Article by the Rt. Rev. Blair Couch
Many years ago, as another family and ours were leaving an elementary school camping weekend, we began to share the reasons we were both leaving on Saturday. We were both leaving for sabbath reasons but in very different faith traditions. I respected the faith tradition of the other family, but did not have a personal experience with the commitment they related.
This conversation made me start to wonder how people hear me when I talk about my faith commitment and my relationship with Jesus Christ. I want to be believable, but do others hear my invitation to consider God’s love in Jesus Christ as just an idle tale?
The Gospel of Luke gives a prominent place to the women who followed Jesus. They provided for Jesus and the disciples out of their resources; they stood at the cross witnessing the crucifixion when many of the male disciples were not present; and they are the ones who get up early to properly prepare Jesus’ body for a final burial.
Imagine their grief, their disappointment, their discouragement and their worry about how to get in to the tomb as they walked along the road. As difficult as it might have been, they were on a mission to do one last loving act for their teacher and friend.
In Luke’s Gospel, there is no mention of how the stone is rolled away, but as the women go in to the tomb, there is no body. Perplexed seems too tame a word, but they are perplexed that the stone is rolled away and there is no body in the tomb. Now comes the more believable part, they become terrified when they see two men in dazzling clothes standing beside them. These men discern the reason for their visit, to prepare a body for burial. The amazing proclamation follows: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”
The two men have to jog the women’s memory and remind them that Jesus told them all these things about his crucifixion and resurrection and they remembered his words. Mostly, when we read passages of Jesus talking about his death and resurrection, we only envision the male disciples present. But the women remembered Jesus’ words so they must have been in the inner circle of disciples too. These women are the first ones to bear the message of the resurrection.
One would imagine that the male disciples would be overjoyed to hear the wonderful news that Jesus had been raised from the dead. “But these words seemed to them an idle tale.” It is worth noting that Peter had to run to the tomb to verify what the women said. Later that day, two disciples encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus and that evening, Jesus appears in the upper room in the midst of the disciples. The “idle tale” becomes the foundation of the growing movement of the early church.
Unlikely disciples and an unlikely message. Yes, you can be a disciple and you can be a messenger of a powerful, life-giving message. The key is to follow Jesus, willing to stay close by Jesus’ side even in difficult times. There may come grief, disappointment and discouragement in life, but our mission is to be in loving service for our Teacher and Friend. We must allow ourselves to be perplexed and terrified at the mystery of the resurrection, but then remember Jesus’ words of confidence and victory over death.
How is it that sharing my faith is not an idle tale? I can share my personal experience of the power of God’s resurrection life in mine. I can share the personal experience of Jesus walking beside me in good times and bad. I can share the joy of a life of discipleship. In a hurting world hungry for good news, I hope you will share yours.
