30^th April 2014

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Easter Sunday 20 April 2014

Lessons - Isaiah 25:6-9; John 19:38 - 20:18

   'For our sake he was crucified, dead and buried ... on the third day he rose again.' (Nicene Creed)

Consideration of Jesus' resurrection begins with his crucifixion and burial.

Easter Day, Holy Saturday and Good Friday belong together. 

This connection is emphasised by John who regards the cross as the pinnacle of Christ's triumphant love. When Jesus says, 'It is finished, (19:30)' he is acting, not as a victim of tragedy, but as the victor over the powers that afflict our lives. It is not simply the 'end' of his life on earth but the 'completion' of his mission. In being crucified, dead and buried 'for us', the 'only Son of God' who is 'of one Being with he Father' (Nicene Creed) reveals the unparalleled depth of God's love for our broken world.

Thus, the resurrection is not a reversal of fortune, but an extension of the victory that radiates from the cross! 

The triumph of the cross is recognised before there is any mention of the empty tomb or of appearances to disciples. Two men, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were (from what we can gather)  abstaining members of the Sanhedrin which had condemned Jesus. Though their faith in Jesus had been secretive until now, they go to Pilate who allows them to take away Jesus' body and embalm it for burial (John 19:38-42). 

Neither of them belonged to Jesus' inner circle. Nicodemus had come to Jesus at night (3:1-17) and been told that 'the Son of Man must be lifted up' to reveal God's love for the world (3:16). Later Nicodemus cautioned his colleagues not to condemn Jesus before giving him a fair hearing (7:51). Joseph of Arimathea is mentioned in all the Gospels, but does not appear until after the crucifixion (19:38-42; Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42- 47; Luke 23:50-56). He is described as rich, upright and courageous. 

It is typical in the Gospels that the first to 'see' God's presence in Jesus are not disciples but those on the margins. Nicodemus and Joseph set aside their doubts, fears and hesitancy because the crucifixion has convinced them that Jesus is who he was rumoured to be - the One who showed how much 'God so loved the world' (3:16). At the cross, these outsiders 'see' who he is!

They give the crucified Jesus a lavish 'royal burial' - the sheer weight of spices used to embalm Jesus' body (35kg of 'myrrh and aloes') being far greater than was needed even for the burial of a great king. 

Their extravagant action also enables us to 'see' what it means for us to believe in Christ. In the Old Testament, these spices are used in joyful ceremonies to anoint the king (Psalm 45:8). Elsewhere, they are given to express the attraction of lovers for each other (Song of Solomon). In Matthew, myrrh is one of the extravagant gifts brought by the wise men to celebrate the birth of Jesus (2:1-12). In Mark, it is mixed with wine and given to Jesus on the cross (15:23). What Nicodemus and Joseph do is a mark of extravagant love that flows from believing in God's triumphant love in Christ-crucified. 

Unlike Nicodemus and Joseph, not everybody is convinced that the cross is the triumph of Divine love. Jesus' close friends are devastated. One of them, Mary Magdalene, follows custom and comes to grieve at the tomb. Unexpectedly, the stone has been rolled away. She runs to tell Peter and the 'disciple whom Jesus loved'. They return but Jesus is nowhere to be seen! 

What is the explanation? Mary assumes that 'they' (v2) - presumably the authorities - have taken the body. Peter and the unnamed disciple both see that the tomb is empty and that the burial cloths are there (vv 5-7). But, where neither Peter nor Mary draw any conclusions, the other disciple 'saw and believed' (v8). 

Throughout the Gospel, John invites us to 'see' who Jesus is. In his ministry, Jesus is 'seen' by all, even if they do not 'see him for whom he truly is'. However, here, things are reversed. At the tomb he is not 'seen' and it is because he does not see Jesus that the 'beloved disciple ... believes' in him! Very puzzling! 

What could have led to his astonishing conclusion? He did not rely on biblical texts to explain things. We are told that 'as yet they did not know the scripture that he must rise from the dead' (v9). He is not swayed by tradition or by reason that can restrict what is thought to be believable in the real world. Rather, he interprets reality in the light of the crucified man who has brushed aside the garments of death. He concludes that, because Jesus cannot now be 'seen', he must be who he 'appeared' to be in his earthly ministry - the Son of God. 

The beloved disciple 'sees' a little more of what Nicodemus and Joseph have already seen. The crucifixion of Jesus, that magnificently displays the glory of Divine love for a sinful world - and elicits such a lavish response of faith and love - is confirmed by the resurrection. Even death cannot hold him who is of one Being with the Father. 

The hope that is conveyed here so magnificently is also expressed in a seemingly unimportant detail that is only mentioned by John. He links the stories of Nicodemus and Joseph with Mary, Peter, and the beloved disciple with this brief note:     'Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid. (19:41)'

John wants us to see a deeper theological meaning that is not supported by historical accuracy - the places of death and burial being quite separate.

The reference to a 'new tomb' clearly has Joseph in mind by recalling Isaiah 53:9 which says, 'They made a grave for the Suffering Servant with a rich man in his death.' Of particular interest is the 'garden'. John is the only Gospel to mention that Jesus was betrayed and arrested in a 'garden' where he and the disciples often met (18:1,2). He also tells us that Mary initially mistook Jesus for the 'gardener' (20:15). 

In Genesis, the world is pictured as a Garden of Eden - a place of 'delight' which God had created 'very good' (1:31). In the midst of the garden was the Tree of Life. When Adam and Eve chose death instead of life, they were driven out of the garden and living was no longer a pleasure (3:24). When Israel experienced desolation they sometimes expressed hope in terms of returning to the Garden of Eden (Ezekiel 36:35) that symbolised the 'bliss' for which they had been created. In Revelation, hope for the healing of the nations is pictured as a delightful Garden City founded by God and the crucified-Christ and notable for the re-appearance of the Tree of Life. 

With his depiction of the crucifixion and resurrection taking place in the same 'garden', John invites us to 'see' the way in which hope has blossomed.

Together, as depicted in the empty cross, they form the Tree of Life which stands in the midst of the spoiled 'garden' - the world - to announce that, because of God's love for the world, sin, evil and death have been decisively defeated. In this tiny detail, John invites us to 'see' the crucified-and-risen Jesus as the 'gardener' who restores the Garden of Eden - the world - to its intended beauty so that we can enjoy it now, in part, and look forward to that day when the weeds that choke life are uprooted forever. 

We all know that the story of the risen Christ who was crucified is widely thought to be 'unbelievable'. We, too, have doubts! But it beggars belief that, if the early Christians just made up stories to help them cope with despair at Jesus' death (as some think), they would invent these stories! They would not tell tales of Jesus' bodily resurrection. Better to report visions that were commonly experienced by religious and non-religious people alike. 

John's account can help us re-imagine reality. If we 'see' reality in the light of God's creative and redeeming love for the world, then it 'makes sense' that God should act to defeat the powers of death that destroy its 'goodness' and restore us to our God-given vocation. If, though, we 'see' evil and death as normal, then it is not rational to believe in the resurrection of a crucified man. 

Hopefully, the picture of the garden and gardener, and the examples of Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and the beloved disciple, will stir our imaginations to 'believe' that, in Christ, God has dealt a fatal blow to all that desecrates and dehumanises the world he loves. If so, we will experience the world with a sense of delight in its beauty and purpose that brings a sense of hope in what lies ahead. It also steels us to resist those things which, at present, are opposed to God's incomparable grace and goodness. 

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Rev Dr Max Champion is the minister of St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is a member of the Council of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.