Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord - April 20, 2025
Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Col 3:1-4; John 20:1-9
Theme: The Mystery of the Empty Tomb: “He Saw, and He Believed”
A. A Brief Exegetical Analysis of John 20:1-9
1. Historical
and Literary Contexts
The
evangelist placed this passage story about the Empty Tomb immediately after the
accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial (19:17-42) and before a series of stories
of Jesus’ appearances (20:11-29). Before announcing Jesus’ resurrection through
a series of appearances, the sacred author wanted his readers first to have
some facts proving the resurrection of Jesus. The pieces of evidence Peter and
the “other disciple” found in the tomb, such as the empty tomb, the burial
clothes, and the cloth that covered Jesus’ head, which was enrolled in a
separate place, are sufficient proof attesting that Jesus has truly risen.
2. Form,
Structure, and Movement
The
Gospel passage is a narrative story. It can be structured into two parts. The
narrator first tells Mary Magdala’s experience of the rolled stone from the
tomb’s entrance (vv. 1-2) before he recounts Peter's and the “other disciple's”
experience of the empty tomb (vv. 3-9).
Vv.
1-2. These verses recount Mary of Magdal’s experience, not of the empty tomb
but of the rolled stone from the tomb's entrance. John is the only Gospel who
reports that Mary of Magdala was alone in this visit to the tomb. Matthew says
there were two women, “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Mt 28:1). Mark speaks
of three women: Mary Magdelene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome (Mk
16:1). Luke talks about three women, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the
mother of James, and “the others who accompanied them,” (Lk 24:1, 10).
The
narrator details the day and time Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. It was the
“first day of the week.” This is the day after the Jewish Passover feast. The
first day of the week for the Jews is Sabbath (Sunday for the Christians.) Regarding the time, all four Gospels do not
say the same things. The narrator in John says it was early in the morning, and
he clarifies that it was still dark. Matthew describes this time as “dawning”
(Mt 28:1); according to Mark, the sun had risen (Mk 16:1); and for Luke, it was
at daybreak (Lk 24:1). The author of the fourth Gospel emphasizes “darkness”
here because, in his whole Gospel, he contrasts darkness to light in different
contexts. In this passage’s context, the “darkness” symbolizes the absence of
faith in Jesus’ resurrection. So, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the
morning, while she had not yet believed in Jesus’ resurrection. She finds the
heavy stone that covered the entrance of the tomb removed. She does not go in
to experience the empty tomb. Her spontaneous reaction is to run back home and
report to Simon and the “other disciple whom Jesus loved.” (Most biblical
scholars think that this “other disciple whom Jesus loved” is the apostle John,
son of Zebedee. However, they have debated the authorship of the Johannine
books (the Gospel of John, the three Epistles of John, and the Book of
Revelation.) In her report, she does not
mention anything about the resurrection because her faith in Jesus’
resurrection is still in “darkness.” She reports that the Lord has been taken
from the tomb by an unnamed plural pronoun, “they.” Also, she employs another plural pronoun,
“we,” in her following statement, “we don’t know where they put him.” With the
plural pronoun “we,” it is not clear if she refers to Peter and the “other
disciple” or perhaps to another woman (or other women) who was with her but was
not mentioned in v. 1. By using “we” Mary of the Magdala includes others to her
“darkness of faith.”
Vv.
3-9. These verses tell the experience of the empty tomb done by Peter and the
“other disciple.” Upon being informed by Mary of Magdala about the missing of
Jesus’ body from the tomb, Peter and the “other disciple” run toward the tomb.
The narrator contrasts two directions of running: Mary of Magdala ran from the
tomb (v. 2), and here, these two disciples ran toward the tomb (vv. 3-4). The
“other disciple” runs faster than Peter. This can refer to his love for Jesus,
which is the response to Jesus’ love for him that makes his faith run faster.
It can also be because of his younger age compared to Peter’s that makes him
run faster than Peter.
This
“other disciple” is the first to arrive at the tomb, but he waits for Peter to
enter before him because he respects Peter’s leadership. Peter enters first,
and he enters next. Both disciples see the same evidence (the burial clothes
and the cloth that had covered his head rolled up in a separate place), but the
narrator mentions just the “other disciple” who believes; he says nothing about
Peter if he also believes or not. The narrator comments in v. 9, “For they did
not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” Does this
comment contrast understanding and believing, reason and faith? Which one comes
first, believing (faith) or understanding (reason)? Reading v. 8 in parallel
with v. 9, we get that the “other disciple” believed before he understood the
Scriptures. He first used his faith in Jesus before he could figure out
intellectually how Jesus’ resurrection could be possible. The narrator
concludes the story in v. 10, which the lectionary has omitted, by telling the
readers that these two disciples return home.
4.
Synthesis
On the Sabbath day, after the Jewish Passover feast, Mary of Magdala went to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark. Darkness here can refer to her lack of faith in Jesus’ Resurrection. She realized that the stone that covered the entrance to Jesus’ tomb had been removed. She did not deal with the empty tomb since she did not enter it. She preferred to run back home and announce to the disciples. She reported to Peter and the “other disciple whom Jesus loved” that Jesus’ body had been taken from the tomb by an unknown plural pronoun “they.” She employed another plural pronoun, “we,” associating others with her lack of faith when she said, “[And] we don’t know where they put him.” The plural pronoun “we” could be Mary of Magdala and perhaps Peter, and this other disciple, or she with another woman (or other women) who may have been with her at the tomb but was not mentioned in v. 1. The two disciples ran toward the tomb. The “other disciple” ran faster than Peter and arrived before him, but he let Peter enter the tomb first, perhaps respecting Peter’s leadership. They both saw the same evidence of the empty tomb: the burial clothes and the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head rolled up in a separate place. The “other disciple” believed, but the narrator said nothing about Peter, whether he believed or not. In v. 9, he mentions that they did not yet understand the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. Then, he concludes the story in v. 10 that the lectionary has omitted by informing the readers that these two disciples returned home.
