Peace Be With You

John 20:19-31

The purpose statement of the gospel of John is in our reading today.
Why was this gospel written in the way that it was written?

“These are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31

This is all about Jesus who the disciples came to know as Messiah, Son of God.

Mark says this in a similar way in his gospel
“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ (which is the Greek word for Messiah), the Son of God.”

There were other stories that were not told.
These were told, John writes, that you come to believe and believing have life.

The disciples were hiding.  Locked doors and afraid.
But the risen Jesus came among them, broke through their fear, the fear that’s a kind of locked door on the mind and heart.

And coming among them said “Peace be with you.”

We don’t know how we’re supposed to imagine the disciples reacting to this appearance and word of assurance.

But John writes that Jesus showed them his wounds and it was then that they “saw the Lord.”

And they rejoiced.

And poor Thomas.
All of his friends had seen and he had not.
They all shared an experience of their risen Lord and Thomas was not there.

An Everlasting Love

Jeremiah 31:1-6
Matthew 28:1-20

The crucifixion was a horrific thing.
The disciples were traumatized at seeing their good and loving leader forced into Roman custody, beaten, mocked, slandered, and humiliated, made to carry the cross.  Nailed up there for public shame.

People who have seen such things would likely experience post-traumatic stress.  Would likely be very anxious.  Would likely be very afraid.  The world is against them.

Everything they thought good and everything that made sense
Was nailed up to that cross with their friend, their teacher, their Lord.

Can you imagine for a moment, going through the first Maundy Thursday into Good Friday?

It is truly remarkable that we read in Matthew’s gospel that “after the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.”

Can you imagine how much anxiety these women had to overcome to approach a tomb of a publicly executed criminal, a man who was so recently made an outlaw of the Roman empire.

How much fear they would have if they weren’t also reeling from post-traumatic stress.
These women loved Jesus and with brave hearts set themselves on the road towards his tomb.
To show their love, to remember him and give him the respect and honor so violently taken from him.

 And when they arrive at the tomb, an earthquake.

I’m not sure how common earthquakes were in Ancient Palestine,
But I can imagine this would be one more worry to an anxious mind.

How’s my house?  How’s my family.

But they are not able to linger long on those thoughts before they encountered the heavenly being,
The angel sitting on the rolled away stone.

The guards who felt the earthquake, who saw the angel.  Fall down, faint and collapse from fear.

But Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary”
(I wonder how she felt about being referred to all the time as “the other Mary”?)

Life to Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14

The prophet Ezekiel is transported by the spirit of the Lord to the middle of a dry valley.

And everywhere he looks.  Bones.

He is walked around the periphery of the valley.

“There were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.” Bones and more bones.

The Lord said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?”

I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”

Bones are the basic structure of a human being.  But with no muscles, no flesh, no blood, they lay like rocks, weathered by the wind and sun.  Bleached and desiccated.

They will waste away and the only memory of them will be the chance fossil found by future generations.

“Mortal, can these bones live?”

I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”

What kind of question is this?  Can these bones live?

If I were Ezekiel I might have said, “is this a trick question?”