Easter Sunday
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Scripture |
John 20:1-18 20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. |
Devotional |
Walter Wink raises some interesting points or question about the empty tomb and the Resurrection. Mary goes to the tomb to discover the stone is rolled away but if you follow the text it does not add up. Mary leaves to tell Simon and the other disciple without looking inside. How does she know it is empty? Did a later writer attempt to change the text to include the men? Apparently some man did try to "fix" this account, but he botched the effort. He has Mary flee to tell Peter and the beloved disciple that Jesus has been stolen from the tomb. But how does she know he has been removed, if she didn't look in? Why this ludicrous footrace? Why does the beloved disciple, who clearly wins it, defer to Peter? What might this tell us about power struggles in the early church? Why don't they see the angel Mary sees? Why does the empty tomb produce belief in the men, but has no such impact on the woman? And why, why, why do they go home without even bothering to tell the others? 1 This text tells the story of Mary if we leave out verses 2-10. 20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. You may not agree with this interpretation, but it allows me to see the main focus on the Easter story. “Who are you looking for?” Jesus asks Mary. This is the question Jesus asks the disciples in the first verse of John. Are we not looking for the risen Lord? Seeing the Resurrected Christ is much more important than a power struggle of who gets to enter the tomb first. In the history of the church, men have been struggling for power. Is being in charge that important? While men are struggling for power, the women have seen and experienced the Christ. Is this why women are more spiritual than men? While men are jockeying for position, women are experiencing the risen Lord. Why is it so difficult to accept Mary Magadalene as the first witness of the risen Christ and the first disciple to proclaim the good news: Christ is risen. Take John's story of the empty tomb. Admittedly Mary goes to the tomb first (John 20:1). The writers have her leave the tomb and go get Peter and the beloved disciple. Let the men observe that the tomb was empty; they would meet the angel, or Jesus himself, and go and tell the rest. 1 https://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=resources.sermon_prep&item=LTW_920449_CEa. |