Happy Easter!

Easter - John 20: 1-18

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Of the four gospel accounts of the empty tomb, this story in John is my favorite. And it is the traditional gospel to be read on Easter morning around the world and throughout the ages.

Early in the morning, so early we are told it is still dark, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and sees that the stone is set aside. In those days a round stone like a mill-stone and actually called a rolling stone was rolled across the entrance to the tomb. Although the text does not say so, she must have looked in because she runs back to tell the other disciples that the tomb is empty. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb!”

Peter and “the other disciple,” quote, “the one whom Jesus loved,” race to the tomb, with the “other disciple” out-running Peter. He looks in and sees nothing but the linen cloths, the burial cloths, lying there – a reminder of the linen cloths that wrapped him in swaddling as a baby in a manger? Then Peter goes in and surveys the scene, followed by the “other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved,” and at that moment we are told that he believed.

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Then they went home. Not Mary. She stands outside the tomb, and bends over to look in. The tombs were rather small. It would be hard to stand up inside.  Lo and behold, what does she see?

That’s right, two angels, one where his head had been lain, and one by where his feet had been.  She stands outside the tomb weeping. Jesus had been the one person who understood her and had made her feel healthy and whole again. All her life she had been restless, agitated, uncomfortable with herself. But Jesus had changed all that. Jesus had accepted her for who she was and made her feel like a real person again. Now he was not only dead he was gone.

The angels speak to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She says, “They have taken my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him.” Which surely would make more sense – that is that someone broke in and stole the body.  It makes much more sense than a dead man three days dead coming back to life again. As she thinks of all of this she bumps into a man and supposes it is the gardener. The tomb is in a garden after all. There must be a gardener.

He asks the same thing as the angels, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She says, “If you have taken him away tell me where he is!” Then he replies with only one word. He says her name. “Mary.”

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!

There is only one person who ever said her name just like that. But it does not look at all like he used to look. But it is his voice saying her name.  “Rabouni!” she cries out, which means rabbi or teacher.

Evidently she is holding on to him for dear life for the risen Jesus needs to say, “Do not hold onto me because I have to return to Love,  I must return to my Father. But go tell my disciples that I am ascending to my father and your father, my God and your God.  I am going home to Love!” And she told them he had said these things to her.

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Several things in all of this. Please note it is a woman who first discovers and announces to others that he is gone from the tomb. And that rather than simply take her word Peter and the “other disciple whom Jesus loved” go to see for themselves, as if Mary Magdalene may not be that reliable. But reliable she is.

And we are told that the disciple whom Jesus loves sees for himself and believes.

It has long been a mystery as to just who that disciple is. The long standing assumption is that it is the disciple John who perhaps is the narrator of the Gospel of John. From there the list goes on including the possibility that it is another woman, a Samaritan woman, whom Jesus met one day at the well of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham.

There is, however, another possibility, one which I believe makes the most sense. The other disciple whom Jesus loves is the reader or listener to this story and who, like the person in the story, believes. That is the beloved disciple is you, or me, or anyone who hears this story and believes.

Gospel means “good angel” or “good news.” If I am right, this is really good news because any one of us and in fact all of us can be the beloved disciple, the one whom Jesus loves. This is really good news! This is why the world over beginning Easter Sunday and all week long, and for the next 50 days, people everywhere shout out:

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!