Mishmash

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” 

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” 

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he had told her. (John 20:11-18)

As I read this part of the Gospel according to John, I realize it very greatly differs from the Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke [they all differ from each other as well], so much so that I wonder what really happened at the tomb and later with Jesus’ appearances before his ascension, especially described in Luke.  For example, in John’s Gospel Jesus is still in the tomb when Mary appears, and he speaks to her.   

We cannot reconcile these different accounts that appear to become more detailed with each later author’s rendition.  We need not try for each account is fascinating in its description and meaningful.  We must take them separately and try to imagine the author’s intent. Many books have been written to explore the Gospel writers’ reasonings.

So soon after Easter and the Resurrection I suggest you take the time to read each Gospel’s ending.  I suspect 99% (or more of us) have never done so.  Like the infancy narratives, we have melded them all together in our minds as a mishmash of recollections that don’t do the Gospels justice – or Jesus.

Deacon David Pierce