The Path Forward
People come to faith in many different ways
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In consideration of John 20: 1-8, and 9
...for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
Two men are running. Their limbs are stiff in the chilly grey dawn, yet they do not notice, they do not pace themselves. Rather, they cannot run fast enough. Adrenaline fuels their straining muscles; their breath comes in hoarse gasps. They run like crazy men, through the town streets, out beyond the city gate, and up a steep rocky slope. Their speed quickens as they get closer, and one gains on the other and he reaches the open tomb first.
His heart is bursting with fear and spent energy, and he gasps for breath as he looks inside the low opening. But he hesitates. The other man rushes past him and scrambles into the tomb without pausing. He is bolder, acting more quickly than the others, sometimes too quickly. But now the other disciple is glad that Peter is bold, and he goes into the tomb after him. They both see the burial clothes that bound their dead friend, and the head cloth, in a place by itself. The other disciple sees and believes.
Mary has caught up to them at the tomb. Peter and the other disciple leave, but she stays at the tomb and cries. She meets who she thinks is the gardener, but then he says her name and she recognizes Jesus. In that moment she believes and understands that Jesus has risen from the dead. And she becomes the first witness to the resurrection, commanded by Jesus to go and tell.
Each of these disciples comes to faith differently. Peter, who only three days before had denied Jesus and wept bitter tears of shame, willingly rushes into the empty tomb. He sees the separate piles of burial wrappings and then goes home. But we know he eventually makes the connection between the empty tomb, the risen Lord and the forgiveness offered in Jesus Christ. Despite his lack of comprehension at the empty tomb, he eventually shares with others what he does understand.
The other disciple, who is never named in John's gospel, comes to faith another way. He hesitates to enter the tomb. He is more careful and reserved. Like Peter, he sees the empty tomb and the burial clothes. But unlike Peter, the other disciple sees with some understanding. He may not comprehend that Jesus is risen. But the other disciple has some insight into the activity of God. He believed that Jesus was the Son of God before he died, and he realizes at the sight of the empty tomb that God has been active.
How exactly, he does not know, and it does not matter. He believed that God was at work in and through Jesus when Jesus was alive, and the other disciple now believes that God is at work in and through Jesus after his death.
And Mary Magdalene comes to faith yet another way. Believing that the body of Jesus has been stolen from its tomb, Mary is distraught with grief. It is only when Jesus calls her by name that she recognizes him as her beloved teacher. It is a beautiful moment of intimacy, deeply personal and emotional. And so, full of joy and wonder, and conviction born of a personal and intimate encounter with the risen Lord, she shares what she has heard and seen with the other disciples.
Each disciple has a different experience of faith. Each responds to the empty tomb differently. Each has a different share of insight and a different degree of understanding, and yet each disciple is faithful and no less a disciple for their different experiences.
People come to faith in different ways. Like Peter, some of you are blessed with great enthusiasm. You are bold in your witness and often the first to volunteer to get something done. Like the other disciple, some of you have insight into how and where God is active. You can see God at work in the little things, the ordinary and the daily stuff of life.
And like Mary, some of you have been blessed with remarkable experiences of personal and intimate encounters with God. Moments that have changed your faith and your life. And some of you are still seeking, wondering, doubting, reaching, longing for a connection to the divine. That too is a faith story.
What is your faith story? How similar or different are you from Mary, and Peter, and the other disciple? Whether your story is a story of an intimate and personal encounter with Jesus or a story of denial and forgiveness, or a story of seeing signs but not knowing what they mean, or a story of longing and need, your story is valuable. Each voice contributes to a fuller picture of God. Alone, our understanding of God is incomplete. God is so much bigger than our personal experience and so we need each other to share our stories and make our picture of God more full, more detailed, more colorful and textured.
Do not underestimate the power that your faith can have on others. And do not underestimate the power that the faith of others can have on you. Whether you are as bold as Peter, as thoughtful as the other disciple or as filled with Easter joy as Mary, you have something to contribute, something to learn, and something to tell.
Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!!
May your day be filled with Easter joy,
Bishop Katherine Finegan
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Rev. Katherine Finegan is bishop of the Great Lakes Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.