CAMINANDO WITH JESUS: One Hope
Easter Sunday | April 21, 2019
By the Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple
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." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 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. 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." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 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." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). 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.'" 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.
- John 20:1-18
Scandals usually make the biggest headlines. In fact, we rather expect it. “If it bleeds, it leads” is the trope. For instance, ask yourself, is this a first-century or a 21st-century headline?
Middle Eastern Despot Uses Terror and Torture to Subdue Revolt:
Inflicts mass casualties upon civilians including large numbers of children.
Are we talking King Herod or President Al-Assad?
Halls of Power in Turmoil:
Officials Divided over Responses to Political Threats
Are we talking about the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem in the first century, C.E., or any administration in any century of U.S. history?
Sadly, the scandal of public executions, or state-sponsored murder, to mollify the masses is still making news. Oddly, Christians are in the midst of a week-long liturgical pilgrimage through scandals of the past.
While the world turns on the latest tweets of the 24/7 breaking news cycle, millions of observant Christians are going to great efforts to revisit the great scandals of the past: the Passion of Jesus Christ.
The highs and lows began on Palm Sunday move through Maundy Thursday and come to a dead halt on Good Friday. In our liturgical dramas we taste the sweetest communion, are touched by acts of gentle kindness, and probe the depths of human depravity.
Human sin collectively conspired to put God on trial, issue the death penalty and watch as Jesus gives up his life for the sake of the very ones who deserted, betrayed, excoriated and executed him.
On Easter Sunday, we recall the greatest scandal of all: the mystery of the empty tomb. The scandalous news is delivered by unreliable sources – women and Galilean fisherman. The scandalous news is that God has transformed death from a grave to a gateway to heaven. The scandalous news is that the guilty verdict for sinners has been vacated, and grace has been granted to those same sinners who are now called saints.
But here’s the real scandal for our times: these historic turns of event – once so shocking as to turn the world upside down – are now presented in quite tame and beautiful tranquility and predictability fashion.
The shock and awe of a revolutionary recapitulation of the whole arch of salvation has turned to opportunities for fertility festivals – eggs and bunnies and spring vacations – for believers and nonbelievers alike.
So the challenge for us on Easter Sunday is to go back these old and familiar accounts in this joyful and glorious setting and see if these stories can still speak into our lives.
Can we still be shocked and stand in awe of the Resurrection? More importantly, where do we today need to turn away from what is empty and see our lives in the new light of resurrection?
Mary Magdalene is the first see the stone rolled away. She is first witness to the resurrection, she just doesn’t know it yet. She is about to become the first apostle to the apostles.
Her first and natural reaction to seeing an empty tomb is fear, confusion and alarm. Of course, she runs for help.
After Peter and the other disciples leave, Mary remains and is alone again. Just think about the enormity of her loss.
Jesus of Nazareth filled Mary’s life with new purpose. Following Jesus and being part of his inner circle filled her with confidence. She was given place and voice at the table of discipleship. The presence of Jesus gave Mary Magdalene a sense of belonging in a community of healing, love and celebration. Without his presence, all that is left for Mary is emptiness. And fear. And despair.
She is willing to remain with the agony of loss until God gently redirects her gaze.
And…she looks again. She looks more closely. Mary looks into the emptiness.
There is another presence. Who’s there? It was not in his face. It was not in his shape, posture or gait, nor in all the usual ways we might recognize the form of the one we love most. It was his voice. “Mary.” There. There is it. There is God calling Mary. There is Jesus meeting her exactly where she is. In her grief. In her solitude. In her dark night of the soul. In her emptiness, God is there. Even and especially when we don’t realize it.
Jesus meets us where we are. Jesus will wait until we are ready to hear. Jesus will walk beside us, even unrecognized, until we are ready to turn our heads, redirect our gaze and accept that hope is stronger than despair. Until we can accept that love casts out hate.
In that instant, Mary herself is caught up in the resurrection. She herself is called to life. Not back to life, but called to new life.
So the question the gardener asks the weeping Mary at the tomb is a question to you and me. Whom are you looking for? Not what but whom. Not what, not how, not when. Hope starts with who; whom are you looking for and whom will you follow?
The scandal is that as much as we humans make a mess of things, the invitation is still here today. The tomb is actually a womb. Hope is not just reborn, it is a whole new kind of hope.
Let’s make some news by following the Risen Jesus and inviting others into this crazy story of a life where sinners become saints, and shackles of shame and guilt are removed. Let’s be part of a nonviolent, hope-filled insurrection against the powers of this age, not because we know all the answers but because we know all we need to know: There is one Lord, One Faith, One Baptism – one hope in God’s call to us.
The Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple is the bishop suffragan of the Diocese of North Carolina.
Tags: Caminando with Jesus
