Sermon: Victory and Vindication

 

Texts: Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Matthew 28:1-10

Lectionary: Easter Sunday Year A

It was mid-morning on Friday.[1] Acceding to the demands of religious rulers, Roman soldiers had secured Jesus on the cross and driven spikes through his hands and feet. The cross was raised and then dropped into a hole in the ground.

Any hope and joy that was present earlier in the week had long since evaporated. From his entry into Jerusalem, followed by the overturning of tables at the Temple, and his apparent victories in honor contests with religious leaders all seemed like something from a long-distant dream of another world. What was left was a sense of utter defeat and hopelessness.

The leaders who had demanded Jesus’ crucifixion now joined with the soldiers to mock him. They had secured victory over Jesus. The honor they had been losing to Jesus for the past few years had now been recovered. They had finally shamed and defeated Jesus.

Nearly all Jesus’ disciples had fled and gone into hiding. There was only shame left to be associated with Jesus. And the disciples may have thought that the leaders, perhaps sensing blood and also a potential threat from not completely eradicating Jesus’ movement, they would be coming after the disciples, too.

But many of the women followers and disciples of Jesus remained at Calvary, taking it all in. Perhaps they held out hope that Jesus still might get delivered somehow. But the hours passed, and mid-afternoon, around 3 o’clock, Jesus cried out and died. Simultaneously, a great earthquake shook the earth.

Even so, the women stayed and continued to watch. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons, James and John. This was the same mother who had not too long ago asked for Jesus to allow her sons to sit on either side of Jesus in his kingdom.[2] At that time the two, James and John, had said that they could drink from Jesus’ cup, yet they were nowhere to be seen at the cross.[3] It was, ironically, their mother who remained to bear witness.

As the sun began to make its way toward the western horizon and darkness began to creep in from the east, the women saw Joseph of Arimathea arrive with some of his servants, tools, and supplies. They went up to where Jesus’ now lifeless body still hung. They took the cross, lifted it up out of the ground, and laid it gently back down on the ground. They pried out the spikes and untied the cords that were holding Jesus in place. One of the servants unrolled a brand new, linen cloth. They gently lifted Jesus’ broken, bruised, battered, and blood soaked body up from the cross and onto the cloth. They carefully wrapped the cloth around Jesus, and then carried him off the hill.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary followed the men down the hill and watched as the body was laid in Joseph’s tomb. They watched as a large stone was rolled in front to seal it. There was a sense of finality about this. Jesus was dead. Jesus was buried. Jesus was gone.

Yet, there was something that these women had heard from Jesus’ mouth that nagged at the back of their minds. It was something about a resurrection on the third day.[4] Amidst their grief and sorrow, there was a pinpoint of hope. Yet, they had seen Jesus die. They saw Jesus get placed into the tomb. They remained silent, and sat down on rocks near the tomb. With tear-filled eyes and heaving sobs, they looked at the large stone covering the tomb and then at one another and back.

It was now getting dark and they would have to return to where they were staying; perhaps the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany. They thought about Lazarus, and how Jesus commanded the stone covering Lazarus’ tomb to be moved. They could still hear Jesus’ voice as he called for Lazarus to come out of the tomb. Could something similar happen again? But Jesus was dead. It just didn’t seem possible that Jesus could be resurrected. Who could call Jesus out of the tomb?

Now back in Bethany, the Sabbath had begun. They wanted to return to the tomb, to take care of Jesus’ body as they would have, if they had had time. But that would have to wait until after the Sabbath.

In the meantime, the Temple leaders decided that the priority of the institution, and maintaining their authority and honor superseded that of keeping to the traditions of Sabbath observance that they themselves taught. They went to Pilate and asked for guards to seal the tomb until after the third day. Pilate granted their request, sending a group of soldiers with them, and they ensured that the tomb would be secure.

On the First Day, as the first morning twilight began to pierce through the darkness, Mary and the other Mary quickly exited where they were staying to make their way back to the tomb. Neither had slept. As the first rays of dawn began to rise up over the horizon, they arrived at the tomb. They saw that a large group of Roman soldiers had sprouted next to the tomb, sometime during their absence.

