them.
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Imagine the state of our communities today if this attitude was honoured more deeply.
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Sometimes, we are told that the flipside of an Acts 2 approach is 'personal responsibility'. Actually, I see Acts 2 as being all about personal responsibility. Do "I" accept some responsibility for the well-being in of my community? How do I respond to the great grace in which God envelopes me?
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Jesus begins this mission with his followers with words of reconciliation… “Peace be with you”; in other words: peace be among you; let peace be your context.
Out of peace comes deeper relationships, where grace can grow and forgives of others (and of one’s self) can lead to a renewal not only of a single soul, but whole communities.
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Let it be so with us.
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Let us pray:
Risen Christ, breathe on us so that we may feel the grace of your peace. Help us to grow in love for you and others. Amen.
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