Jesus said to (Mary Magdalene), “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:15-18)
The resurrection remains one of the most amazing incidents in human history, even as it also contains much mystery after two thousand years. When Jesus appears to people after his death, the way he impacts them remains one of the most stunning events ever. If it were just one person, like the story of Mary above, we might dismiss it as some sort of psychological phenomenon related to grief. But while John’s story starts with Mary’s encounter, it doesn’t end there. Eventually the disciples will meet Jesus. People on the road to Emmaus will meet Jesus. And according to the Apostle Paul’s numbers, Jesus encountered about 500 people during the first forty days of the resurrection.
While we don’t know what resurrection is (it isn’t just that Jesus came back to life like Lazarus), we do know that it was so powerful an experience that people who were afraid to even admit they knew Jesus on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday were unable to remain quiet about it by Easter week. Mary’s first response to meeting the risen Jesus is to go tell the others what she has seen and experienced. Eventually those disciples would risk their lives (most would endure prison time and die premature deaths because they wouldn’t stop proclaiming the news that Christ was risen). For those who don’t believe the resurrection happened, there is no greater evidence than the radical and life-risking transformation of the disciples into a movement committed to serving the risen Christ, continuing his work, and bearing witness to him in words and deeds.
Today’s church is not that different. There is less and less awareness of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus among our neighbors. While they may not want to put us in jail or kill us like those earliest witnesses, their ability to believe our witness to the risen Christ will be impacted by how much difference it makes in our lives. Are we committed to serving the risen Christ, continuing his work, and bearing witness to him with our words and deeds?
Easter is an amazing event and the annual celebration brings with it another reminder of what makes Christianity when it is at its best – it is about meeting the risen Christ, living out or faith, and with Mary Magdalene and the others running with the good news, “I have seen the Lord!”
