When Will I See Jesus?
Good Morning Friends,
Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. And the events surrounding this event are filled with meaning. The women are the first to the tomb. We see them in the process of unpacking what they have experienced. The women are confused. Rather shockingly, the tomb is empty, so they go and tell Peter and John what they have concluded has happened. Peter and John rush to see for themselves. But regardless of what they could believe at that moment, they still all had the same question. When Will I See Jesus?
Scripture: Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 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.
Acts 10:34a, 37-43 (NRSV)
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4 (NRSV)
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.
John 20:1-9 (NRSV)
Message: Between John (most likely the other disciple), Peter, and Mary Magdalene— all of whom were at the empty tomb on that first Easter morning— only John seems to have had faith in the Physical Resurrection of Jesus. Everything Jesus had taught John about his death and resurrection seems to have come together in a flash of insight. If you are an intuitive thinker like John, you might understand how that happened. But I wonder if he had as much impact as Peter and Mary Magdalene. Yes, John seems to have had faith in the physical resurrection of Jesus but the impact on others came from those who had yet to grasp the meaning of the moment. John sees and believes even though he does not fully understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead. The others were slower to grasp what was going on. And that is helpful for us to know in sharing the Gospel, for there are those who are incredulous of the thought of the resurrection of Jesus. The whole idea bounces off the minds of many people. But the cluelessness of Peter and Mary, I think, honors the cluelessness in others by helping people realize that they are not alone in having difficulty in processing this event. John’s Gospel shares Mary Magdalene’s misunderstanding and this has more impact as a teaching moment than a lecture on doctrine or John’s intuitive thinking. It is clear the women went to the tomb not believing. Perhaps the news of the empty tomb, the resurrection, of Jesus’ victory over death was simply too overwhelming for them to believe, too difficult to assimilate all at once. Perhaps any anticipation of the resulting challenge to their reality was just to great. But what is laid out here for others is a process of gradually understanding and gradually believing and sharing in the hidden things of Jesus. Not all will grasp what John grasps. Not all are as fast as John to process that the tomb is empty…the grave clothes are all laid out nicely that means Jesus is alive…Jesus is in a glorified state…Jesus has been resurrected from the dead. And so, our job now is to seek and find Jesus. Our job is to learn how to see in the light of the resurrection so we might share with others the miracle that helps us to live the abundant life in Christ.
Pray we share the enthusiasm and faith of the Apostle John. Pray we come alive in Christ. Pray we have eyes to see Jesus in those we consider the least of these. Pray we believe in the transcendence of the resurrection. Pray we believe that Christ is alive right now. Pray we share what we believe in a way to make the greatest impact.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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