EASTER SUNDAY

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EASTER SUNDAY
Posted on March 27, 2016 by David Jackson in Reflections on Sunday Gospels

Out of darkness into the Light

    This Easter Sunday I would like to focus on the experience of three

people, Mary Magdalene, Thomas, and Peter. They each have something to

teach us about ourselves, Jesus and the Resurrection. We will look at

their individual reaction to the death of Jesus, Jesus’ individual

reaction to each of them, and the individual mission which was entrusted to each.

    MARY MAGDALENE

     Her reaction to the death of Jesus: she is preoccupied with getting

the spices needed to anoint the body of Jesus. She does observe the

Sabbath rest, maybe because of what others would think. She comes to

the tomb with her programmed expectations. She is busy responding to

her loss by doing something. Her words are repeated three times almost

like a lament, “They have taken his body and I don’t know where they

have laid him.” She is so disoriented by this unexpected turn that she

doesn’t recognize Jesus when he is present to her. She thinks he is the

gardener.

     Jesus deals with Mary by calling her by name. He leads her out of

the darkness of her sorrow. In this calling she receives recognition

and again moves into action. She clings to Jesus. He then tells her,

“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the father.”

     Jesus then missions her with the words, “But go to my brothers and

tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your

God.'”   The writer of the fourth Gospel states: “Mary of Magdala went

and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ and what he told

her.” Jesus had progressively led her from the darkness of sorrow to

the light of joy. This joy she could now share. Her witness to Jesus

would be different because she was different.

    THOMAS

    Thomas reacts to the death of Jesus by going off by himself alone to

deal with his loss. He probably went over his contacts with Jesus to

see where he (Thomas) had been wrong. This Jesus whom he thought had

the key that would tie all his searching and synthesizing together now

had died ignominiously on a Cross. He needed time alone to process his

thoughts, to regroup. He was dealing with the darkness of doubt. When he

does rejoin the group he is presented with the information that they

have seen the Lord. He thinks that this must be some kind of delusional

thinking. He must have his own personal proof, put his finger in the

wounds of the hand and his hand into the side.

    Jesus comes to Thomas. Jesus particularizes his approach to Thomas.

There is nothing of the don’t touch words directed to Mary Magdalene.

In fact Jesus tells him just the opposite, come and touch.

    Thomas is overwhelmed and bursts forth his own, My Lord and My God.

His profession of faith must have enriched the others. Thomas was the

one who gathered so much information, he was always perceiving things,

even things that others missed. Doubting Thomas became believing Thomas

and inspired the others to greater depths of belief. Tradition has it that he

was the one who went all the way to India to evangelize.

    PETER

    Peter responds to the death of Jesus by returning to his familiar

home and task, fishing in Galilee. He was overwhelmed by all that had

happened to Jesus and how it had all affected him. He obsessed about

his own protests, his denials, his flight, his going out and weeping

bitterly. It was all too much for him. He was overwhelmed by the

darkness of his own powerful emotions. He was in a fog.

    So when Jesus comes to them on the shore, Peter doesn’t recognize

Jesus but John does. But upon recognition he does the impulsive thing _

(Peter always seemed to be doing the impulsive thing) and jumps into the

water.

    Jesus takes Peter by himself and questions him, “Simon, son of John

do you love me?” Peter responds, “Yes Lord you know that I love you.”

But it would seem that Peter’s heart wasn’t in it. Maybe he was still

dealing with the fact that he had denied Jesus. A second time Jesus

questions him: “Simon son of John do you love me.” Peter’s response

was the same a second time. Now he was probably preoccupied with the

fact that he had denied knowing Jesus not once but three times. A third

time Jesus questions Peter, and this time the emotional Peter comes

through. The Gospel writer tells us: “Peter was distressed that he had

said to him a third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, Lord you

know everything; you know that I love you.” Now that Peter was engaged

with his emotions Jesus could tell him more. (At a future Sunday I will

go into more detail about this exchange between Jesus & Peter.) Peter

would have to surrender. “…when you were younger, you used to

dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old,

you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you

and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus uses images,

symbols in dealing with Peter, feeder of lambs and sheep, bound for the Lord.

    In Peter’s surrender Jesus could say to Simon, now Peter again,

“Follow me.”

    But Peter was preoccupied about the beloved disciple that was

following: “Lord what about him?” The content of Jesus’ words is, Peter

don’t worry about him, just do what I want of you. Peter did this.

    CONCLUSION

    One of the aspects that stands out so clearly in these stories is

that the three persons are very different. They are treated very

differently by Jesus and they are missioned differently by Jesus.

Easter lessons for us would be: we are different people, one from the

other, we experience different darkness. Jesus comes to us and treats

each of us differently but offers us life and light. He also has a

particular expression of the Gospel that he wants you and I to live. Be

the Easter life of Jesus for yourself, for others, for the world.

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Out of darkness into the Light

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