Do Not be Afraid, Come and See, Go and Tell

Alleluia, Christ is Risen.  The Lord is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!
Alleluia, Christ is Risen.  The Lord is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!
Alleluia, Christ is Risen.  The Lord is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!
Happy Easter!  In our tradition the Easter season lasts 50 days until Pentecost which is June 4th this year.  Ascension Day occurs ten days before that on May 25th.  In the Gospel according to John Jesus does not wait forty days to ascend but ascends with multiple appearances.  And today a week after Jesus has been resurrected; Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on his disciples, reminding us of the Genesis story, rather than waiting 50 days for Pentecost.
On Good Friday, Jesus the flesh and blood man really and truly died.  When pierced by the spear he bled blood and water, a medical indication that he really was dead and a metaphorical indication that his body really was broken for us, that his blood really was poured out for us and that he really is the source of living water.  Some people have argued that Jesus was not really human and that he did not really die, he just appeared to be human and just appeared to be dead.  The Gospel according to John is quite adamant that Jesus was a real man and that he really did die.  And Jesus’ death was a fulfillment of the scriptures.  This was as God planned it.
On the evening of Easter Sunday Jesus appears to his disciples, this man who truly died is truly alive and not just resuscitated, but alive in his resurrected body.  Jesus can appear in the midst of his disciples even though the doors to the room are locked, but this resurrected Jesus is the same man who died on the cross.  His hands and feet bear the wounds of the nails.  His side bears the wound of the spear.  The tomb is not empty because someone stole Jesus’ body, but because Jesus has been resurrected to new life and has left the tomb.  Jesus had not just passed out or become comatose on the cross, he really died.  Jesus did not have to be freed from the burial clothes like Lazarus did.   Lazarus was resuscitated back to life, but would have to die again.  Jesus was resurrected from the burial clothes.  Jesus was really dead and Jesus has really been resurrected to new life and will not die again.
Thomas was not with the disciples that first Sunday evening when Jesus appeared to them.  We can only imagine his disappointment in missing the appearance of Jesus.  Thomas is portrayed as doubting Thomas when he insists on seeing Jesus and his wounds for himself, but Thomas has not asked for anything more than what the other disciples have already seen or what Mary Magdalene saw in the garden when Jesus appeared to her.  When Thomas sees Jesus and his wounds, Thomas responds with, “My Lord and my God!”, the climax of the Gospel according to John.  The author of this gospel wants you to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, that Jesus is the Son of God and that through believing you may have life in his name. 
By resurrecting Jesus, God has vindicated Jesus, has shown that what Jesus said and did before his crucifixion was correct.  When the Pharisees asked Jesus “Who do you claim to be?”, Jesus replied, “before Abraham was, I AM.”  Jesus was claiming to be the eternal God incarnate; equating himself with the name God gave himself when speaking with Moses in Exodus.  Seven times Jesus uses the “I AM” saying in John: I AM the bread of life, I AM the light of the world, I AM the door of the sheep, I AM the Good Shepherd, I AM the Resurrection and the Life, I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life and I AM the True Vine.  Jesus is saying that he is God, equal to God in every way. 
The seven signs in the Gospel of John, the turning of water into wine, the healing of the royal official’s son, the healing of the paralytic, the feeding of the five thousand, the walking on water, the healing of the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus show that Jesus is no ordinary man, but is from God.  If the people cannot believe what Jesus says then they should believe based on his actions, but the crowds did not believe despite Jesus’ words or Jesus’ actions.  In resurrecting Jesus, God is saying that Jesus was and is correct in claiming his divinity and equality to God.
Only a few people, perhaps as many as 500, saw the resurrected Jesus.  Most people in the first century and all the people in the twenty-first century have to believe the words of the apostles and those who followed them.  Tradition says that Thomas travelled to India spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Through the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ by the apostles throughout the world and down through the centuries, we too have come to hear the Good News of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ so that we too might believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God and through believing we may have life in his name too.
Do I believe in the resurrection?  Yes.  I do not know how it happened, but I believe that God made it happen.  As an intelligent, educated woman, I believe that our scientific and mathematical knowledge helps us to understand the world around us, God’s creation.  When science challenges our religious beliefs it is appropriate to reevaluate and even change some of our religious beliefs, but it does not eliminate our belief in God and in the holy mysteries of God’s power and mercy and grace. 
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