Have you ever played the telephone game? You know, where a story is passed on verbally through a chain of persons and is substantially altered by the time it reaches the last person. Our resurrection narratives are the result of such a process. The first gospel, Mark, was written around the early 70's CE, some forty years after the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, with roughly another decade between those that followed. Stories and traditions about Jesus were passed along verbally, and eventually written down in communities of faith. It is not surprising, then, that the four resurrection narratives contradict each other in virtually every detail, with the last gospel, John, having a radically different character. In John, the story rotates around three characters -- Mary Magdalene, Peter and John.
In the first act, Mary Magdalene sees the stone rolled away from Jesus' tomb, she believes his corpse has been stolen, and runs to tell Peter and John. The two then engage in a footrace to the tomb, but John arrives ahead of Peter and is the first to believe in resurrection. And, of course, it's his gospel!
In the second act, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb and, when Jesus appears, she assumes he is the gardener and enquires after Jesus' body. When he calls her by her name, Mariam, she recognizes him and calls him Rabbouni, teacher. When she gets clingy (as if it were possible to continue their old earthly relationship), Jesus tells her that cannot be because he is ascending to the Father. Now the Magdalene goes to clue in the others, so in John's version a woman is the first evangelist!
There are two points on which all the gospel Easter accounts agree: that Jesus died, and that Jesus was experienced by his followers as alive and still leading his Movement. He appeared in various forms at various times to various people. The Risen Christ is described in Scripture variously as a zombie, a resuscitated corpse, a shape-shifter, and a "glorified body." He was experienced differently by different people, and he still is. The point is that he appeared and continues to be with us as we make our life journey together.
There is a wonderful, ancient story in the tradition of the Eastern Church which relates that Mary Magdalene was summoned by the emperor to explain Christianity. She brings an egg to illustrate the concept of resurrection. Tiberias tells her a man can no more return from death than that egg could turn red. At that very moment the egg in her hand turns red. This is why Christians of the Byzantine Tradition exchange red eggs at Easter.
On Good Friday I ended my homily by asking whether God will allow the Dark Side to prevail, and saying to stay tuned for the rest of the story. Today's gospel is the beginning of the rest of the story. God did not leave Jesus to hang on his cross and perish, but raised him up, and us with him. That means that God also will not "leave us hanging" -- hanging on a cross of fear, shame or despair; hanging on a cross of abuse or addiction, a cross of oppression or depression. No. If we trust in God, God will raise us to new and eternal life. Alleluia, Christ is risen!
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