The Easter story in the Gospel of John is different from the other gospels in a number of respects. However, the most apparent is the fact that, whereas the other gospels have a group of women going to the tomb first thing Sunday morning, John has only one—namely, Mary Magdalene.
Moreover, unlike the other gospel accounts, she is not worried about who will roll away the stone, because, frankly, she has no intention of anointing the body with spices. Actually, there’s no mention that she even brought spices, which would seem to indicate that her pilgrimage to the cemetery is about something other than simply tying up the loose ends from Good Friday.
Perhaps Mary went to pay her respects … or to leave some flowers by the grave … or to whisper the words that she wished she would have said to Jesus while he was still alive. John doesn’t tell us why she goes, but the fact that she does, tells me that this is a very personal journey for her.
And maybe that’s the point … maybe what John is saying is that the Good News of the Resurrection does not come to the world addressed “Dear Occupant,” or “Current Resident,” or “To Whom It May Concern.” The experience of the Risen Christ is always a personal one!
Jesus once told his disciples, “I am the good shepherd … I know my sheep, and I call for them by name”—which, of course, is exactly how Mary eventually comes to realize that Christ has risen from the dead.
She finds the tomb empty; but rather than thinking resurrection, her first thought is desecration. Someone has moved the body—or worse yet, stolen it! “Is it not enough that they took the man’s life?” she sobs to herself. “Did they have to take his body too?”
Even when the Risen Christ approaches her, she doesn’t recognize him. She mistakes him for the gardener and begins to plead, “Sir, if you have carried the body away, please tell me where you have laid him.”
And then comes that moment—that glorious moment—when the Risen Christ speaks her name … “Mary.” That’s when her eyes are opened!
The same is true for us, of course. We do not need to conduct an Easter expedition back to the empty tomb to realize that Jesus Christ is risen today. We do not need to explore metaphysical explanations of how dead tissue can be regenerated, or perform yet another radiocarbon dating test on the Shroud of Turin.
We know that Christ is risen the same way that Mary knew … because our Risen Lord has called us by name!
Moreover, unlike the other gospel accounts, she is not worried about who will roll away the stone, because, frankly, she has no intention of anointing the body with spices. Actually, there’s no mention that she even brought spices, which would seem to indicate that her pilgrimage to the cemetery is about something other than simply tying up the loose ends from Good Friday.
Perhaps Mary went to pay her respects … or to leave some flowers by the grave … or to whisper the words that she wished she would have said to Jesus while he was still alive. John doesn’t tell us why she goes, but the fact that she does, tells me that this is a very personal journey for her.
And maybe that’s the point … maybe what John is saying is that the Good News of the Resurrection does not come to the world addressed “Dear Occupant,” or “Current Resident,” or “To Whom It May Concern.” The experience of the Risen Christ is always a personal one!
Jesus once told his disciples, “I am the good shepherd … I know my sheep, and I call for them by name”—which, of course, is exactly how Mary eventually comes to realize that Christ has risen from the dead.
She finds the tomb empty; but rather than thinking resurrection, her first thought is desecration. Someone has moved the body—or worse yet, stolen it! “Is it not enough that they took the man’s life?” she sobs to herself. “Did they have to take his body too?”
Even when the Risen Christ approaches her, she doesn’t recognize him. She mistakes him for the gardener and begins to plead, “Sir, if you have carried the body away, please tell me where you have laid him.”
And then comes that moment—that glorious moment—when the Risen Christ speaks her name … “Mary.” That’s when her eyes are opened!
The same is true for us, of course. We do not need to conduct an Easter expedition back to the empty tomb to realize that Jesus Christ is risen today. We do not need to explore metaphysical explanations of how dead tissue can be regenerated, or perform yet another radiocarbon dating test on the Shroud of Turin.
We know that Christ is risen the same way that Mary knew … because our Risen Lord has called us by name!
posted by Dr. Robert Crilley at
2:14 PM
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