Easter Sunday B
586: March 31, 2024
424: April 4, 2021
1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Jeff Nelson
Books:
Acts 10:34-43, Renee Roederer
PSALM 118, RICHARD BRUXVOORT COLLIGAN
264: April 1, 2018
109: April 5, 2015
Mark 16:1-8
Initial Thoughts
What makes this story different from the other Gospels?
“When is an ending not the end? When a dead man rises from the tomb—and when a Gospel ends in the middle of a sentence.”Williamson, L. (1983). Mark(p. 283). Atlanta, GA: J. Knox Press.
Bible Study
The Three Endings - We like the disciples are not content with Jesus’ passion predictions and the lack of a resurrection appearance - we demand closure
γαρ ("for" or "however"; 16:8) This is a conjunction- it cannot (or should not) ever end a sentence- that is because the Gospel continues-in you
Mark 16:8b is added as a rounded out summation, Mark 16:9-20 is added later but is known by second century
Both endings are additions, most scholars agree that Mark 16:8a is the original ending- even though it is disturbing and seemingly unfinished
The Gospel of Peter also end with an empty tomb
Women come to the tomb when the disciples are hiding in fear (at least according to Matthew and Luke)
Spices - used as a sign of love to make the rotting body smell nice- not to embalm- the Jews did not embalm people
Women do not expect a resurrected Jesus (despite his predictions and proclamations) - they come expecting a dead Jesus and once again abandon Jesus in silence and fear
Timing is specific (as it always in in Mark) - after the Sabbath, first day of the week - 3 days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
They do not come expecting the resurrection but the dead body (in this they are just as unbelieving as the disciples)
“Who will roll away the stone for us?” is the only comment from the women
Young man
Angel or the reclothed young man from Gethsemane (Mark 14:51-52)?
Angel: White clothes depict holiness, fear is the proper response to angelic appearances
Man: restoration of relationships - “All of them deserted him and fled” v. 50 - then the young man in a linen cloth abandons Jesus and leaves naked. The man is here again clothed (much like Adam and Eve) and the relationship is restored. The young man tells them to tell all the disciples (including Peter) to meet Jesus in Galilee - insinuating Jesus’ impending forgiveness of Peter’s denial
Restoration of relationship - Peter and the disciples...including Judas? No mention of Judas since the betrayal
Galilee
A circular gospel?
Jesus did tell them to expect him in Galilee after his resurrection (Mark 14:28)
Readers: Return to Galilee which is the beginning of the Gospel - want to see Jesus? Read the Gospel
Disciples- Begin your ministry where Jesus began his. In sharing the good news in word and deed you will encounter the resurrected Christ
The door of memories - the Greek word for tomb (μνημειον) comes from the Greek word for memory and the Greek word for entrance (θυρα) also means door. Literally- who will roll the stone away from the door of memories?
The words of the Angel - “just as he told you” Go to Galilee - remember what Jesus told you- roll away the stone from your door of memories. Remember who Jesus is and therefore who you are!
“Galilee of the Gentiles is the locus of the mission to the nations. Galilee is also the place from which the disciples and the women came: their home turf, the place of their daily routine.” Williamson, L. (1983). Mark (p. 285). Atlanta, GA: J. Knox Press.
The women flee in fear
There is an irony after being told repeatedly to keep the good new about Jesus a secret (1:34, 1:44, 7:31-37, 8:22-26, 8:27-30, 9:2-9) and presumably not keeping it to themselves (as the good news gets out), now they are told to proclaim the good news and they remain silent.
They do not do as the man commanded
There is no post-resurrection appearance
Just as the crucifixion threatened to be the end, but was not the end, so the resurrection seems at first to be the end, but clear is not the end. The story continues.
“ Mark’s ending is no end; only the reader can bring closure.” Williamson, L. (1983). Mark (p. 285). Atlanta, GA: J. Knox Press.
“As descendants of the enslaved, we, too, understand how some stories do not “end” with simplistic conclusions, as if things were “happily ever after.” Emerson B. Powery, “Mark” True to Our Native Land
If you do not like the end of this gospel- then write a better one with your life - how do you respond to an empty tomb? Do you return to your life or are you transformed by the good news of Jesus Christ? Will you run in fear or will you proclaim the good news in word and action?
Resurrection
The justification of the righteous. Jesus' resurrection was God’s way of vindicating Jesus.
