Year 2, Day 268: John 20

A Hard to Beat Story

I think this is one of my favorite of the 4 resurrection stories.  I really like Mark 16:1-8, and if later texts didn’t add verse 9-20 I’d probably like that one the best.  But it is really hard to beat the resurrection story of John 20.

Mary comes to the tomb first.  While it is still dark, she comes to the tomb.  I don’t think that it is any accident that Mary came first.  But I’ll get to that in a little bit.

Mary finds out that the tomb is empty.  The stone has been rolled away.  She runs and tells Peter, telling him that someone has taken the body.

Peter and another disciple immediately run to the tomb.  The other disciple beats Peter there and looks in.  He sees the grave clothes, but he stops.  It is important for Peter to go in first.  After all, Peter is portrayed in all the Gospels as the ringleader of the followers of Christ.

Peter goes in.  The grave clothes are there.  The napkin that was over Jesus’ face was in a separate place, folded off to the side.  There was no evidence of violence.  Jesus’ body had not been abused.  In fact, it looked as though something of great care happened to the body.

What is really neat is the way that John develops this story in the Greek. 

• In John 20:5, the disciple who gets to the tomb first and “saw” the grave clothes.  The verb here is a word that means “to glance at” or “to become aware of” something. 
• In John 20:6 we hear that Peter went in and “saw” the scene.  The Greek verb here means “to observe carefully” or “to pay attention” or “to watch with unusual carefulness.” 
• In John 20:8 we hear that the other disciple came in and “saw” and believed.  The Greek verb here means “to see with comprehension.” 

What is really neat about this is that in our English translations we hear a word that our eyes don’t even “see” with any particular significance.  We pass over the descriptions of the disciples’ sight as if it isn’t even there.  Yet, in the Greek John brings us through an increasing pattern of comprehension.  The disciples see the body.  Then they study it.  Then they begin to comprehend what is going on.  That progression – the detail to which John describes it – is so cool! 

You’ll notice above that I said “begin to comprehend.”  I don’t really thing they fully comprehend until they see Jesus – perhaps not even until the Holy Spirit comes to them.

More About Mary

Mary stands outside the tomb, weeping.  She meets with a pair of angels, and then she meets with Jesus.  Do not lose focus on the fact that Mary recognizes Jesus when He calls her name.  He is, after all, the Good Shepherd.  The sheep know His name.  He knows our name.  When He calls us, we recognize His voice.  Even when He speaks through other people or in situations that we aren’t expecting Him to speak – we recognize His voice.

Before moving on to Jesus’ appearance before the disciples, let’s stop for a second and examine the fact that it is Mary to whom Jesus makes His first resurrection appearance.  I think so many things are going on here that it is tough to keep them all straight.

• First, I believe that Jesus is attacking human tradition.  Understand that the Jewish people of Jesus’ day had a saying.  It went something like this: “It is better for the words of the Law to be burned than to be delivered by a woman.”  On a very grand scale, I do believe that Jesus chooses Mary because He wants to make a point about how wrong the human tradition of the Jews of Jesus’ day was.  Nobody is below delivering God’s Word.  Everybody is useable by God.  When we make a point to create hierarchies based on human understand we limit God.  We clearly go against God’s agenda.  We make an enemy of God when we judge people’s usefulness in God’s kingdom by human standards instead of by spiritual standards.
• Second, understand that Jesus is also making a clear point about change.  He came into this world to change it.  He came into this world to change our relationship with the Father and our relationship with one another.  By going to a woman, Jesus is making a point that Jesus’ followers in a post-resurrection world will need to embrace change.
• Third, I believe Jesus is making a specific comment about the ability of women within the church.  The first person that Jesus asks to proclaim His resurrection is a woman.  The first person to tell others about God conquering death through Jesus is a woman.  The first person to tell others that Jesus is alive is a woman.  God will use women to deliver His Gospel to the world in a post-resurrection world.
• Fourth, I believe that Jesus is making a statement about Mary’s desire.  She was first to the tomb.  She couldn’t wait to continue to serve God, even when she thought Jesus was dead and it was His lifeless body that she was going to finish adorning with spices.  When she saw the tomb was empty, she was the one that didn’t wait for the disciples to come on their own – she went and told them.  Mary has guts.  She takes initiative.  I believe part of Jesus’ point here is that Jesus wants us to be proactive about our faith.  Jesus doesn’t want us sitting back waiting for Him to do everything.  Jesus wants us out and about – assertively looking for ways to involve ourselves in God’s plan.
• Finally, I believe Jesus is making a statement about the spiritual relationship between Himself and Mary.  Mary may not have been one of The Twelve.  But she was a close disciple and a spiritual friend.  You don’t have to have a “name” or be part of the “clique” to play an important role in God’s plan.  You don’t have to be part of the “in-crowd” to carry a very special message to the world.

The Twelve

Then Jesus appears to His disciples.  Jesus bestows His peace upon them.  Then an amazing thing happens.  Jesus breathes upon them His Holy Spirit.  The work of our Lord is done.  He came to alter the relationship between us and God by dying on the cross and atoning for our sins.  He certainly did that.  Now, not only can our sins be forgiven forever but God dwells within us!  We can not only approach the presence of God – we literally are always in the presence of God because God is within us!

Now the disciples have all that they need.  They have seen all of Jesus’ words come true.  He came, He conquered death, He died for our sake, He lives, and we have the Holy Spirit in our lives to guide us in faith and truth.  We can be confident in life – going forward to proclaim God’s greatness and His glory to the world!

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