Before they could try to make sense of it, an extremely bright light, much brighter than the sun, seemed to zip down from the still-dark sky, strike next to the stone covering the tomb, and in that same instant a great earthquake shook the ground. From the location where the light struck, a figure emerged and quickly rolled away the stone and sat on it.

Mary and Mary quickly grabbed onto some olive trees that were nearby to keep from falling to the ground. The soldiers were not quite so fortunate, as they tried to steady themselves against the rocks and against one another. But like dominoes, they tumbled to the ground and remained stunned.

The figure on the stone called out to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here, because he’s been raised from the dead, just as he said. Come, see the place where they laid him.”[5]

Could it be true? They quickly glanced at one another. With fear but also a glimmer of hope, they cautiously approached the now-open entry to the tomb. And then they went in. As their eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, they searched for Jesus’ body. On Friday they witnessed him being placed inside. And yet they saw nothing coming out of the tomb just now.[6] They had seen the soldiers outside. Why would they be here if the body had somehow been moved the day prior?

Jesus’ body was not inside. How could that be? It doesn’t make any sense. Except… What Jesus had said was true, and what this being outside said is also true, confirming what Jesus said.

They exited the tomb. The being spoke to the women once more. “Now hurry, go and tell his disciples, ‘He’s been raised from the dead. He’s going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ I’ve given the message to you.”[7]

Mary and Mary were given the first message of the resurrection and commissioned to relay the message to all the other disciples! They looked at one another again, and no words had to be spoken. With great excitement but also great fear, they began to run. They were about to head into full sprint, something they hadn’t done since they were little girls. That’s when they suddenly realized they were about to run into a man who seemed to appear out of nowhere. They tried to put on the brakes. They stumbled around. They grabbed onto each other to keep from falling headfirst to the ground.

“Greetings!” said the man they had almost run into.

The two women immediately recognized the voice and having had a chance to look into his face, they realized it was Jesus! It was true. Jesus was raised from the dead. Jesus is alive! Now they fell to the ground and took hold of Jesus’ feet. They worshiped him.

The military power and might of Rome could not keep Jesus in the tomb. In fact, his resurrection has turned the soldiers, who were there to keep Jesus in the tomb, almost like dead men. All of the plotting by the temple and religious authorities to keep Jesus shamed through death had been turned upside down. Now it would be they who were shamed for their treatment of Jesus and it was they who would have to find some way to explain their actions.

The political state might look to its ability to use violence and death, and the threat to use them, as the ultimate projection of its power and strength. Power and control are the world’s means of maintaining authority over its subjects. But Jesus’ resurrection is a reversal of the world’s systems. Jesus’ resurrection is victory over all the world’s domination systems. Jesus’ resurrection is vindication that his way and his kingdom is the only way to life.

Jesus’ way and his kingdom is a reversal: instead of amassing power, it gives it away. Instead of looking out primarily for oneself, it looks out for the well-being of all. Instead of force and compulsion, freedom. Instead of coercion, persuasion. Instead of violence and its promotion, peace and its tools. Instead of death and the tools of death, life. Instead of fear; hope, love and compassion.

Then Jesus said to the two women, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”[8]

They resumed their running. It was as if supernatural strength and endurance carried them on wings.  Praising God, rejoicing, and laughing with excitement, they sprinted toward the place where they knew the other disciples were still hiding, cowering in grief and fear.

The rest of the story is, in part, found with us. We are the beneficiaries and inheritors of that original message, entrusted to two Marys.

Jesus is alive! Christ is risen!

May the God who creates, raise us to new life again.

May the God who accepts, raise our capacity for love and compassion.

May the God who unsettles, raise our discomfort with the ways of this world.

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[1] Most of the imagined narrative given here is based on Matthew’s account of Good Friday through Resurrection Day. Other accounts occasionally fill in a few details and some creative license has been taken to flesh out the narrative. However, I have done my best to stay close to the Matthean text while providing for continuity.

[2] Matthew 20:20-23.