“The ‘implied resurrection’ at the end of Mark functions to legitimate the ongoing messianic practice of the community. At the same time, because it demands a readerly resolution, it subverts the possibility of a glorified christology, which might render the community passive. The empty tomb means the story of biblical radicalism can continue in the living and dying of disciples in all ages.” (Ched Myers, Binding the Strong Man, p. 408)
Thoughts and Questions
Are we content with an empty tomb and the command to begin our ministry in light of an empty cross? Do we need Jesus to tell us exactly what to do after being raised or do we know from his ministry in life unto death on the cross?
How often do we get caught up in the foolish particularities (who will roll away the stone) and overlook the good news (Jesus said he would rise again- his life is marked with victory over death)? Perhaps the devil truly is in the details by tempting us toward problem solving instead of moving us toward faith.
You are the end of the story. We want to have a nice concise ending- a sweet story to send children to bed with - But the good news is not just about the story, but the story which moves us to action. You are the end of the Gospel. You want to experience the resurrected Christ? Live as he lived, love as he loved, forgive as he forgave, and believe and he believed and you will experience Jesus.
What would the church look like if we were less concerned with the resurrection (eternal life/heaven/etc) and more concerned with living as Jesus lived (even if it means our own death)?
John 20:1-18
Initial Thoughts
This is a choice for a reading every Easter, years A, B, and C.
Easter 2B is John 20:19-31, Jesus appears to disciples and Thomas.
Easter 3B is Luke 24:36b-48, After Emmaus: I am not a ghost
Easter 4B is John 10:11-18 I am the Good Shepherd.
Easter 5B is John 15:1-8 Farewell Discourse: I am the True Vine
Easter 6B is John 14:23-29 Farewell Discourse: Abide in my love
Easter 7B is John 17:20-26 Jesus prayers for disciples before his arrest.
Even better- Focus on 1 John!!
Bible Study
Empty Tomb
Early in the morning, while it is still dark. (Easter sunrise services?)
Mary Magdalene is alone. Sees that the stone is rolled away.
Mary gets Peter, but Peter is slow. Beloved Disciple gets there first.
Beloved Disciple - no where does Bible say that this is John.
Authorship of Gospel is anonymous.
BD stands at door, sees linens
Peter comes, runs in, saw linens, including face cloth folded neatly.
What does this signify? Not grave robbers? No grave robber would fold up the linens neatly.
BD then comes in. He “saw and believed.”
Raymond Brown says “The fourth evangelist does not challenge the tradition that Peter was the first of the Twelve to see the risen Lord (Luke 24:34, 1 Cor 15:5); but in his consistent desire to exalt the Beloved Disciple, John has that disciple come to faith even before the risen Lord appears or prophetic Scripture is recalled. Thus the Disciples becomes the first full believer.” (Raymond Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament, p. 359)
Unclear what, exactly, he believed. Next line is “They didn’t yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.”.
Perhaps they believed Mary’s report that “they had taken Jesus body.”
Peter and BD find empty tomb, believe, but don’t understand. Then they go back.
They come to check on Mary’s report, see that she is speaking the truth, but go back completely untransformed. The empty tomb wasn’t enough for them. In fact, this scene ends with Mary going back to tell them, but in the next scene they are still locked in a room.
Many bizarre details that are hard to make sense of.
Mary is alone but says, “we don’t know what they’ve done with him.”
Why are the linens so meticulously described? Face cloth folded, and placed apart from the rest.
Jesus Appears to Mary
“At the heart of the Gospel reading for Easter is the resurrection appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, leading to her confession, ‘I have seen the Lord.’ The narrative tells a wonderful story of a seeking woman, who is surprised by what she finds, or better, by the One who finds her. Hearing her name spoken by Jesus’ familiar voice brings a transformation of her grief and the opening of a new world.” (Charles Cousar, Texts for Preaching, Year C, p. 273).
Mary lingers, crying.
Mourning is important. Cannot get to healing without mourning first. Resurrection does not take away tears, it just means tears are not the end of the story.
Two angels ask her “why are you crying?”
“They’ve taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.”
Sees Jesus, but does not recognize him until he says her name.
When he speaks, “Mary,” she responds “Rabbi.”
There is a poignant beauty in her recognizing him only after he speaks her name. “My sheep listen to my voice.” (John 10:27 - will be the text in a couple of weeks)
Jesus tells her “Don’t hold on to me, for I haven’t yet gone up to my Father. Go to my brothers and sisters and tell them, ‘I’m going up to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’
Relationship status is one of equality. Disciples are siblings. They share the same Father.
Translation issue - NRSV has only “Go to my brothers.” Not really a problem, but something to be aware.
Thoughts and Questions
Jesus first appears to Mary. This fact cannot be overstated. In a world where men continue to try and use the Bible to justify subordination and violence, the fact that Mary is the first to recognize that Jesus had risen is important. She is the first witness to proclaim, “I have seen Jesus.”
