No Joke

Bible Text: John 20:1-18 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes

I’m not really a fan of pranks. I guess I don’t really understand them- I’m a terrible liar and therefore am no good at doing them to others, and I don’t completely understand what’s funny about them when they happen. It’s why I’ve never been any good at “celebrating” April Fools Day. Did you know that historians really have no idea how April Fools came into existence? I’m not kidding, it’s no joke. Some scholars state that the first recorded association between April 1st and All Fools Day is in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales written in 1392. But others debate this and believe he actually meant to place it on April 2nd.  It is possible that the holiday goes back further than that because the Romans actually had a whole festival called Hilaria which started on March 25th and ended around April 1st and as you can guess by the name, Hilaria was a festival full of jokes and pranks.  Strangely enough in the 18th century it was believed that the tradition of April Fools went back even further to the time of the Great Flood and Noah, when Noah mistakenly sent the dove out in search of land before the floods had fully receded, sending the dove on a “fool’s errand”- but let’s be clear- no Biblical Scholar has ever supported that. I find it strange that of all the weird holidays of the western world, April Fools is the one that doesn’t seem to have any clear origin. Yet, here we are today, on April 1st- and perhaps you have already been pranked or tricked. But I think that most of you are like me, you just don’t get it- it’s not all that funny and the tricks aren’t worth the effort. When Mary Magdalene approached the tomb on that Sunday morning- it seemed like a pretty elaborate trick, even a prank, and for her it was not funny. In fact, she spends more time weeping in this chapter than in dialogue. It is a painful experience and who wouldn’t be upset to discover that your teacher’s body is missing. It’s been an emotional few days and it appears that things have gone from bad to worse. This is the dichotomy in the Gospel of John- here we have the climax to the story of the Gospel, something we celebrate and Mary is weeping.

It is early in the morning, so early that it is still dark. The description of the time of day also alludes to the darkness facing Mary, Peter and the other disciple. Not only is it pre-dawn but the awareness of the realities of the resurrection are also in the dark. As Mary approaches she notices that the stone has been moved away from the entrance- already this is not a good sign. She doesn’t need any further confirmation that something is wrong, she doesn’t even look into the tomb, as soon as she sees the stone has been rolled away she bolts back to Peter and another disciple and, breathlessly panting, says they have taken the Master from the tomb and we don’t know where they’ve put him. While we, in hindsight, can sing songs of Hallelujah and declare that Christ is risen indeed, for Mary this is not a miracle but an awful prank.

What is interesting about Mary is that within John’s Gospel this is only the second time that she is named. The first time is when she is with Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the foot of the cross. The first time we are introduced to Mary Magdalene is when Jesus is dying- John is using this to tell us that Mary knows very well what happened to Jesus for she witnessed it firsthand. Now Mary will become the first witness to the resurrection and will play a central role in sharing this news.

Like Mary, Peter and the other disciple are intriguing characters. We know that Peter had a close relationship with Jesus and was often the one who asked a lot of questions or debated most with Jesus. But there is mystery surrounding the other disciple who is described as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” This disciple first appears in John 13:23 when he reclines beside Jesus at the Last supper. Despite many scholars trying to solve the puzzle of this disciple’s identity, who this disciple was remains a mystery. Yet, when Peter and the other disciple run back to the tomb to confirm Mary’s horror, it is this disciple, not Peter, who goes into the tomb, looks at the evidence, and believes. He needs no more proof to know that this is not a prank but a miracle.

At this point in the story we have heard three points of view. Mary assumes that someone has stolen the body, Peter draws no conclusion in his confusion, and the beloved disciple has faith. It is as if their reactions represent the common reactions to the resurrection story. There are many who would hear this story as a joke, many who would choose to draw no conclusion at all and then there are those who have faith. While I would assume that many of us would claim to be the ones who believe, I think it would be more accurate to say that throughout our lives we experience each character’s take on the events.

Peter and the other disciple return home and leave Mary to her weeping. This weeping is referred to four times in rapid succession.  As she kneels down to peer into the tomb, two angels appear.   Now, one might think that upon seeing two angels that Mary would come to realize that this is not a joke. But instead, when the angels ask, “Why are you weeping?” she responds with the same statement that she gave the disciples. This reinforces to me that sometimes not even the sight of angels produces faith. Then Jesus himself approaches her. Mary sees this person but does not know that it is Jesus. Her mind is so set on the fact that the body is missing that she doesn’t even seen the body right in front of her. What is interesting is that the author allows us, as readers of this story to have a little more insight. We know that it is Jesus and are left waiting in suspense to find out if Mary will realize it too. But then Jesus speaks one word, calls her by name, “Mary!” After Mary hears her name come from the lips of her teacher, she is able to see that it is indeed Jesus. This is a reflection of the words found earlier in John, in which it says, “Jesus calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

After calling out her name and claiming her as his own Jesus commissions Mary to be an apostle to the apostles telling her to share the news that Jesus will “ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.” In this simple phrase Jesus declares that he is opening the way for humanity to have the same relationship with God that he has- that his Father is our Father, his God is our God. And that my friends, is no joke, this is not a prank, this is not an April Fools story- the entire purpose of the resurrection is stated in this commission to Mary. Jesus has opened up this relationship and has invited us to be a part of this family.

The experience of Mary, Peter and the other disciple reflects many of our own experiences. There are times when we do not have the answers, we do not know what it all means, we are skeptical, even cynical, essentially assuming the worst, which then prevents us from seeing how life can ever come out of the death or darkness that surrounds us. Then Jesus appears- calls out our names- makes himself known in a few simple words and then claiming us as part of this great household. As Rev. Bernard Brandon Scott puts it, “This is the family of divine fellowship.” It’s no joke but it is certainly a joyful matter. Amen.