John 20:1-18
Easter Sunday , March 23, 2008
Allan Klassen
Called by Name
Several understandings and practices of the day enter into the scenario we
encounter in John’s account of the resurrection. First, it was believed that for
three days after death the spirit of the dead person hovered around the body,
and so it was the custom in Palestine to visit the tomb of a loved one for three
days after burial. But after three days, when the body began to be
unrecognizable due to decay, the spirit departed. And second, Jesus’ friends
could not come to his tomb on the Sabbath, since it would be contrary to Jewish
law, so Mary comes very early on Sunday morning, as early as possible, early in
the morning while it was still dark according to the text.
According to John’s gospel, Mary Magdalene is initially alone as she discovers
that the stone has been removed from the tomb. The other gospel narratives name
other women as well, but Mary Magdalene is always mentioned first. It’s not
entirely clear whether various other biblical references to Mary Magdalene are
always referring to the same person. According to Luke (8:1-3), Mary Magdalene
was one of a group of women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases and
who were now helping to support Jesus and the disciples out of their own means.
Tradition has also associated Mary with the anointing of Jesus – that incident
which prompted outbursts from the disciples about a waste of expensive perfume
which could have been sold and the money given to the poor. (Matt. 26:6-13) Luke
only identifies that woman as a sinner (7:36-50). And of her, Jesus says, “her
sins which are many are forgiven, for she loved much”. Regardless of her life
story, regardless of how she came to know Jesus, it is clear from the biblical
account that Mary Magdalene loved Jesus deeply. She, along with others, was
present at the cross, in despair, watching helplessly, and she and the other
Mary maintained a sad and lonely vigil at the tomb immediately after Jesus’
burial. (Mk 15:47)
And now Mary Magdalene is the first person to encounter the risen Christ. But
she fails to recognize him! It has been suggested that it was still quite dark
early in the morning and therefore Jesus was mistaken for the gardener. However,
it appears to have been light enough to see into the tomb. Others have pointed
out that the tomb could well have been located in a garden, and that therefore
the presence of a gardener would not have been unexpected, a gardener who might
have been there because he was concerned about the crowds trampling his cabbages
and petunias.
And even if Mary Magdalene had heard Jesus saying that he would rise on the
third day, she, like others, probably considered it too incredible to be
possible. And thus she would not have been looking for it as a possibility, and
would not have been in that kind of a mindset. The heart-rending, mind-numbing
events of the last week had left her with overwhelming feelings of loss,
loneliness and desolation.
The one whom she and others loved so deeply had, before their very eyes, died an
agonizing death on a cross and his body had been sealed in a rock hewn tomb.
That reality was what consumed her, and for her, as for us, it was hard to focus
tear-filled eyes on anything else. At times like this it becomes difficult to
see beyond the immediacy of the loss, and to again be able to see that life is
good, to again be able to allow the sunshine to drive away the shadows. The poet
Kahlil Gibran’s comment is apt as he speaks of people who “stand with their
backs to the sun, and what is the sun to them but a caster of shadows”.
But whatever the reasons why Mary Magdalene could not see or did not understand
that it was Jesus, recognition comes very simply, and very powerfully. According
to v.16, “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary’! She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni’!
(which means Teacher). For Mary, and for us, the God who reaches down to each of
us individually and calls us by name is the God whom we recognize.
Expecting information about the location of Jesus’ body, Mary is overwhelmed to
hear her own name uttered by a voice she recognizes instantly. This may well
rank as the greatest recognition scene in history – epitomized in two words.
Mary! Rabbouni! To be individually recognized, to be called by name, has
profound connotations. Much earlier in the biblical text, Isaiah had declared,
“… thus says the Lord: … Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you
by name, you are mine”.(43:1) And in his gospel, John records Jesus’ own words
as he described himself as the good shepherd. “… the sheep hear his voice. He
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. … he goes ahead of them, and the
sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (10:3-4)
Names have power. Names elicit images, personalities, and memories associated
with the ones who bear those names. Think of the names of those in your life,
now or in the past, those you love and who love you. What thoughts and feelings
fill your mind and heart? My father’s name was Peter, named after his
grandfather in the tradition of the time and community. I’m not sure how much
his parents knew about the Peter of the NT, that Peter declared to be the “rock”
on which the church would be built. But my father was well named for certainly
he was a rock in many senses of the word.
