Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for April 16, 2017
The Resurrection, El Greco (1541-1614). Oil on canvas, 1597-1600, part of an altarpiece for the church of the monastery Lady Mary of Aragon in Madrid. Museo del Prado, Madrid.
Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, alleluia! We shout “alleluia,” literally “praise God,” on Easter Sunday as we celebrate the resurrection and its promise of victory over death. All our readings today speak of renewed life and joy. In this first reading, one of two which may be used this Easter, the prophet Jeremiah imagines a joyful scene of dance and music as the people return home to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon, They look forward to re-planting the land in new vineyards that will bear delicious fruit.
First or Second Reading: Acts 10:34-43
These verses from Acts, the Evangelist Luke’s account of the growth of the early church, may be used as either an alternative first or second reading. Much of its narrative tells how Christianity reached out from its Jewish beginnings to incorporate Gentiles; and that story begins here as Peter takes the Good News to the family of the Roman Centurion Cornelius. Peter assures them that Jesus was sent by God to all humanity, was crucified but raised from the dead, and now saves us and forgives our sins in God’s name.
This ancient hymn sings Israel’s joyful thanks to God for victory over its enemies, and our Jewish brothers and sisters traditionally read it during Passover, which began Monday night and continues through this weekend. Christians may also imagine an image of Jesus in the prophetic words, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” These verses shout out the hope of an Easter people: “I shall not die, but I shall live … The Lord … did not give me over to death. … I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.”
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4
This short letter written in Paul’s name to the persecuted Christian community of Colossae in Turkey, an alternative second reading for Easter Sunday, reassures them that, even in difficult times, Christ is with us. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, we are connected in baptism and raised through life in Christ. Throughout the letter, the author urges the people to endure their difficulties with patience and the strength that comes from God’s glorious power expressed through Jesus.
Gospel: John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10
As important as the story of the empty tomb and the resurrection is to our Christian faith, each of the four Gospels nevertheless tells it in slightly different ways, much as eyewitnesses to any amazing event may remember different highlights. But one point is consistent in all four Gospels: Mary Magdalene was there. In the two Gospels that may be read in this lectionary year, John’s version portrays Mary, in beautifully tender verses, as the only one who stayed at the empty tomb after everyone else left. Then, to her joyful delight, she met Jesus. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that only the women encounter Christ, and he sends them back to tell the men what has happened.