[3] Traditionally, John 19:26-27, where “disciple whom he loved” is found is taken as referring to the disciple John. If that is the case, then it would mean that at least one male disciple remained near the cross. But there is debate as to whom the phrase refers to. It may be an editorial addition by the author of the gospel according to John (whose authorship we do not know) for this gospel’s own theological reasons. The Synoptics only mention women as remaining near the cross. Other individuals whom scholars suggest might be the “disciple whom Jesus loved” include Lazarus and John Mark. C.f., Who Was John the Apostle? The Beginner's Guide - OverviewBible (https://overviewbible.com/john-the-apostle/)

[4] Matthew 20:17-19. C.f., Borg and Crossan, The Last Week (chapter 4), discussion of the unnamed woman who anointed Jesus in Mark 14:3-9 where among the many women disciples who followed Jesus, this woman appears to have understood Jesus’ predictions of his suffering, death, and resurrection. Thus, it may be that other women disciples may have also had some degree of understanding that Jesus would be resurrected in some manner.

[5] Matthew 28:5b-6 (CEB)

[6] Matthew’s account comes closest to where any description of the actual event of the resurrection takes place. If Jesus’ body had appeared from the tomb, it should be found here. But it is not. The other gospel accounts only note that the tomb is already open and empty.

[7] Matthew 28:7 (CEB)

[8] Matthew 28:10 (CEB)

Finding Jesus (TV) - Mary Magdalene (ep. 6/6)

A series cannot talk about Jesus without discussing Mary Magdalene. Who was she? She is one of the most misunderstood characters in the Bible. Certainly devoted to Jesus. Wife of Jesus? A prostitute? The very first Christian?

The NT mentions her just twelve times. But they are central to the story of Jesus. Many of the ideas we have are merely myths.

 

The myth that Mary was a prostitute comes from a story in Luke 7, about a sinner woman comes into Simon's banquet. The story itself is certainly quite scandalous, especially in Jesus' response to the woman. The Bible itself never names this woman. None of the gospel accounts identify this woman as Mary Magdalene. The identification occurs with Pope Gregory V (The Great) when he gives a homily in which he conflates Mary with the sinner woman, a result of poor scholarship. By this time, Christian tradition had developed to where various stories could be blended together.

 

What the Bible tells us about Mary Magdalene is that she was possessed by seven demons. Many of the gospel stories occur in NW shore of the Sea of Galilee. One of the cities in the area is Magdala. (Here, Ben Witherington describes how Jesus supposedly performed exorcisms: by demanding the demons name themselves and then casting them out. This seems like an interpolation, rather than what is actually found in scripture. In a few (just one?) cases Jesus asks for the demons' names. In all other cases, Jesus simply commands them to leave.) Dramatization of Mary's exorcism. What were the demons? We don't know. A mental health issue? Depression? Whatever the case, she becomes one of the devoted women followers of Jesus.

 

Jesus had a very inclusive movement. He included many who would have been rejected by the social norms of society. It was unusual for unmarried women to leave their home and follow an itinerant rabbi. She supported Jesus financially. She may have owned a fishing business which provided her with the funds to do so. Luke describes "many women" who supported and followed Jesus as disciples. (Candida Moss suggests that because Mary controlled some of the money supply, that gave her unique and privileged access to Jesus.)

 

In 1945 a discovery is made in Egypt: thirteen ancient Christian texts. (And we get Elaine Pagels commenting.) These extra-canonical texts suggest a different role for Mary than the canonical gospels suggest.

 

The Gospel of Thomas suggest a different relationships between Mary and Jesus, and with Peter and Jesus. Here Peter demands Jesus dismiss Mary because she is a woman.

 

The Gospel of Philip suggest Jesus and Mary were romantically involved. (Here commentators suggest that early Christian missionaries were married, Rabbi Joshua Garroway suggests it was likely that as as proper Jewish man Jesus was married, Candida Moss does not say Jesus was married but suggests implications if he was.) In this text it states Mary was Jesus' consort, that Jesus loved Mary more than the other disciples, and Jesus kisses Mary but the text is missing as to what precisely what this kiss involved. (Pagels mentions Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and its fanciful extrapolation to a romantic kiss.)