“The resurrection of Jesus is more than a miracle; it is an eschatological event that makes possible a radical style of new life. Closed world are broken open, and old perceptions of what is plausible and possible are shattered. The future becomes a promise of sharing in the resurrection” (Charles Cousar,Texts For Preaching: Year A,p. 255)
Can you remember the first time your name was spoken? What does it mean to have someone call you by name? Graduation - how great is it to actually hear the name read. Wedding - naming the couple is at the beginning, and always a part of the vows I Robb, take you, Sarah… What does it feel like to be called by name into resurrection.
Frederick Buechner: “They are not trying to describe it as convincingly as they can. They are trying to describe it as truthfully as they can. It was the most extraordinary thing they believed had ever happened, and yet they tell it so quietly that you have to lean close to be sure what they are telling.”
Jesus first appears to Mary. This fact cannot be overstated. In a world where men continue to try and use the Bible to justify subordination and violence, the fact that Mary is the first to recognize that Jesus had risen is important. She is the first witness to proclaim, “I have seen Jesus.”
“Don’t hold onto me… Go.” As wonderful as Easter is, we cannot hold onto it. We need to move forward. The great anthems, the packed pews, the new faces are all so great. It should be celebrated, but we cannot hold onto it. Monday is coming. Easter 2C is coming. We need to go. Go into the community. Go into the places where people are and need to hear “I have seen Jesus."
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Initial thoughts
Psalm Song - "Into Your Hands" by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan
Lectionary selection for both Palm Sunday and Easter for all three years, though the selected verses overlap.
Both weeks read the intro v 1-2: “Give thanks to the LORD because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever. Let Israel say it: "God's faithful love lasts forever!" (CEB)
v 24-29 overlap
“This is the day the LORD acted; we will rejoice and celebrate in it! LORD, please save us! LORD, please let us succeed! The one who enters in the LORD's name is blessed; we bless all of you from the LORD's house. The LORD is God! He has shined a light on us! So lead the festival offering with ropes all the way to the horns of the altar. You are my God—I will give thanks to you! You are my God—I will lift you up high! Give thanks to the LORD b ecause he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever.”
Bible Study
Psalm 118’s place in Ancient Hebrew worship is debated. One theory is that this was a Psalm that “celebrated the re-enthronement of the Davidic monarch” (James Newsome, Texts for Preaching, Year A).
Fits Palm Sunday as an enthronement psalm, when Jesus is acting as a new kind of King in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
End of what Clint McCann calls the Hallel collection (113-118) which came to be used at Passover.
Can also be seen in context of Israel’s return from exile. It’s use is versatile, as thanksgiving, victory.
Tone and emotions of the Psalm are all over the place. Lots of praise, also distress, so the lection tries to cut it up to make it fit Palm Sunday and Easter.
“A psalm of thanksgiving sung by one who has been to the edge of the abyss and who has been delivered by God” (James Newsome, Texts for Preaching, Year A).
Non Palm Sunday section
v 1-4 Call to Worship - Let all say “God’s steadfast love endures forever”
v 5-13 I was in distress, but God saved.
v 14-18 God is victorious
salvation, victory, valiant, strength
v 19-24 Procession
In midst of procession is reminder of the failure that preceded this celebration
v. 22 - The stone that was rejected has become the cornerstone.
The people have come to celebrate, but it is the Lord that is taking action
v. 24 This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad.
This is the proper order - Acknowledge God’s action, then rejoice.
v 25-29 Call for salvation and thanksgiving
Ending verse mirrors the opening
118:29 “Give thanks to the LORD because he is good, because his faithful love lasts forever”
Thoughts and Questions
Pattern of praise and petition affirm God’s sovereignty. More realistic as a whole psalm, instead of chopping it up. Isn’t most of life full of both praise and petition?
Powerful as communal prayer and individual promise. Martin Luther called it “My own beloved psalm.” (Clint McCann, New Interpreter’s Bible, v. IV, p. 1156).
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Initial Thoughts
Don’t preach from this. Tell the Easter story, not Paul talking about the Easter story.
Paul invented the humble brag.
Bible Study
You are saved through the good news, which is this:
“Christ died for our sins. He was buried, and on the third day he rose.”
The proof of his resurrection is in all those that saw it:
(Leaves out the women who first witnessed the resurrection. Paul’s letters predate Gospels, so he may not have been privy to that information, or he may have intentionally left it out of his account. It is hard to believe that Gospel writers would have inserted it because women were not trustworthy witnesses)
Peter
The Twelve
500 others, some still alive.
