Readings:
Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118; John 20:1-9
*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. 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.’*So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head, this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
John 20:1-9
We have journeyed through Lent and reached Easter Sunday. In one sense nothing has changed. If we focus on this scene, Easter Sunday can come as an anti-climax. I still have the same temperament as on Ash Wednesday. still bear the same wounds, inflicted by others and by myself, probably live in the same place with the same people, have the same job, or lack of it, the same problems to face.
Faith does not change the external world, but it changes the way we perceive it, and it is from change in our perception that external change happens.
In today’s Gospel, Peter and John run to the tomb. John gets there first but hesitates on the outside. Peter rushes straight in. John then follows. ‘He saw and he believed.’ John saw an empty tomb, a scene of desolation: he believed Jesus was risen.
‘Belief’, in English, connotes gullibility, acceptance without proof. ‘Belief’ in the New Testament means much more than the English word can convey. Belief is knowing, but a knowing which is not based solely on observation, inner reasoning, logical deduction, or the assurance of other people. Belief is an inner sensing, more like an intuition. We cannot create it, manufacture it, or force ourselves into it, all that we can do is be still and discover the gift within ourselves. ‘The Spirit who lived in Jesus and raised him from the dead, now lives in us’ (Romans 8:11). This is the reality in which we live. By praying the Gospel scenes imaginatively, we can meet the risen Christ now, living within us and amongst us, pledge of our resurrection.
But how reliable are the Gospel accounts? Was there really an empty tomb? Did Jesus really rise again from the dead? What kind of body did he have? Is there really life after death? If so, what kind of bodies will we have?
These are all very interesting and important questions, but if we start with these questions and try to find satisfactory answers before praying the resurrection scenes, we shall never get started. Accept the resurrection narratives as they are presented in the Gospels, leaving these other questions aside for the moment. This is not intellectual dishonesty, but intellectual humility, an acknowledgement that the resurrection is a mystery into which God alone can lead us, a mystery in which we are now living. Stand with John in the empty tomb, and pray to believe as he believed. Be with the other disciples in the upper room, listen to their fears and tell them of your own. See the risen Christ among you and hear him say you, ‘Peace’, as he shows you his wounded hands and side. Imagination can put us in touch with the reality that Christ is risen, that he is our peace. Be with Mary in the garden, recognizing him in the gardener. Be with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and meet him in the stranger. Be still, and hear his Spirit in your heart calling you by name and saying, ‘I am closer to you than you are to yourself. I shall never leave you, for you and I are one undivided person.’
Then bring your attention back into the present and look around.
With the dawning of this Love and the voice of this Calling
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time
T. S. Eliot
The Lord is truly risen, is within us and amongst us, alleluia!
Prayer
God, by raising Christ your Son you conquered the power of death and opened the way for us to eternal life. May our celebration today raise us up and renew our lives. We ask you this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen