Narrative Lectionary for Easter Sunday, 20 April 2014

Narrative Lectionary for Easter Sunday, 20 April 2014

Lectionary Scriptures:

John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb. 2 Therefore she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid him!”

3 Therefore Peter and the other disciple went out, and they went toward the tomb. 4 They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first. 5 Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying, yet he didn’t enter in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying, 7 and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they didn’t know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes.

11 But Mary was standing outside at the tomb weeping. So, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb, 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 They told her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn’t know that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”

She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned and said to him, “Rabboni!”[a] which is to say, “Teacher!”[b]

17 Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers, and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her.

Footnotes:

a. John 20:16 Rabboni is a transliteration of the Hebrew word for “great teacher.”

b. John 20:16 or, Master

Psalm 118:21 I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me,

    and have become my salvation.

22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.

23 This is Yahweh’s doing.

    It is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day that Yahweh has made.

    We will rejoice and be glad in it!

25 Save us now, we beg you, Yahweh!

    Yahweh, we beg you, send prosperity now.

26 Blessed is he who comes in Yahweh’s name!

    We have blessed you out of Yahweh’s house.

27 Yahweh is God, and he has given us light.

    Bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you.

    You are my God, I will exalt you.

29 Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good,

    for his loving kindness endures forever.

Commentary on John 20:1-18 by Thomas B. Slater

These verses conveyed to the original readers the significance of the empty tomb.

Mary Magdalene comes alone, probably on Sunday, early in the morning. Her devotion to Jesus leads her to begin the week in prayer at the place of his burial. Mary has not come to give Jesus a proper burial, as in Mark 16. There would not have been a need to bring spices because Nicodemus has given Jesus such a lavish burial. She has come out of her devotion to Jesus. She has probably come to pray either for Jesus’ soul or for the Jesus-movement or both. And she finds that the stone has been moved and the body of Jesus is gone.

She runs quickly to tell the men what has happened. She believes the body of Jesus has been stolen and she does not know where it is. If she cannot find it, she cannot pay homage to it properly. She probably believes that the body has been stolen so that the place of Jesus’ burial could not become a shrine for his followers. Peter and the Beloved Disciple go immediately to the tomb. These two men provide a validation that Mary, a woman, has borne a true witness to the events.

The two men run to the tomb. The Beloved Disciple arrives first, looks in but does not go in. Simon Peter arrives second and does enter the tomb. The Beloved Disciple then enters the tomb. While the Beloved Disciple is first in witnessing, Peter is first in entering the tomb. This narrative gives importance to the leader of the Johannine Christian movement, the Beloved Disciple, while also giving respect to Peter. Both men “believed” Mary, but what did they believe?

They did not yet believe in the Resurrection. They merely believed that the body was gone and they did not know where it was. They simply could confirm what Mary has said is indeed true. “For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he (Jesus) must rise again from the dead” (John 20:9). Like Mary, they probably believed that someone has stolen the body of Jesus so that his place of burial could not become a shrine for his followers. Again we find the assertion that Scripture has been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. The men went home depressed.

Reflections on John 20:11-18

These verses relate the appearance of Jesus to Mary and the beginning of the Resurrection faith. After the men leave and go home, Mary remains. Her emotions are raw, but her devotion has not been shaken. When the angels appear and ask Mary why she is crying, her answer makes it clear that she still does not understand what has transpired. She still believes that Jesus’ body has been stolen so that Jesus’ followers cannot pay their respects properly. She does not expect him to be resurrected.

On the other hand, the angels know Jesus has been resurrected and they immediately ask her why she is crying. When Jesus appears to her, he asks her the same question. The readers know, but the Christians in the story are unknowing.

When Jesus speaks to Mary, she does not recognize him because she is not looking for him. She does not expect him to be alive. By repeating the question the angels asked, Jesus reinforces for the readers that the joy that should be experienced is absent here. Often in life, good things come our way, but we do not recognize them because we do not expect them or we are looking for something else.

Jesus then calls her by name (not simply “Woman” [verses 13, 15]) and instantly Mary recognizes him. To paraphrase A. T. Lincoln, the sheep recognize the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:3-4). In turn, she responds, “Rabbouni!” There is much wrapped up in this one expression. First and foremost, there is respect. In first century Judaism, teachers commanded immense respect from their students. Mary shows him this respect. Second, it acknowledged that she was not merely a student but a devoted follower. Her coming to his tomb early in the morning spoke to her commitment. Finally, her tears when she thought his body had been stolen demonstrated her love for her teacher. The “Rabbouni” was not merely “Teacher.” It communicated “my beloved teacher.”

For Mary, the unthinkable could now be thought. Jesus has been resurrected from the dead. Jesus’ reluctance for Mary to touch him indicates that he must first ascend to the Father to attain a new body. Later his followers will be able to touch him (John 20:27). Interestingly, Jesus refers to his inner circles as “my brothers.” He uses a term of endearment and does not refer to them as students or mere followers. This says something very significant about friendship: Hierarchy is not always needed among friends.

Mary goes back and repeats what Jesus has said, but there is no sign in the text that these men believed this woman. This section begins and ends with Mary’s devotion, but her devotion has a new zeal by the end of it. Too often the veracity of statements are determined by the value we have for the person who says them. We assume a one-to-one relationship between social status and truth without testing the waters. We do this because we are too lazy to analyze each statement on its own merit. Truth is an equal opportunity employer. All of us find employment at least occasionally.

John Wesley’s Notes-Commentary for

John 20:1-18

Verse 3

[3] Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

Peter went out — Of the city.

Verse 6

[6] Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

Peter seeth the linen clothes lie — and the napkin folded up - The angels who ministered to him when he rose, undoubtedly folded up the napkin and linen clothes.

Verse 8

[8] Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

He saw — That the body was not there, and believed - That they had taken it away as Mary said.

Verse 9

[9] For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

For as yet — They had no thought of his rising again.

Verse 10

[10] Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

They went home — Not seeing what they could do farther.

Verse 11

[11] But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

But Mary stood — With more constancy. Mark 16:9.

Verse 16

[16] Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Jesus saith to her, Mary — With his usual voice and accent.

Verse 17

[17] Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Touch me not — Or rather, Do not cling to me (for she held him by the feet,) Matthew 28:9. Detain me not now. You will have other opportunities of conversing with me. For I am not ascended to my Father - I have not yet left the world. But go immediately to my brethren - Thus does he intimate in the strongest manner the forgiveness of their fault, even without ever mentioning it. These exquisite touches, which every where abound in the evangelical writings, show how perfectly Christ knew our frame.

I ascend — He anticipates it in his thoughts, and so speaks of it as a thing already present. To my Father and your Father, to my God and your God - This uncommon expression shows that the only - begotten Son has all kind of fellowship with God. And a fellowship with God the Father, some way resembling his own, he bestows upon his brethren. Yet he does not say, Our God: for no creature can be raised to an equality with him: but my God and your God: intimating that the Father is his in a singular and incommunicable manner; and ours through him, in such a kind as a creature is capable of.

Psalm 118:21-29

Verse 22

[22] The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

The builders — The commonwealth of Israel and the church of God are here and elsewhere compared to a building, wherein, as the people are the stones, so the princes and rulers are the builders. And as these master-builders rejected David, so their successors rejected Christ.

Head stone — The chief stone in the whole building, by which the several parts of the building are upheld and firmly united together. Thus David united all the tribes and families of Israel: and thus Christ united Jews and Gentiles together. And therefore this place is justly expounded of Christ, Mark 12:10; Acts 4:11; Romans 9:32; Ephesians 2:20. And to him the words agree more properly than to David.

Verse 24

[24] This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Made — Or sanctified as a season never to be forgotten.

Verse 25

[25] Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

We — These seem to be the words of the Levites, to whom he spake verse 19.

Verse 26

[26] Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.

Blessed — We pray that God would bless his person and government.

Cometh — To the throne; or from his Father into the world: who is known by the name of him that cometh or was to come, and of whom this very word is used, Genesis 49:10; Isaiah 35:4.

Name — By commission from him.

We — We who are the Lord's ministers attending upon him in his house, and appointed to bless in his name, Numbers 6:23; Deuteronomy 10:8. So these are the words of the priests.

Verse 27

[27] God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

The Lord — Or, The mighty God, as this name of God signifies, and as he shewed himself to be by this, his wonderful work.

Who — Who hath scattered our dark clouds, and put us into a state of peace, and safety, and happiness.

The horns — These are supposed to he made for this very use, that the beasts should be bound and killed there. These three last verses are David's words.

-------