Scripture reading: John
20:1-18
Even though Jesus showed the
power to raise people from the dead, his disciples had never been able to grasp
that Jesus might also be able to raise himself from the dead; no matter what
Jesus said about it before his crucifixion.
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| Community Easter Sunrise Service On the Columbia River April 16, 2017 |
All four gospels show us
that the friends and the followers of Jesus were full of doubt and fear at the discovery
of the empty grave. John believed something when he saw it for himself, but we
are told (and he’s the one telling the story) that he couldn’t understand it.
He couldn’t understand how Jesus rising from the dead formed any part of the
witness of the Scriptures.
All of the friends, and
followers, and believers of Jesus were properly dazed and wonderstruck. His
rising from the dead broke all of the rules of the world as they knew it, and this
blew their minds.
We should all be more like
them: more mind-blown!
But would that be right?
Would that be safe? Isn’t it wiser and much more mature to accommodate, and to accept
things as they are? I’ve been told this, many times. They’ve told me, “Dennis,
don’t be unrealistic.”
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| April 2017, Photos Around Desert Aire/Mattawa, WA |
If I had listened to such people, or even to
my wiser self, I would never have gone into the ministry because I was told
that I didn’t have the aptitude or the gifts for it. I already knew that. I
didn’t even want to do it.
If I had listened to such realistic
people, I might not even be able to drive a car. But that’s another story.
The good news of Jesus made
me unrealistic and foolhardy. Jesus himself forced me to be unrealistic and
foolhardy.
Jesus forced an
alternative reality on those who knew him and loved him most. There is another
world beside the world as we know it. Jesus rules both worlds but it’s actually
that alternative world that will have its way over you and me. That alternative
world will win. This world as we know it, this world that we are so tempted to accept
and accommodate ourselves to, will pass away.
Something inside us knows
this. Otherwise our outrage, and anger, and sorrow, and grief, in the face of
so much wrong in this world wouldn’t make any sense. If we were made for the
world as it seems to be to everyone else, we wouldn’t have enough imagination
to be outraged.
We know this. When the
world maddens us, when we madden ourselves, we are right to respond so. Let’s
not “settle” for things, or settle for ourselves, or settle for others as they
are. Jesus represents something completely different and, truly, so much better.
Christ is risen! He is
risen indeed! He rules. He has defeated evil, sin, corruption, sickness, pain:
all of this world’s injustice. Jesus has conquered death. He rules over it, and
he will destroy even death, in time.
We know this is right. The
Bible tells us so. Love tells us so. Jesus tells us so. I believe our greatest
growth will come from learning to live accordingly.
This growth is what
prepares us for Jesus, because Jesus has created the reality that makes this growth
possible. He makes life in the new reality possible, by dying on the cross for
the sin of the world (and for our sin) and so becoming the conqueror of that
sin; and by rising from the dead, and so becoming the conqueror of death.
Sometimes this seems too
much for us. We don’t want to be so wonderstruck, and surprised, and
overwhelmed by glory.
I think, in our churches,
we try to keep things safe. We’re like Mary Magdalen, holding onto Jesus in such
a way that tries to keep everything from changing.
That’s why Jesus told Mary
to let him go. We want to hold onto Jesus and keep things steady and familiar. Jesus
wants us to let him go, at least for our own sake, so that he can push the
boundaries for us. We want to hold on when Jesus wants us, ourselves, to go forth,
and to be willing to push the boundaries of our own lives. Jesus wants us to
push the boundaries of our serving him and our neighbor.
Jesus wants us to let go,
so that we can go forth for him, and with him. Jesus wants us to let go, so
that we can go forth for him and for others.
That’s why Christ has
risen.
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