In today’s Gospel, we hear of the emptiness of the tomb when it is first found by Mary of Magdala, and then Peter and John, and the initial pain and confusion that comes with it. They couldn’t quite yet comprehend what had just taken place, they had heard Jesus say before that He would rise on the third day, and yet, the thought that this had actually taken place still eluded them. I think sometimes we are not so different. We’ve heard the message of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, and how this saved us from death, and yet we behave often as though this isn’t the case. We doubt, we fear, we struggle with so much worry, and it is all pointless if we would simply grasp what Jesus did for us on the cross, and in rising from the tomb. Imagine a new way of thinking and living, where our true focus is on living in such a way that our Savior’s approval is the only focus that really matters.
You can be sure, that when Jesus appeared to His disciples in the room where they were staying, there was a serious mental shifting of gears. The realization that what He had promised was all true, that there was more to life than this fragile human existence, and that their relationship with God really was all that actually mattered in the larger picture. Daily struggles, politics, taxes, fears, all just took a serious back seat to the new reality. Jesus is alive, we will live if we are His followers, we will have eternal life just as He promised. Moreover, there is a reunion of loving friendship, they are indescribably glad to see the one they love, just as we should be. He is sitting with them, conversing, eating a small meal, it is just like old times, but with one important and profound difference, they have seen for themselves what only God could do. All the agony and sadness and fear of the cross, has been replaced by love and joy. What an amazing Easter morning.
There is much more to be done though, with the joy and privilege of seeing Jesus alive again in His glorified body, comes also a great deal of responsibility to make others aware of what has transpired, and how important this is to their own salvation. If we are not sharing what we know to be true, then we have really missed the point of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection. He did all this out of love, and we are called to give the gift of this to others out of love. In our first reading, it almost sounds like Simon Peter is calling out those who had killed Jesus, and perhaps he was, but not for reasons of anger or retribution – you see Peter finally got it, he understood that because death had no hold on Jesus, all the fear and anger they had experienced as they saw their friend and teacher killed was completely pointless, and there was no room in the new reality they now lived for those feelings. They had amazing news to proclaim, and to share, and love of their fellow men to demonstrate and pursue, because they knew that is what Jesus had been forming them to do, it all made sense now. The awakening was complete, and now the task of calling others to belief and faith in Jesus had begun. They were boldly proclaiming their belief and Jesus message to all men, Jew and gentile, and this would take them to all the corners of the known world. All people were Gods creations, and they understood that His death and resurrection was for all of them, every man, woman, and child was precious and wanted by God to be part of His family, and to have eternal life with Him. This would seem like a daunting task when you think about it, but when approached with the new understanding they had attained, the magnitude didn’t matter because they knew they were not alone, and that what might be impossible for them on their own, was more than possible with God’s help, they were no longer even trying to go it alone, they accepted and wanted God’s help and guidance in all things. They talked to Him constantly and had no doubt that they were heard. This is their call to us as well. To accept what they knew, and to live our lives to reflect that. It is not always easy, but with reliance on God, and a relationship that is constantly renewed and refreshed to include everything going on in our lives, we can have this as well. We can have the confidence and comfort of knowing God is with us, and most importantly we can let Him know how integral He is in our lives and how much love we have for him. I can’t imagine a nicer Easter present to give to our Lord than pursuing and living this. He already gave us our Easter present.
The Deacons Bench 