 

There is no reliable extra-biblical evidence of Jesus' romantic involvement with Mary, or that she was his wife. What it does is confirm the gospel's portrayal of Mary Magdalene as somehow having a special place in Jesus' circle of disciples. What the extra-biblical portrayals are consistent in is the tension between Mary and Peter. This suggests there is some kernel of historical truth, but what exactly that might be is lost to us.

 

What we do know from the gospels is that Mary was one of the few followers that was with Jesus all the way through the trial and crucifixion. Dramatization of Palm Sunday and Last Supper. The women are not present at the Last Supper (or at least they are not mentioned in any of the gospel accounts as being present) because (Tim Gray suggests) Jesus wanted to protect them from the potential violence that would be part of his betrayal and arrest. Dramatization of Jesus carrying the cross. Pagels suggest the men fled because they could have been arrested as co-insurrectionists.

 

The women hear what has happened and they are the ones who come to be with Jesus through the crucifixion. The women show courage and faithfulness that eludes the men. Mary does the one thing she is still able to do for Jesus - be with him in his suffering. She exemplifies the ministry of presence.

 

Removal of the body and burial. Mary goes to the tomb after the Sabbath. Her devotion compels her to perform one more act of love. Mary does not know what has happened. Peter and John rush to the tomb. Mary returns to the tomb and sees what she thinks is a gardener.

 

After the Resurrection, Mary Magdalene is the first witness of the risen Jesus. For a short period, she is the sole member of the new church. And then Mary disappears from the pages of Christian history.

 

Peter emerges as the leader of the new church. And Mary's importance fades away.

 

In 1896 a German scholar purchases an ancient book, The Gospel of Mary. Does this work shed any light on what might have happened to Mary? Many of the pages are missing. It picks up after the resurrection with her telling Peter about it. In this gospel she is depicted as teacher and authority. This troubles the male disciples. Peter resents this and an open argument ensues. This is a battle for who is best fit to carry on the gospel. This gospel shows Mary finding an equal footing with the male disciples. But is this tale true? Even if it cannot be taken as historical truth, what we can see is that the early church was troubled by the questions of leadership and gender.

 

Myths and legends have given us a picture of a young, attractive Mary Magdalene. But what if this wasn't the case? She could just as easily have been an older, successful, independent businesswoman who in her later years is now focusing on a spiritual quest. Maybe she didn't live very long after the resurrection.

 

Thus on Easter Sunday this series ends with a topic central to the Resurrection: its first witness, Mary Magdalene. This episode examined a number of the myths and legends around this character, and showed what the Bible itself says about her. It looked at a number of the extra-canonical Christian texts that portray her and the male disciples differently than do the gospels. While none of these texts can be used as proof of a particular relationship between Mary and Jesus, and between Mary and the rest of the male disciples, their consistency points toward questions and controversies within the early Christian church that may have prompted the writing of these "gospel" texts. The controversy was probably around the issue of women in church leadership. The strong probability that there was controversy is evidence that in the early church, women did hold positions of leadership and authority -- something that would have run counter to cultural norms and likely raised questions about the respectability of Christianity. Thus I don't find it surprising that as Christianity sought acceptance and respectability in the Empire, it would want to shed its women leaders.

 

There were some points in this episode that I questioned, but overall it presented a decent overview of Mary Magdalene and some of the “Gnostic gospels” on which some of the her legends are based. The most intriguing is what this program reveals right at the end: that Mary might have been an older woman with a lifetime of business success that gives her the ability to leave her home and direct involvement in her business, to follow and support Jesus.

 

Overall I think the series did a fairly decent job of taking some of the popular “icons” in recent Christian thought and examine what history and science tells us, and to separate fanciful conjectures from what could be true. What this series did was describe the development of early Christianity through the relics and legends that developed during those years. The history of Christianity is just as important as the gospel texts, because it is through traditions (formal and informal) that each of us interprets the gospel texts. None of us come to it free of biases and baggage. This series helps explore some of them.