Radically weird
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
John 20:1–18
He is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia!
This is the most important Sunday of the year. Today, we celebrate that Christ is risen, death is defeated, the world is redeemed, and Scripture is fulfilled. As people of Christ, we call ourselves Christians. We could just as appropriately call ourselves “Easterans” because of how central the events of Easter are to our faith.
At Easter time, we are reminded in an increasingly anti-Christian world that there is hope for the Christian church yet. More so than at Christmas time, we see the story of Christianity in the public sphere, and for once in a positive light.
We see news stories of Easter church services around the world and hear about messages from Anglican and Catholic leaders, the nation’s most prominent Christian denominations. We even get Christian journalists featuring in weekend newspapers and on news websites, taking the opportunity to freely share with their readers the importance of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for our world today.
The downside of all this is how stark the difference is for this one weekend of the year. For 51 weeks of the year, Christians are openly criticised in the public eye and even in personal interactions, far more than any other religion.
We might think we’re somewhat “protected” from all this down here in the South East, but anti-Christianity is just as real here as it is in the middle of Sydney. According to the census data, the Mount Gambier and Millicent postcodes are even less Christian than the national average. The numbers warn us that it isn’t getting easier any time soon, either.
So, what can we do about it? How do we make sure that the Christian church continues to thrive? And, more importantly, how can the church stay true to it’s core purpose of living out the life-changing forgiveness and love of God and share it with the community it finds itself in?
One of those Christian journalists who shared something about the importance of Easter says this:
The best chance for Christianity to grow again in the West is not to hide but to proclaim its radically weird teachings.
Greg Sheridan, The Weekend Australian, 8 Apr 2023
Without getting too political, let’s use the example of the Liberal Party. If you keep up with the news, you’ll know that since losing the federal election last year, the Liberals have been enduring a kind of identity crisis. Labor’s progressive approach is popular at the moment, so commentators have said that the Liberals have tried to copy what is popular and just put a slightly different slant on it. Similar observations have been made across most of the recent state elections, too.
Whether you agree with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to parliament or not, the Liberal Party’s move to take its stance against that particular proposal at least shows that they stand for something. This is why we have an opposition in our political system—it’s meant to stand for something different and challenge the government, sharpening it in the process.
The church, and Christian people, can fall into the same temptation.
The truth is, no one needs their local church to do what a local sports club, craft group, Parkrun, or any other community activity does. If people want those things, they go to those places. Local churches often try to replicate these groups and prioritise social connection over gospel proclamation.
Building relationships is often a key in bringing people into the church, but it is not the end goal. We don’t bring people in for the sake of building a larger community. We invite them in to introduce them to our heavenly Father and theirs.
The local church is a community of people, but it is not a social club.
The church has something that none of those other groups have. We have the Gospel, which is, as that journalist said, a “radically weird teaching.” The Gospel—the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, which is what we celebrate at Easter—is what makes us who we are.
Take Good Friday. We come together to sit through a very sombre service to commemorate/celebrate our God’s death by the most horrible means imaginable. Our universally-recognised symbol is a picture of that instrument of torture. Many of us even wonder why Good Friday has to be so sad and serious, wanting to just skip to the good bit on Sunday.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18
The death of Jesus Christ on the cross is absolutely central to our whole faith, but it’s radically weird. Who else in their right mind would call the day of their God’s death “Good Friday”? How can that be good at all?
Mary Magdalene didn’t think there was anything good about what had happened when she went to the tomb early that Sunday morning. When she saw the stone rolled away and the tomb empty, her conclusion was that someone must have stolen the body. This was not good at all.
She had been there with Jesus and the disciples the whole time. She had probably heard Jesus’ cryptic and sometimes very plain clues about what would happen to him. We know the disciples talked about these things among themselves, wondering what Jesus really meant. Still, she can’t come to the truth of what’s happened just yet.
When Peter and John see the empty tomb, it clicks for them straight away. Immediately, they join the dots and realise what Jesus and Scripture itself had said about the Messiah rising again. For Mary, it takes a bit more. But, once Jesus has revealed himself to her by his Word, she also believes and went to the disciples, declaring that she had “seen the Lord.”
The Easter story is weird. Between the four gospels, there are inconsistencies and contradictions. Some include seemingly random details like the man who runs away naked in Mark 14:51,52. Look it up and you’ll see how weird that inclusion is.
But even the parts that are agreed on—
that Jesus was sentenced to death by a crowd that welcomed him as a king only days ago,
that the Roman governor, of all people, was the only person on Jesus’ side,
that the salvation of the world would take place on a cross,
that to defeat death, God died,
that a man who was dead became alive again,
—are radically weird.
Not to mention our weird belief that we will actually be physically raised from the dead with our bodies, which is a direct outcome of what Jesus did at Easter:
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Romans 6:5
It’s not just our souls that float up to heaven in the clouds somewhere. Heaven is here and now in these bodies—it’s just not fully realised yet. Many Christians don’t see it that way, but it’s what Scripture teaches us.
It is these weird teachings that make the church what it is. It is in staying true to the weirdest and most central parts of our faith that the church will thrive.
Once Jesus revealed himself to Mary Magdalene that morning, the story didn’t suddenly make complete sense. It was still radically weird. But, in standing risen before her and speaking her name, Jesus caused Mary to believe.
It is that same Easter faith, inspired in us by God’s Spirit, that enables us to say with Mary, “I have seen the Lord.”
It is that same Easter faith that enables us to boldly believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is truly life-changing and life-giving, no matter how weird it seems.
In the name of Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.