Of course, my siblings and I did not call my father by his given name, but we
were proud to hear him called that by others, including my mother. My father,
like many of his time, did not have what might be called an illustrious life,
but he lived a solid life. He lived a life characterized by hard work and a
decency that garners respect even without particular economic or social status.
So references to this particular man, references to this particular Peter
carried recognition of a person who lived up to the meaning of his name.
Some of you may remember my mother Martha from the times she came with us to
NPMC while living in care homes in Saskatoon. However, regrettably, those of you
who saw her in these later years didn’t really know her because the person you
saw was not the person who was my mother in earlier years.
Hers too was a biblical name, a name best known from the story of Jesus’ visit
to the home of Martha and her sister Mary in Bethany.(Luke 10:38-42) Martha, the
hospitable one, the one who served so that others could sit and talk with Jesus.
The biblical Martha, a woman not unlike the Martha who was my mother.
Both family names and given names are important parts of our identity. Our names
identify us as part of our families of origin and also in terms of our personal
identity. The importance of family names is highlighted by more women now
retaining their family name or using it in combination with their husband’s
family name upon marriage.
The wider importance of names is revealed by the reality that whenever we are
able to, and choose to, identify those around us by name it helps to bridge gaps
which may have separated us from them. Nameless individuals tend not to have a
personal identity for us. We tend not to see them as having important roles in
our own lives or in the life of the larger community. But when we can call them
by name, they are less a stranger and become persons with real characteristics
and personalities. They become more human, they more closely become our kin.
Maybe like me, you have tried with all your might to remember the name of a
particular individual. You know all about the person, you can see the face, you
know all kinds of pertinent information about the person, but the name escapes
you. Even after mentally running through the alphabet (because sometimes that
triggers the name for me when I get to the first letter) you still draw a blank,
and you are frustrated. Why? Our frustration arises from the reality that it is
important to know each other by name. A person’s name is so much more meaningful
than being referred to as “what’s his name”.
Our mothers and fathers who gave us life called us by name, and as they named us
they did so with hopes and dreams for our lives. Maybe we lived up to those
hopes and dreams, maybe we didn’t. But generally, and thankfully, the love of
parents is not dependent on our successes or failures. Our God who breathed life
into creation also calls each of us by name, and also cares for each of us apart
from any goodness or failures which may be part of our reality.
With God we are not just a number, we are not just an impersonal statistic. No,
our God knows us by name, knows us so intimately that even the hairs of our head
are numbered. Not an instant of our existence goes by unheeded by God. We were
created in love, not impersonally mass produced, but rather each one of us
unique, the first one so made and the last. God calls each one of us by name,
calls us individually and personally to resurrection faith, calls us to faith in
God, who, although killed on a cross, has risen and is alive.
Mary’s first response of “Rabbouni” or “teacher” may not have fully grasped the
implications of resurrection, may have only represented the beginnings of faith
rather than its culmination. Probably it is not the same as Thomas’ later
confession of “My Lord and my God”. But as Mary goes to tell the disciples that
“I have seen the Lord!” there is no doubt regarding the loving commitment which
has been made.
Based on the gospel narratives it may be that, by itself, the fact of the empty
tomb did not immediately fully convey the resurrection to the first hand
observers. And even seeing the risen Jesus may not have led to clear
understanding or unequivocal faith. Miracles and faith may not be as closely
linked as one might suppose. But for Mary, and for us, a personal encounter with
Christ as we hear him call us by name did not, and should not, leave any doubt
that the meaning of the empty tomb was good news. Good news that the God who
knows us by name is alive! Good news that the God who loves us intimately and
unconditionally has overcome even death itself!
On this Easter Sunday morning as we meet the risen Christ, as we hear Jesus call
each of us by name, may we too embrace him, may we too claim him as our Lord and
our God, today and in all our days. By God’s grace may it be so for each one of
us.