TGBC: and comment

TGBC Thursday March 29: Luke 24:1-12

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, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 


Remember  how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 

Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Comment. Luke’s account of Easter morning seems not as spectacular as the other evangelists (gospel writers), but there it is. Luke’s two men in dazzling clothes are meant to be angels. In my mind, to Luke these heavenly messengers confirm for absolute certain finality that Jesus is/was the long awaited Son of Man. 

Which women are at the tomb varies among the gospels; no matter, but it’s pretty clear that none of the men were among the first discoverers as first witnesses to the empty tomb; that none of the eleven (twelve minus Judas Iscariot) was there early. Rather, the Easter proclamation “Risen!” comes from Jesus’ women followers. I confess to liking Mark’s account, with a “Salome, who’s this Salome?” question being answered by Secret Mark; but my favorite is GospelJohn in the garden with Jesus and Mary Magdalen. Innocently she says that they have taken away her Lord’s body, Jesus responds, “Mary?” and she goes to pieces.

Peter, of course, he who denied Christ, now comes to the tomb to see for himself. What we see in post-resurrection appearances that follow, not in Mark but in Matthew, Luke and John, and especially in John, is that there is forgiveness for anything, even Peter for denying Jesus at the moment He most needed a friend. What does that tell you about your own sins? 

And the eternal question: what about Judas? 

In Mel Gibson's film, Judas goes insane, tormented by demons unto suicide by hanging.


 Do the gospels evidence his repentance? In The Passion of the Christ, poignancy that screams, the body of Judas hangs as his feet swing back and forth past the rotting head of a dead jackass.


Was/is Judas forgiven? What about me? 

 And why does Mark close his story with no post-resurrection appearances?

To ponder: what literary and/or theological significance might we attach to the fact that Paul, writing a generation or two before the evangelists (gospel writers) knows nothing of an empty tomb? Where did the empty tomb story come from?

From the film The Passion of the Christ, the first picture above is of Jesus on Easter morning, risen but still inside the tomb. Yesterday, I watched the film yet one more time again, moving quickly through the scourging, to which Mel Gibson oddly gives an inordinate amount of time, and which I have already seen too many times. What I apparently missed before, but caught yesterday, is that the camera plays down to the nail hole in Jesus' right hand, the top of his hand, and not a scar, but a dreadful wound. Scriptural, I'm sorry not to have paused the film to snap it.