A Risen Christ

John 20: 1 – 18 (April 4, 2010)

1) The Text

20Early 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. 2So 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.” 3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to their homes.

11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12and 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. 13They 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.” 14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus 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.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus 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.’” 18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

2) The Context

John’s version of the Easter story in 20:1-18 reflects traditions that are also attested in the Synoptic Gospels. Note the following parallels:

v. 1a Early on the first day of the week, Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1
v. 1b Mary Magdalene at the tomb, Matt 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10
v. 1c Stone removed from the tomb, Matt 28:2; Mark 16:4; Luke 24:2
v. 2 Empty tomb, Matt 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:3;
v. 6a Peter at the tomb, Luke 24:12
v. 6b Peter sees linen wrappings, Luke 24:12
v. 12 Vision of angels, Matt 28:2; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4
v. 14 Jesus appears to Mary, Matt 28:9
v. 17a Mary holding on to Jesus, Matt 28:9
v. 17b Mary sent to the disciples to announce news, Matt 28:7; Mark 16:7
v. 18 Mary announces the news, Matt 28:8; Luke 24:9

These parallels do not necessarily mean that the Gospel of John was dependent on the Synoptic Gospels as sources. There is no scholarly consensus as to whether these gospels were available to the author of the Fourth Gospel. In fact, there is a fairly strong scholarly agreement that the Fourth Gospel was written independently.

Nevertheless, it is also clear that the author of the Fourth Gospel was familiar with traditions standing behind the gospels. The Easter story in John then reflects some of the same traditions that informed the other gospels.

3) Interpretation

John begins the Easter story with the words, "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark. . ." This is always how our discovery of the risen Christ begins -- darkness. While it was still dark, No one is ever ready to encounter Easter until he or she has spent time in a dark place where hope cannot be seen. Easter is the last thing we are expecting. And that is why it terrifies us. This day is not about bunnies or springtime. It’s about more hope than we can handle.

As Mary made her way down the dark road to the tomb, memories of better days in Galilee tried to pierce through the darkness. Ah, Galilee. Jesus was popular then. Hope had taken root in her heart. No one ever knew exactly what to expect of Jesus, but clearly they all had higher hopes for him than that he would be crucified as a traitor to Rome and a blasphemer to the Jews. When Mary arrived at the tomb, she was startled to discover that it was empty. At first she was horrified. Then John tells us that for a while there was a lot of running back and forth to the tomb. This is still what we disciples of Jesus do when he is missing. We run around a lot.

Eventually it all gets to be too much for Mary and she breaks down in tears by the door of the empty tomb. Then a man she assumed to be the gardener asks her why she is weeping. All that Mary wants is for him to give her back the dead body of Jesus. Finally, the gardener, who is the risen Savior, calls her by name. "Mary." Stunned, she can only say, "Rabbouni!" It was probably Mary’s favorite name for her old teacher. Out of indescribable joy she lunges to embrace him. But to our dismay, and certainly Mary’s, the risen Christ says, "Do not hold onto me."

Following Jesus is a never-ending process of losing him the moment we have him captured, only to discover him anew in an even more unmanageable form. Every expectation of Jesus is only another futile effort to get him back in the tomb. But Jesus just won’t stay there. What we long for is dead. Easter doesn’t change that. The way out of the darkness is only by moving ahead. And the only person who can lead the way is the Savior. But not the old Rabbouni we once knew. Until we discover a new vision of the Savior, a savior who has risen out of our disappointments, we’ll never understand Easter. The question that Easter asks of us is not "Do we believe in the doctrine of the resurrection?", but ‘Have you encountered a risen Christ?"

We get the feeling that Mary was never the same after Easter. Neither is anyone who has learned that what matters is not that we be confident in our hold of Jesus, but confident in his hold of us. Seeing that, we are ready for anything. After the resurrection, things do not return to normal. That’s the good news. It is basic to everything else the New Testament proclaims. After seeing a risen Jesus, we see that there is no normal. Now we can’t even count on the darkness. All we know for sure is that a risen Savior is on the loose. And he knows our names.

4) Thought Exercise

Have you encountered a risen Christ?

How has that encounter impacted your life?