John 20:1-3
Early 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. So 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.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb.
By this time, we probably shouldn’t be surprised that John’s version of the resurrection differs from the others. Actually, the four resurrection stories taken as a whole offer an interesting case study in the distinct theological commitments of each evangelist. In John’s case, while many of the broad narrative brushstrokes are similar – it’s early Sunday morning, an empty tomb, the main character is a woman – the details are strikingly different. It’s one woman, for instance, not several: Mary Magdalene. And when she discovers that the tomb is empty she runs to tell two of the disciples, not all of them.
Simon Peter is one of them; the other is the “beloved disciple.” And when they hear the news, they immediately set out to the tomb to see things for themselves.
The story will move quickly from this point, but let’s tarry for a moment to notice some of the emotions on display. Alarm, as Mary first realizes the body of her beloved Lord is missing. A desire for company, as she immediately goes to share her news with others. The curiosity of each of them to see and understand what is happening. All this and more is present as those first disciples encounter the empty tomb..
Alarm, a desire for company, curiosity. I wonder if those emotions aren’t also regularly present in our own faith journeys. More than a few people have talked about a renewal of faith when life did not go according to plan. The loss of a loved one, the end of a relationship, a community or global tragedy: in moments of alarming upheaval we often turn toward faith.
And we usually seek out company. Hardship reminds us that we were not made to treat life as a solo journey, and God’s initial pronouncement that “it is not good for them to be alone” reverberates as true and as applying to the whole of our lives.
And then there is curiosity. I suspect all of faith begins with curiosity. A desire to understand, a wonder at the world or our circumstances and experience, that sets us in motion. That’s what’s going on here: alarm that drives Mary to seek company and sets the three of them forward in wonder and curiosity onto a path that will lead them places they cannot as yet even imagine.
So it was then; so it is quite often even today.
Prayer: Dear God, grant us the courage to approach all of the challenges and opportunities of our lives with the curiosity and trust of faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Actually a question. Our pastor is a former student of yours at Luther, who opens each sermon with this prayer: “Lord, we know that we cannot do justice to your word; but we pray that your word will bring justice to us.” I understand the first part of the prayer…I think I know what it means about “doing justice” to the the Word(s) of God….but the second part is a mystery to me. I’ve asked him to explain it and he seems unable to do so. He says that you often said something like this (but admits he may have altered it somewhat) and while this is truly a trivial matter it is one that bothers me Sunday after Sunday. I’m not a fan of scripted, repeated prayers but in this one the problem is I don’t know what he means by “justice” and while I think God’s word does inspire us to work for distributive justice I don’t know how the word, by itself brings it.
I apologize for intruding into what I know is a very busy schedule of administration and writing, but if you could find time to enlighten me I would appreciate it. Carl Hansen
Hi, Carl. Yes, I would sometimes close a prayer by saying, more or less, “Lord, although we cannot do justice to your Word, we pray that through your Word you would justify us.” Pretty much the same thing. What I tried to say was that in this class or Bible study we’d really try to reflect adequately on the gospel but would always fall short. But in the end, it’s not about whether we can “do justice to” God’s Word, but rather that God’s Word – Jesus, the Word of the Gospel – justifies us; draws us closer to God. I meant it as a reminder to students that our hard work matters, but in the end it’s what God does that matters most. I hope that helps a little.