This week - the most incredible life in human history continues!
Four weeks to go. The readings for days 81 to 85, starting Monday 26th May, are:
Matthew 28
Mark 16
Luke 24:1-49
John 20:1 – 21:25
1 Corinthians 15
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3 comments:
Todays extract is so rich with little details.What is an appearance like lightning? What doe it mean that the guards were so afraid they 'became like dead men' when whatever happened di not affect the Mary's?.
Its interesting to note that the angels opening line 'Do not be afraid' is the same line the angel greets Mary with at the beginning of Jesus' story in Luke.
Womens Bible people note in this account not only are the Mary's the first evangelists but if they hadn't passed on the message to their spritual brothers about where to meet Jesus there'd be no Great Commission. No us.
I like the way they clasp his feet a far more appropriate way of seeing he is alive than poking his wounds.In fact between this and the angel it is the Mary's that see the evidence for the ressurection first hand.
Its interesting that at Alpha we rubbish the idea that the disciples took the body but herewe see it was the cover story spread and believed widely at the time.Otherwise why mention it?
This account is a little mysterious at the end. In Johns account Thomas was not present and so not unreasonably doubts his friends. He then a week later sees Jesus. Here we read 'When they saw him,they worshipped him:but some doubted. Is this a summary of Johns account folding into it Thomas' subsequent reaction? Or does it reflect that in the face of the risen Lord some of the 11 still doubted?
Maybe my understanding is off but the sequence appears to be they saw him, worshipped and doubted, then he came to them to talk. What was Jesus doing whilst they worshipped and doubted?Did none of them try to engage him?Matthew like mark can be intriguing in places as much by what he doesn't say than as by what he does.
The verse and the Gospel ends with the great encouragement 'I am with you always ,to the very end of the age' What encouragement!!
Just a couple of thoughts about Lukes ressurection account. Again the women win out. In that they announce Jesus' ressurection.
Interestingly it is Peter who reacts first out of the 11 showing that even at this point he was the only one allowing himself to hope. The one of the 11 with the most faith.
I also like that Luke gives us the name of another of the women that went to the tomb, Joanna. Matthew mentions Salome too. Who were these ladies? Significant and well known to the contemporary readers to mention without giving their back story, like the Mary's, but unknowns to us.God bless them all the same.
Having watched the BBC's passion this year which presented the ressurected Jesus played by different actors before the original returned I can't help but feel the mystery of how that would have worked in reality. How would that work? Simple answer Jesus is the Lord. The more complex one I guess we'll never know.
I recently read that the first century world had no category for "resurrection" in their ideas or thinking at all. Just didn't happen. Made no sense. There was some vague notion of a life in the afterworld, and various religious views on this, but someone who had been dead coming back to life was just absurd, wierd, nonsense, unthinkable, even unacceptable.
The reactions in the readings from the gospel show that too (quite similar to some of the reactions in the 21st C UK). Just look at the public comments on any one of the many news stories today where someone mentions Christianity and it gets slated as "a death cult", "crazy superstition", "antiquated nonsense", and "fairy tales". Mention the resurrection, and this is what some people think.
Which makes it all the MORE plausible that how the Gospel writers describe events IS actually what they encountered, saw, heard, experienced. Why make it up? Why put such a huge stumbling block in the way of other people believing, then and now?! You just wouldn't, unless this is what happened.
So I've really appreciate looking again at these key parts of the Bible, which are full of the chaos and misunderstanding, doubt and confusion, and raw joy and faith that this event - a resurrection - produces. As James the Lone Blogger said the other day, some doubted (probably some of the larger crowd of disciples, not necessarily pointing the finger at one of the 11 or Thomas). No wonder some doubted - Jesus was very dead, publicly dead, and now back!
As I ramble on (and I am rambling now aren't I!) I also remember being in a small group some years ago and trying to line up the 4 accounts of the resurrection and looking at who was there, what did they see, who said what, etc. It was good fun, and brought to light some new observations and questions.
And all the things we don't get to know! THey are all accounts of the 'aftermath', the 'what happened next', only the angels were there and they just say "he's not here!". And that's the point in a way, the focus isn't on the grave, but on the new risen Jesus, and following him.
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