Is the Easter story too familiar for us to be surprised?
I love going to see Shakespeare’s plays and I have seen my favourites many times. Secretly, when I go and see Romeo and Juliet, I think to myself “I wonder if the director will surprise us and change the ending?” Of course they never do. For many of us the Easter story is so well known that there is no surprise anymore for the resurrection. I sometimes think it would be interesting to change the ending and see if anyone notices.
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“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, there they saw the body of Jesus.” Luke 24.1-3 (altered)
Put yourself in the shoes of those women on that first Easter morning, making their way to the tomb as the sun rises and finding the stone rolled away. There is a mix of emotions. Relief that there is no need to find someone to roll that stone away and fear that something horrible has happened. As they look into the tomb there before them are two men in dazzling white with a message “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” How did they process this message? Did it sink in slowly? Did they discuss what this could possibly mean? Howsoever they came to their conclusion it spurred them to tell the apostles who didn’t believe them; thinking this an idle tale.
We know how foolish this makes the apostles look but that is only because the story is so familiar to us. We have celebrated many Easters, and have been making the connection between Jesus’ teaching about his death and resurrection every time we read it.
This Easter, try to come at the reading afresh. Walk down to the tomb with the women who are not really sure how they will fulfil their task. Look nervously into the place where Jesus was laid mere days before. Listen to the dazzling white men as they tell you that Jesus is risen. Race to the apostles only to be disbelieved. Then as you leave your church, look for glimpses of Jesus breaking into our world, bringing the good news that the kingdom of God is near, so near you can almost reach out and touch it.
De Colores,
Fr Mark Cooper