James
Rest of the Apostles
Me (Paul)
The power of God rests on the reality of the resurrection.
The resurrection of Christ is the keystone upon which all of Christianity is built.
If there is no resurrection, then death on Cross is the end of the story.
If there is no resurrection, then there is no point in Jesus’ life. There is no good news. There is just the execution of a righteous man.
Nadia Bolz Weber (paraphrase) “I don’t think the early martyrs died for a good story, or for a good feeling they had after Jesus died.”
Go beyond lection, and see that Jesus’ resurrection is about more than just who Jesus is, it is about who we are promised to be. We are invited to be resurrection people, but if the first resurrection didn’t happen, then we are simply lost.
Clearly trying to convince Corinthians of a few things
Paul didn’t make this stuff up.
Resurrection is important.
Grace does not come from merit.
Thoughts and Questions
Easter matters. All of what we do rests on this idea that Christ was raised from the dead. Everything is for naught if there is no resurrection. What however, is the nature of the resurrection. As Paul said, we were born at the wrong time. Can we still be witnesses to the resurrection of Christ? Clearly, Paul’s witness of the Resurrection was different than that of Peter, but was just as life-altering. What about our experience of the Resurrection.
Resurrection is not awarded by merit. There is no deserving resurrection. There is only God’s grace. Response to grace is also important. If we do not respond to grace by sharing the good news, then the grace is “for nothing.” How do we respond to the threat of cheap grace? How do we make the resurrection count?
“You are being saved through it…” Salvation is an ongoing process of hearing, believing, and doing the good news.
Acts 10:34-43
Initial Thoughts
The theme for all of the texts on Easter is God’s victory over death.
The resurrection is a sign that all Jesus did on earth should be carried on. The resurrection is proof that Jesus is Lord of the living and the dead - all things.
Bible Study
Peter’s Elevator Witness
Used to describe what Baptism and Christian faith are about
Fear of God - i.e. faith
Doing right - i.e. works
Context:
These are Peter’s words at the home of Cornelius, who had gathered friends and relatives to hear Peter. In the previous passage, it is revealed that Cornelius is a Roman Centurion, but “a righteous man, and a God-worshipper who is well-respected by all Jewish people.”
This setting is very important - and Peter even says so immediately before this speech, which is about God’s mercy being open to all.
Must be understood within context
Peter just had a vision that abolished the food laws of clean and unclean
Cornelius has a vision to summon Peter
Peter goes and preaches to and among gentiles
“What God has made clean, you must not call unclean” - this is basis of God’s impartiality
The Good News is for everyone
There are no cultural or ethnic requirements
God calls all people through Jesus Christ
Not new to scripture- Deuteronomy 10:17, “God is not partial and takes no bribe.”
New to Peter
Alan Gregory - Poetic rhythm of the story
You must fear God and do right
Jesus preaches peace to all people
Healing and freedom from oppression led to death
Jesus’ ministry was that of “doing good and healing everyone oppressed.” Jesus did this, and for it, he was killed.
Death is met is resurrection
Resurrection by judgement
Judgement with forgiveness
And we return to the impartiality of God
God is not partial to you or to your enemy- God is partial to reconciliation and forgiveness
How do we determine what is of Christ and what isn’t?
doing good
healing the oppressed
Forgiveness
Whoever believes in him
Jesus or God?
If you do not believe in God or Jesus- do you care if you are forgiven?
An inclusive message to believers - NOT a message of judgement against unbelievers
Israel received the message first, but are not the exclusive receivers of the message
Immediately afterwards, this group of Romans began to speak in tongues, and were baptized.
After this episode with the Roman gentiles, Peter is questioned by the Jerusalem Church.
Thoughts and Questions
This is Peter’s 30 sec elevator witness - what is yours?
If God is impartial to Israel or the Jews, then isn’t God also impartial to the church? What does this mean for the church and our mission?
If God’s primary focus is forgiveness and reconciliation- How is the church living into this mission? How are each of us?
What cultural barriers stand in our way of participating in God’s mission? (just as not associating with Gentiles stood in Peter’s way)
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND GET IN TOUCH:
Thanks to our Psalms correspondent, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (psalmimmersion.com,@pomopsalmist). Thank you to Scott Fletcher for our voice bumpers, Dick Dale and the Del Tones for our Theme music (“Misirlou”), Nicolai Heidlas (“Sunday Morning”,"Real Ride"and“Summertime”), Paul and Storm (“Oh No”), and Bryan Odeen for our closing music.