“Jesus Is On the Loose” – Easter Sermon 2012
April 8, 2012
Scripture: Mark 16: 1-8 (Easter)
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 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.
Sermon: Jesus Is On the Loose
By:Rev. Doreen Oughton
I’ve talked a few times this morning about how we have been given a story (hold up bible) to ground us in faith. And I don’t mean a fairy tale, but a deep and complex story that tells how God’s people have experienced God moving in their lives, a story from which we can learn about God and about ourselves and the world in which we live. This morning we have a story about grieving women, followers of Jesus, who have gone to tend to the body of their beloved teacher. They strike me as women on the ball, thinking ahead and planning. They didn’t just wander off in a haze of grief. They knew there was something to be done, and they set about doing it. Reminds me of our Women’s Association. All these women know how to put their grief to work by performing rituals of care and love.
Mary, Salome and Mary waited until the Sabbath was over; they went to get the spices they needed. They were thinking about how they would manage the boulder that they had seen rolled into place to seal the tomb. They were probably feeling pretty irritated with the men who had run off even before that horrible death walk to Golgotha. Maybe they were hoping the men had gotten word about where Jesus had been entombed, and would come out of hiding to be there, so they could all be together again. Maybe their hearts lifted when they saw the stone rolled back, thinking, yes, they are back. The grief is easier to bear when you can mourn with others suffering the same loss. The men moved the stone, and now together they could pray and sing together, anoint the body, say their good-byes, and figure out how to move forward.
But it wasn’t the men, not their men, not the men they’d traveled and learned and ministered with under Jesus’ care. This was someone they didn’t know, hadn’t seen before. What was he doing here?! For one so young he certainly is commanding. While still caught in the surprise of seeing him, the women get an overload of information – that crucified Nazarene, he is not here, look – see, he is gone, he’s gone ahead to Galilee as he told you he would. Go on now, off with you, go tell the others, especially Peter. They were so shocked they couldn’t even form the questions – who are you, how do you know, what do you mean “as he told us,” what makes you think the others will listen? Risen?!
And so they leave, they “flee” according to the scripture. And they tell no one. The English translations says, “they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” And this ends the story, according to gospel-writer Mark – stunned, silent women who are not doing as they were told. Where did they go after that, I wonder? Did they at least talk to one another about what they’d just experienced? Did they discuss amongst themselves whether or what they should tell the others? Again, these seem like women with purpose and intention. They had followed Jesus and provided for him in his ministry. They had stayed to witness his death, and shadowed Joseph of Arimethea as he lay Jesus in the tomb. How thrown off were they by this young man in the tomb? The Gospel says they kept quiet out of fear. What do you think they were afraid of? Were they afraid of sounding like fools, telling the others that Jesus had gone to Galilee? Were they afraid they would be mocked and ridiculed. Were they afraid of being scolded for not getting more answers from the young man, not questioning him more determinedly about who he was and whether he knew what he was talking about?
Or was their fear based on a deep sense that what the man said was true? Would they be frightened to know that Jesus was indeed arisen and going ahead of them to Galilee, and would meet all his followers there? Would that be frightening? Isn’t this the good news that Jesus promised his followers repeatedly, that he would be raised on the third day? Though Jesus has repeated this to his followers three times, there is nothing written that indicates that they even heard this part, let alone understood or accepted it. So now they have to think back to what he’d said, those words that had gone over their heads when Jesus said them, now they have to try to grasp them. They had not only shut out the words about resurrection, but also the predictions of his death. Now it was like a bell had been sounded calling their attention back to all these things he’d said. Yes, now perhaps Mary and Salome and Mary recalled what he taught about his death and resurrection, and perhaps they understood his other teachings in a deeper way as well. Maybe that’s why they were frightened.
It had been exciting to be part of his movement, seeing the crowds gather to hear him, knowing that they were the insiders. They had been amazed by his miracles – the way he healed people and fed thousands with just a few loaves and fishes and exorcised demons. But he’d also seemed so frustrated with them, his loyal followers. And more and more of his teachings came back to them. He’d talked about people losing their life for the sake of the gospel in order to save it, he’d said to love your enemy, he said to give away your worldly wealth. Did he mean all those things as literally as he’d meant that he would be killed and would rise again? Now that was scary to think about. It was scary to think about what Jesus would ask of them now. Sure, he’d sent his followers out before to teach and heal, but now Jesus had given his very life and might be asking them to do the same. Following Jesus now could very well strike the women, and strike us, as terrifying.
So Mark ends his gospel here, with those who’d followed Jesus in his life now a-trembling at the idea of following him in this new life that he promised. Most commentators of this passage talked about how these women failed, how they are the example of what not to do. They say that Mark ended on a cliff hanger so that we will pick up the story and continue it on our own. We will understand Jesus’ teachings in a way that those that followed him in his life never quite got, and we will go meet Jesus and spread the good news about him. And that can be a very helpful way to hear this story and make it our own. We may feel afraid, like Mary and Salome and Mary, but we need not keep silent. Since we have been given this story, the Word of God, we know that the good news must be shared.
But I also like to think about what happened next for Mary and Salome and Mary; for Peter and Thomas and John and the others. The other gospels tell stories of Jesus appearing to them in a locked room, on the road, and on the beach, but I like to think of them all making their way back to Galilee, the women having said nothing about what they’d seen at the tomb. Not because they weren’t faithful, but because they trusted that things would unfold just as they were meant to. I like to think that their amazement and terror turned to amazement and anticipation, amazement and excitement, amazement and wonder. How could they even put into words that made sense what they had experienced, what they were anticipating? Why not just head back to Galilee and let the others experience it for themselves? I like to think that instead of getting into big discussions trying to persuade the others of what they’d seen and heard, they just started living out the truth that Christ was risen, they started living in this new way, loving others, taking sacrificial risks, giving of themselves. I like to think that though they did not testify with their words, they did testify with their deeds, and they did testify with their love. And isn’t that the most effective way of spreading the good news, to spread God’s love by living in this radical, scary, amazing and wondrous new way? So let’s go back to our call to worship, and make it our call to go forth into the world… Please rise up people of FCC and testify! People: Christ is risen! Pastor: Testify! With your voices People: Christ is risen! Pastor: Testify! With your love People: Christ is risen! Pastor: Testify! With good works People: Christ is risen! Pastor: First Congregational Church of Leicester, hear the good news. People: Christ is risen indeed!
