Like many, hopefully, I spent this past Easter Sunday with family and friends, celebrating with laughter (and some tears) our lives, the lives of loved ones and story-telling about past events.  The “newness” of Easter draped across the new spring’s landscape always has the possibility to give fresh hope and enthusiasm to perhaps worn perspectives and patterns. 

In past years I recall watching my friends’ children’s faces as they experienced the colorfully explosive confetti eggs (Cascarones) in celebration of the day.  This  for me captures some of the wonder and beauty of the Easter season.  Did I mention that there were adults also participating in cracking the confetti eggs on each other’s heads as well?

 Would that we could allow the wonder and awe of the great Easter to move us forward.  Nature certainly seems to be cooperating in this effort, as the amaryllis pop open on a daily basis.  But, along with all the joyful hope, there is also the backdrop of brokenness, misunderstandings, and sometimes deliberate misgivings.  We heard yesterday in Matthew’s Gospel (MT 28: 8-15) of how the Chief Priests instruct the guards at the tomb to insist on a “story” that Jesus’ body was stolen in the night by his disciples.  Can’t let that get out?  Where is he anyway? 

And then today we hear in John’s Gospel (John 20: 11-18) of how Mary Magdalene cannot find Jesus in the Empty Tomb and is asked by angels in the tomb, “why are you weeping?” There is more than just a little mystery going on here in this story.  Mary is attempting to tend to the dead body of Jesus and alas finds the tomb empty.  She is distraught at the fact that the body is gone, and asks the angels in the tomb, “where have they laid him?”  Then Mary turns around and Jesus is there, but she doesn’t recognize him.  She actually mistakes him for the Gardener (not sure that’s a mistake, but that’s another story).  Jesus then asks her “whom are you looking for?”  Her reply again is couched in the language of recovering the “dead body” of Jesus.  Then Mary TURNS again, and this time recognizes Jesus, whom she calls “Teacher!”  In her recognition, she then goes to announce this to others.

 Biblical scholars would probably point out that all this “turning” going on in the story is actually the result of the author’s weaving together of more than one Easter story; however, I find the “turning” quite interesting on another level.  It’s almost like we have Mary Magdalene spinning around in front of the empty tomb, crying and looking for Jesus.  Without trying to make this sound comical, the image is powerfully telling about what I believe the Easter season could be about. 

 Sometimes I think we may “tend” death too much.  I’m not talking about grieving over the things and people that we’ve lost, but more about the “tending” we do in terms of the fixed points of reference in our lives that we hold onto and get lost within, so much so that they can actually act as ruts or roadblocks preventing us from seeing new things or even familiar things (and people of course) in NEW ways.  The Empty Tomb could very well be this starkly paradoxical image of all the misunderstandings we may have about life and death, and love and relationship. 

“Where have you laid him?”

 Mary is looking, peeking into the cave, asking where HE is, weeping in her inability to find him or even recognize the Risen Christ.  She’s turning and turning and turning, but she is having difficulty because she’s not looking for the Risen Christ, but rather, she’s looking for the dead body of Jesus.  Thank God the spinning is broken and she does finally recognize the Presence of Christ.  

 Also interesting is that the conversation that Jesus is having with Mary is very similar to the story of the call of the first disciples in the early part of John’s Gospel.  In both story’s Jesus asks the others, “Whom/What are you looking for?”  To the first disciples, he invites them to “come and see.”  In the Easter story, the “come and see,” is expanded into “Go and Tell!”  I’m not sure that Mary had to even be told that, because I would imagine that the resonance and connection that she must have felt in that encounter would have immediately burst forth into sharing with others.  In fact, I’m  convinced that SHARING is the only real response that we can give when we experience Easter!

 The colorful confetti that explodes forth from the Cascarones eggs as we break them over each other’s heads is a sight to be seen and a glimpse into the possibility of seeing familiar things for the first time, as a child’s eyes light up in wonder at an ever-expanding experience of life! This is a story to live and tell, because I believe that a story’s greatness lies solely in its ability to impact us in ways of recognition, connection, and participation.  Only when we truly say with Mary “I have seen the Lord” can the empty tomb grow into a Garden of healing flowers!

Peace,

Thomas

(revised from the original written April 7, 2015)