The Resurrection of Our Lord, Easter Day - 5 April 2015
Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah
25:6-9
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Acts 10:34-43 or I
Corinthians 15:1-11
St. John 20:1-18
St. Mark 16:1-8
Background: Resurrection
Appearances
I
may have made reference to this wonderful resource in the past, and if so
please forgive me for referring to it again. I think that it behooves us as
people interested in what the lectionary is attempting to teach us to
anticipate all the readings during the Sundays of Easter. Reginald Fuller’s
book, The
Formation of the Resurrection Narratives[1],
gives a grand overview of the development of these texts, tracing them through
the writings of Paul, the synoptics, and John. He begins with the earliest
Easter Traditions in the First Letter to the Corinthians, and does a wonderful
analysis of Paul’s account. He follows with the narrative of Mark, then
Matthew, then Luke-Acts, and finally the Gospel of John and the so-called
Johannine Appendix. What follows, in addition, are an analysis of Pseudo Mark,
Transposed Resurrection Narratives (proposed), and finally, Resurrection
Narratives in apocryphal Gospels. His tracing of the growing complexity of
these accounts is helpful in determaining the core of the tradition, and then
how to form a sense of devotion or proclamation around these texts.
Acts 10:34-43
Peter began to speak to the gentiles: "I truly
understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears
him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent
to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all.
That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit
and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed
by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in
Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God
raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people
but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him
after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to
testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.
All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives
forgiveness of sins through his name."
In this chapter, Luke
weaves a series of visions, conversions, and proclamations that enable his goal
of proclaiming God’s intentions of salvation for anyone who would desire it. We
meet Peter on the cusp of understanding what Paul has been urging, and we meet
Cornelius whose own vision, request, and baptism cement the entire enterprise
into a whole. It would be good for you, if you wish to understand the context
of Peter’s remarks, which form our liturgical reading for this Easter Morning,
to see the remarks in the context
of these activities. The almost creedal remarks that Peter makes to the
messengers from Cornelius form what it is that we need to know about God’s
invitation to the world in the person of Jesus Christ. These words seem to pop
out at us and form a response we might make to the Easter Gospel: “We are witnesses,” “commanded us to
preach…and to testify”, “we were chosen by God as witnesses.” It is not an
individual that responds to this message but rather an entire household. Such
is the grasp and suasion of God’s message of salvation.
Breaking open Acts:
- For you, what are Peter’s main points?
- Who might appear in your sheet of “unclean things?”
- What would be your “kerygma”
(your proclamation) about Jesus?
Or
Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all
peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines
strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all
faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from
all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that
he might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
This reading from Isaiah
telegraphs us beyond to the tomb and its absent body to present a vision of the
banquet at the end of time. Here the prophet uses a model present in other
Hebrew writings, and used in other ancient near eastern writings, of the
celestial banquet that Jesus himself refers to as he gathers with the disciples
at the last supper. Isaiah’s vision goes
a bit further in his comments in that he declares that God will be the arbiter
about the role of death, “he will swallow
up death forever.” Of special interest is that the judgment is done for the
benefit of “all peoples”, and “all nations.” The concept of time here
is complicated – a future vision for which we have waited seems to be a
completed fact, “This is the Lord for
whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” In this
way God is with us – now. The Easter
message is in one sense hopeful, and in another sense present.
Breaking open Isaiah:
- Who will sit at your banquet at the end of time?
- Whom do you not expect to see?
- Whom will you be surprised to see?
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 Confitemini
Domino
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.
Let Israel now proclaim, *
"His mercy endures for ever."
The LORD is my strength and my song, *
and he has become my salvation.
There is a sound of exultation and victory *
in the tents of the righteous:
"The right hand of the LORD has triumphed! *
the right hand of the LORD is exalted!
the right hand of the LORD has triumphed!"
I shall not die, but live, *
and declare the works of the LORD.
The LORD has punished me sorely, *
but he did not hand me over to death.
Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the LORD.
"This is the gate of the LORD; *
he who is righteous may enter."
I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have become my salvation.
The same stone which the builders rejected *
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the LORD'S doing, *
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
On this day the LORD has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
In a way this psalm is a
closing parenthesis to Holy Week and to the Triduum. It is appointed in part
for reading during the Liturgy of the Palms on Passion Sunday, and then again
at the festival services on Easter Day.
Let us, however, remove ourselves from that particular celebration to
first hear how it might have sounded to ancient Israel, where the speaker,
especially in verses 5 through 21, is the king. The personal anguish and threat
which beset the speaker and for which salvation he now gives thanks, gives us
an intimate understanding of the individual and God. The enemies are not
metaphors, and the threat of death is not an undefined thing. The king enters
the Temple with not only a sense of triumph but of thanksgiving for the God who
has saved him.
