Jesus is risen! The long journey through Lent has ended, the pain of the arrest and crucifixion are over, and Jesus has been resurrected. As Christians, we can now breathe a sigh of relief. We have returned to a more comfortable place, for we are people of the resurrection.
It has been my experience that we are somewhat uncomfortable with Holy Week. From the passion on Palm Sunday where we cry “crucify him”, to the discomfort of having our feet washed, to the stripping of the altar and extinguishment of the presence light. Walking into the church on Good Friday, seeing the bare altar and the cross draped in black. The whole
thing is disorienting and disconcerting. Which is precisely the point. We recall these events, indeed, we bring them to life in our presence, so that we may not lose sight of the lengths to which Jesus was willing to go for us. If we are uncomfortable, then it is a not so subtle reminder of just how great a sacrifice He made.
Our gospel this morning focuses on the women at the tomb. Lest you think that the only people who traveled with Jesus were the 12 disciples, that is not the case. There were many others, who did not rate a mention as they were not considered people of consequence. It may be galling to our 21 st century sensibilities, but that was how things were in first century
Palestine. Only some people, usually men, were worth recording for posterity. But on occasion, others were afforded important roles in the narrative.
“On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen.””
Not for the first time, the divinity of Jesus is revealed, not to the rich and powerful, but to those on the margins of life. In this case, to the women who had come to anoint his dead body. These women had traveled with Jesus throughout his ministry. They were witnesses to the teaching, to the confrontations with the authorities, to the miracles. They were no less
disciples than the men, despite their lack of mention in the gospels.
Only occasionally do we hear of them, but this week they have a pivotal role. For what happened when Jesus was arrested? The disciples, who had pledged to stand by Jesus’ side even if it meant their death, turned and ran. The gospel tells us that only Peter and John followed Jesus to his trial. But that is not the entire story. For recall this portion of John’s gospel, “meanwhile standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, and Mary Magdalene.” For not all the disciples abandoned Jesus. These women, who had journeyed with him throughout the days of his earthly ministry, stayed with him until the end. They were witnesses to it all.
They cared for him deeply and wanted to offer him one final service. It made little sense, as they knew Jesus was dead, yet early in the morning, they journeyed to the tomb. They didn’t know if they would be confronted by guards, they didn’t know how they would move the stone, they simply went in the darkness.
And it is to these women, who don’t normally rate a mention in the gospels, that the resurrection is revealed. Indeed, we hear in John’s gospel that Jesus first appearance after the resurrection was not to the disciples, nor to the pharisees, but to Mary Magdalene. Mary, who doesn’t get much positive mention in the gospels, is the first person to whom God reveals his glorious resurrection.
But this should not really surprise us. For Jesus did not openly claim his divinity to many but reserved that knowledge for a select few. We see it this morning with the angels at the tomb, but Jesus himself did the same thing for the Samaritan woman at the well, who we are told was a notorious sinner, and for the blind man at the pool of Siloam. In each of these cases, the good news is offered, not to those on the top of the socioeconomic ladder, but to those on the very bottom.
If this happened today, it would seem strange. Why would God want to bypass the powerful people and deliver his message to the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalized? Well, if you think about the message, it makes a great deal of sense. Jesus came to bring good news to the poor, the prisoners, the lame and the injured, the lepers, the outcasts; all who were
thought to be unworthy. Yet it is to them that the Lord chose to reveal his glory.
God values everyone. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That means the entire world, even the people on the margins. Especially the people on the margins.
Our society is not like first century Palestine, but we too have our share of people on the margins. The people who don’t rate a mention in our narrative. The people we would rather not see. As we celebrate this resurrection Sunday, let us remember that the good news is not
meant for us alone. It is meant to be shared. Shared with those who are like us and shared with those who are not like us. For if Jesus could share his message with a Samaritan woman and a blind beggar, then we should follow that example.
Like the women at the tomb who didn’t keep the resurrection to themselves, but ran and told everyone, we should do the same. I met a woman at the store the other day who came up to me and asked if I was a priest. When I said yes, she commented “wow, I have never seen one
in real life, only in the movies.” There are people in this city who have never had the experience of the good news, people who are desperate to know the power of the resurrection. It is to them that we need to tell the story, to share the good news.
Jesus became incarnate, was crucified and was resurrected for ALL of us. That changed the
world then, and it can change the world now.