Faithful Conversations #57

Introduction to Readers: We have arrived at Holy Week! 

Prelude:  Last week, I encouraged you to walk through the Holy Week readings in preparation for Easter.  Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are referred to as The Three Days (traditionally known as the Triduum), and their roots hearken back to the Jewish celebration of the Passover. Part of that tradition among our spiritual ancestors involved slaughtering a lamb and sharing a meal — a reminder of the Israelite’s liberation from slavery in Egypt. Recall that God visited a number of plagues (think water turning to blood, frogs, lice, etc.) on Pharoah Ramesses II to convince him to free the Israelites, including sending the “angel of death” to slaughter the Egyptian’s firstborn sons. The Jewish slaves marked their doorposts with the blood of a lamb so the “angel of death” would pass over them, sparing their sons. Drawing from this tradition, early Christians observed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, to commemorate the Pascha, — Christ’s passage from death to new life. Further, this new life was marked by the liberating gift of baptism. If you go to pages 30-31 in the ELW (which we have been using since 2006), you will see in the inclusion of the Three Days as part of the Sundays and Principal Festivals of the Church Year. Again, if you have not taken on those readings yet, I would encourage you to do so this week! We do observe Maundy Thursday and Good Friday with worship experiences at ELC. Here they are again.  

The Three Days: 

Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus (c. 1886) by Theophile Lybaert (1848-1927)

*Maundy Thursday (28 March)
Exodus 12: 1-14
Psalm 116: 1-2, 12-19
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
John 13: 1-17, 31b-35

*Good Friday (29 March)
Isaiah 52: 13-53
Psalm 22
Hebrews 10: 16-25
John 18: 1 – 19:42 (Passion Story)

*Holy Saturday (30 March — Also referred to as Easter Eve)
Job 14: 1-14
Psalm 31: 1-4, 15-16
1 Peter 4: 1-8
John 19: 38-42

Readings for Easter Day
Isaiah 25: 6-9
Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24
Acts 10:34-43
Mark 16: 1-8 or John 20: 1-18

** Note: There are varying accounts offered in the Gospels about the events occurring at the tomb of Jesus, a good example of how stories change over time. My commentary follows John’s version of the events. John’s Gospel most likely was written near the end of the first century, perhaps 50 years after the crucifixion.     

Mary Magdalene by Koorosh Orooj, Iranian Artist, 2018.

It has been said that history must first be imagined in order to be understood. Let’s imagine the dramatic events outside Jesus’ tomb recounted in the 20th Chapter of John.

First, some background on Mary Magdalene. A fascinating individual, she is mentioned in all four Gospels as a follower of Jesus and witness to his crucifixion and resurrection. There are twelve references to her in the Gospels, more than any other woman, besides Mary, the mother of Jesus. Honored as a Saint within the Catholic Church, there is much we do not know about Mary of Magdala (another name for her). We commemorate her in the ELCA as “Mary the Apostle” on July 22nd. Most importantly, perhaps, Mary becomes the first person to carry the message of Jesus’ resurrection! (Sidenote: Though John does not mention the other “Mary,” being present at the tomb, presumably the mother of Jesus, she is mentioned in the three other Gospels — see Matthew 27:61, Mark 16:1, and Luke 24:10. Some scholars suggest that the absence of the Virgin Mary in John’s account may have symbolic significance. Mary, as the mother of Jesus, represents the earthly relationship, while Mary Magdalene, as a disciple, represents the new community of believers in Jesus). 

 

The Disciples Peter and John running to the sepulchre on the morning of the Resurrection by Eugene Burnand (1898).
Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Back to John’s account. Mary Magdalene visited Jesus’ tomb and saw that the stone had been removed. Realizing that Jesus’ body was gone, she ran to find Peter and the “other disciple” (unnamed), who then run to the tomb to see for themselves — one of my favorite moments in this story! Their excitement is palpable and echoes across the centuries. (Sidebar: The “other disciple” may have been John, the writer of the Gospel, but there is no definitive identification. I have always been intrigued by the various passages in scripture that include unnamed individuals — see the Emmaus story in Luke 24, for example. Some have suggested such characters represent us). Mary who remained weeping outside the tomb, then saw two angels where the body of Jesus had been. In an amazing moment, Jesus appears to Mary, though she does not recognize him until he calls her by name. He told her that he was ascending to his Father “and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary then announced what she has learned to the disciples.   

 

What are we to make of all this? The deep, rich, and powerful mysteries we encounter during Holy Week remind me that as Christians, we are fundamentally an Easter people, racing toward that tomb, forever trying to grasp what happened there. Our faith journey is predicated on the acceptance of miracles — water turned to wine, blind people regaining their site, liberation from demonic possession — things we cannot explain. To many in our midst, this acceptance of the unexplainable is ridiculous — to them, we are chasing a fairy tale. But, as children of the light, we race on. The central miracle involves our Creator God sending his Son to share in our humanity, to walk the earth for roughly 33 years, to face betrayal, suffering, and a torturous death at the hands of Roman authorities. This Jesus took the dysfunction of the world, including the sins of humankind, upon himself, ultimately liberating us from sin and death, our greatest fear. The moment of his resurrection from the dead shines like a beacon in this unfolding drama we annually replay at this time of year. And, because we have been liberated, we are free to love and forgive others. Such forgiveness, at times, is a miracle in itself and runs contrary to the instincts of our broken and revenge-oriented culture. The greatest example of miraculous forgiveness in my lifetime happened nine years ago. On 17 June of 2015, a 21-year-old man named Dylan Roof entered Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina and was welcomed by parishioners to a Bible study. Shortly thereafter, he proceeded to massacre nine people in the midst of prayer and study. At his bond hearing two days later, relatives of the slain victims spoke directly to Roof. In what can only be described as miraculous and amazing grace, one by one, these grieving people offered Dylan Roof forgiveness, not anger.  “I forgive you,” Nadine Collier, the daughter of 70-year-old Ethel Lance, said at the hearing, her voice breaking with emotion. “You took something very precious from me. I will never talk to her again. I will never, ever hold her again. But I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul.”

Miraculous forgiveness and victory over death — as Christians, our great gifts. Yes, we are an Easter people. We have a God who is faithful. Let us walk in the sunlight of his glorious resurrection!

POSTSCRIPT:
A reminder why Protestant Churches, like the ELCA, primarily display the empty cross, while Roman Catholic Churches primarily display the Crucifix. Here is an explanation from The Compass, a publication of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay. Displaying the corpus of Jesus on the cross is a stark visual aid that helps us to more easily focus on the very real sacrifice Jesus offered for us for our salvation . . . Our brothers and sisters of mainline Protestant and non-denominational traditions typically display an empty cross in recognition that Jesus died once and for all for us and is now risen from the dead. The cross, like the tomb, is empty. We should see these not as opposing viewpoints, but as complimentary emphasis.

I appreciate that explanation and certainly both are powerful symbols for Christians! Both reflect the dynamic story of Holy Week and beyond and we utilize both in our home. Have a joyous Easter!

Note: We will resume our Sunday blog discussions on 7 April at 10:45!  All are welcome!