So we enter this joyous
day, perfect in the knowledge that Christ has won a similar victory over the
enemies – death and the grave. Now all who follow in the procession of pilgrims
(for whom this psalm/liturgy was written) are full of the thanksgivings that
once only belonged to the king, and that now accrue to us as well. The last two
stanzas of the liturgical reading are an adequate summary of what we do this
day, “This is the Lord’s doing and it is
marvelous in our eyes. On this day the Lord has acted; and we will rejoice and
be glad in it.”
Breaking open Psalm 118:
- Where do you see justice in our world?
- Where do you see righteousness in our world?
- How are you a part of such righteousness and justice?
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good
news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you
stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the
message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I
in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in
accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the
twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one
time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to
James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he
appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an
apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am
what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I
worked harder than any of them--though it was not I, but the grace of God that
is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come
to believe.
Reginald Fuller in his book
on the Resurrection Narratives (noted above) sees this as one of the earliest
witnesses to the resurrection. He
characterizes this reading, and others, as “the disclosure of the
eschatological within history.”[2]
Paul lays out for us two distinct hierarchies that become witnesses to the
resurrection. First there is the sequence of Cephas, the Twelve and the five
hundred brothers and sisters. Then there is the sequence of James, the
apostles, and Paul. What purposes do these appearances take on? Fuller
maintains that with the appearance to “Cephas” (one may want to quickly refer
to the context of this name in Matthew 16) and to the
Twelve the Risen One establishes the eschatological community. Thus he
maintains that these appearances are “church building.”[3]
Those who experience the later appearances (James, apostles, and Paul) are
called to be sent out from this founding community to spread the witness. The
closing passage makes clear the intent and purpose, “so we proclaim, and so you have come to believe.”
Breaking open I Corinthians:
- What is Paul saying about the importance of these appearances?
- In what ways has Jesus appeared to you?
- What was his message?
Or Acts (see above)
St. John 20:1-18
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 toward the tomb. The two were running together,
but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to
look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then
Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen
wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying
with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other
disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the
dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept,
she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting
where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the
feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to
them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have
laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus
standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her,
"Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him
to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away,
tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to
her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
"Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not
hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my
brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God
and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these
things to her.
In this reading we see
present two different traditions regarding the Easter Appearance. The first is
that of the Magdalene who runs and tells the Peter and the disciples, whose
story is the second of the traditions present in this reading. She becomes the
primary witness, and the others follow in her train. In Mark, the angel points out the absence in
the tomb, but in John Mary already knows it and perceives it. The belief, however comes with the other disciple
who enters the tomb who then sees and then believes.
This layering of tradition and reaction should be natural to John’s Gospel
which comes after so many versions of tradition and witness. It is, I think,
important for us to follow the example and to not only tell the story in our
own words, but to hear and listen to the story from others’ lips. In Paul, we
move from individuals to larger groups, from leaders to the whole community.
Here, we watch as individuals see, take in, and then make a response.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- With which of the characters do you identify the most?
- Why?
- What is convincing to you in this story? What is not? Why?
or
St. Mark 16:1-8
When the sabbath was over, Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they
might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week, when
the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another,
"Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"
When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already
been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a
white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to
them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was
crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they
laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to
Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." So they went out
and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said
nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Fuller makes two observations
on this text. The first is that in its initial rendering, this text was an
appearance to Mary Magdalene alone, and the second is that verse seven was a
later addition. Already stark in its presentation, the subtraction of these
elements (the other women, and the angel’s direction of the women to Galilee)
leaves a scene which focuses largely on the appearance of the angel which
raises in them a sense of trembling and fear (compare St. Luke 1:22). In a sense
their reaction to the vision of the angel underscores the profound truth that
they had witnessed, “he is not here.” Mark
leaves us to understand what that might mean and to plumb the depths of Jesus’
absence, but also his eschatological presence among us. In Mark we have a Jesus
who dies, is buried, and ascends, affording a transition that give us wonder at
what might happen next.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- How would this story be different if it were only Mary Magdalene?
- What are her actions after seeing the empty tomb?
- What might an empty tomb mean to you?
After breaking open the Word,
you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
O God, who for our
redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his
glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to
die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his
resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
or this
O God, who made this most
holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord's resurrection: Stir up in your
Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being
renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
or this
Almighty God, who through
your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of
everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's
resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Questions
and comments copyright © 2015, Michael T. Hiller
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