Jesus Has Gone Ahead Of Us

I’d like to start with a story:

A Sunday school teacher once asked her students if they knew what happened on Easter and why the holiday was so important. 

One little girl spoke up and said, “Easter is when the whole family gets together and you eat turkey and sing songs about the pilgrims.”  The teacher replied, “No, that’s not it.”

A second student offered his insight. “I know what Easter is,” the student said. “Easter is when you get a tree and decorate it and you give gifts to everyone and sing lots of songs.” Again, the teacher replied, “Nope, that’s not it either.”

Finally, a third student had the right idea: "Easter is when Jesus was killed, put in a tomb, left for three days,” the student said. The teacher felt relieved that at least one of the students knew the meaning behind Easter. That was, until the student finished her answer. 

“And then everyone gathers at the tomb and waits to see if Jesus comes out and if he sees his shadow he has to go back inside and we have six more weeks of winter.”

While this story is certainly meant to be cute and comical, it is truly important for us to think about the meaning of Easter. Maybe we, like the students, do not fully grasp the meaning behind the holiday. 

To help us explore the meaning of Easter, we can put ourselves in the shoes of the three women in the Gospel of Mark. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome watched from a distance as Jesus’ limp body was removed from the cross and placed in a tomb.The tomb was blocked off with a large boulder. Come Easter morning, as the women are on their way to anoint the body of Jesus, they ask each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 

We can relate the stone blocking the tomb to obstacles that we face in our everyday lives. Maybe the stone in your life is a financial situation or a tricky relationship. Maybe it is your mental health. Sometimes these “stones” feel so overwhelmingly large that only God could have the capacity to move them for us.  

The Gospel of Mark tells us that when the three women arrive at the tomb, they find that the stone had already been moved. They do not find Jesus – instead, they encounter a young man dressed in a white robe. He tells the women that Jesus has risen and has gone on ahead into Galilee – just as he had promised. 

Have you ever been so worked up about something only to find that the problem resolves itself? Maybe it's a medical test that has you worried, and someone randomly decides to call and check in on you and calm your nerves. Maybe you’re moving to a new city and are worried that you won’t know anyone, only to have a new neighbor invite you over for dinner and eventually you become best friends. Despite their intimidating size, the stones in your life are being rolled away for you.

The three women were stricken with fear when they arrived at the tomb. The women ran from the tomb, not speaking to anyone because they were afraid. The Gospel of Mark asks us to place ourselves in the shoes of the three women – will we run away in fear, or will we move on towards Galilee like Jesus had asked us too? 

The Gospel of Mark doesn’t have a neatly tied up ending. Rather, it’s an invitation to be the church. To go out there and share the good news. Will we go to Galilee and be involved in the ministry of Jesus to the poor, the hungry and the sick? 

Will we remain silent, or will we go to Galilee to meet the risen Christ – just as he said. For he has gone ahead of us. No matter our worries in life – whether they are health scares, relationship troubles or big changes, Jesus has gone ahead of us – just as he said. 

And here lies the good news. Hallelujah and amen.