1. Liturgical Context
All
of today’s Scripture readings testify that our Lord has risen; he is alive.
Three witnesses (Mary of Magdala, Peter, and the “other disciple”) give us the
report of their experiences of the “empty tomb” (Gospel). Peter summarizes
Jesus’ life and calls us to believe in Jesus’ Resurrection to receive
forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ name (first reading). Because we are now
raised with Christ and start a new life with him, Saint Paul exhorts us to seek
and think of what is above, not what is on earth (second reading).
2. What
the Church Teaches Us Today
In
the Gospel, three witnesses share their experiences of the empty tomb of Jesus.
Mary of the Magdala goes to the tomb on Sabbath (Sunday for us Christians) in
the darkness, not in a group of women, as in the Synoptic Gospels, but alone
without fear. She knows she cannot remove the heavy stone from Jesus’ tomb
alone, but she still goes. Her love for Jesus gives her the strength to
overcome the darkness of fear, worries, and doubt. She is determined to go
toward the light, Jesus. We are called to imitate Magdala. We should strengthen
ourselves by the love Jesus has for us and overcome the darkness of fear,
worry, and doubt we experience daily. We
cannot let our dark moments prevent us from coming to Jesus. When our dark
moments depress and confuse us, we should seek help from others, especially the
Church, as Mary of Magdala seeks help from Peter and the “other disciple.”
Peter
and the “other disciple” ran toward the tomb of Jesus. The “other disciple” ran
faster than Peter. Notice that the narrator describes this “other disciple” as
the disciple Jesus loves the most. The love Jesus has for him and each of us
increases our energy and makes our faith in Jesus run faster. Let us
spiritually run faster to encounter Jesus at the sacraments, especially the
Eucharist and Confession, and through our brothers and sisters.
This
“other disciple” is the first to arrive at the tomb, but he waits for Peter to
enter before him because he respects Peter’s leadership. In their experience of
the empty tomb, both disciples see the same evidence (the burial clothes and
the cloth that had covered his head rolled up in a separate place), but the
narrator mentions just the “other disciple” who believes; he says nothing about
Peter. The narrator comments in v. 9, “For they did not yet understand the
scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” This comment contrasts
understanding and believing, reason and faith. Reading v. 8 in parallel with v.
9, we learn that for the Resurrection of our Lord, we should use our faith in
Jesus before we can figure out intellectually how Jesus’ Resurrection can be possible.
Jesus’ Resurrection is a matter of faith, not of scientific proof. In our own experience of the empty tomb,
Jesus’ love for us and our love for him must lead us to believe in his
resurrection before we even try to understand it. Since we experience the empty
tomb and believe in Jesus’ Resurrection, let us now share our own experience of
Jesus’ Resurrection with our brothers and sisters as Peter did in our first
reading.
Knowing
the context of our first reading is essential to comprehending it. Our first
reading is a speech attributed to Peter on his visit to the house of a Roman Centurion
named Cornelius (see Acts 10:34-43). This Gentile Cornelius was a generous
supporter of the Jewish community in Caesarea. One day, while praying, he had a
vision and was told to invite Peter to his house. (10:1-8). Peter also had a
vision while he was praying. In that vision, God told him to cancel specific
food prohibitions that kept both Jews and Gentiles separated from each other.
Note that because of this prohibited food, Jews and Gentiles could not enter
each other’s homes (10:9-16). The Spirit of God told Peter to go to the house
of the Gentile Cornelius (10:17-23). So, Peter, a Jew, entered the house of
Cornelius, a Gentile, and dealt with many other Gentiles he found there, namely
Cornelius’s household, relatives, and friends. The first thing that Peter did
was to acknowledge in their presence that Jews (including himself) were not
supposed to associate with or visit Gentiles. But in the vision, God showed him
that no human being is to be considered “profane or unclean.” Thus, Peter broke
the tradition that separated Jews from Gentiles (10:24-29). In his turn, Cornelius
explained his vision to Peter and why he invited him (vv. 30-33). Our first reading
story picks up from here.
Peter
delivers his testimony to the Gentiles and each of us about the central mystery
of the Christian faith. The first words of Peter’s speech are found in vv.
34b-35, which the lectionary omitted from our first reading passage. In these
words, Peter encourages unity between Gentiles and Jews and between us and our
fellow parishioners, family members, and everyone. He says, “In truth, I see
that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and
acts uprightly is acceptable to him.” (10:34b-35). The message of the
Resurrection of Christ that we bring to our brothers and sisters should not be
one of division but of unity. The new life that the Risen Lord offers us is the
new life of togetherness. Let us break all barriers of division that separate
us from one another and start a new life of unity with Christ. Peter continues
his speech by summarizing Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Jesus went
about doing good and healing all the oppressed people. He was crucified and
raised by God. He appeared to the apostles as the witnesses chosen by God in
advance. Jesus commissioned them to preach and testify that he is the one God
appointed as judge of the living and the dead. Those who would believe in Jesus
would receive forgiveness of sins through his name (vv. 37-43). Here, our Holy
Mother Church reminds us that we, Christians, are the successors of the
apostles, who witnessed Jesus’ events. As
he did to his apostles, Jesus commissions us today to go wherever we live,
teach the people, and testify about the mystery of the Empty Tomb. Jesus is
risen; he is alive, and everyone who believes in his resurrection obtains
forgiveness of sins.
Now
we begin a new life with the Resurrected Jesus. Saint Paul then invites us, who
are raised with Christ, to seek now not of what is on earth but of what is
above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Col 3:1-3). Let us bring
the message of hope of Jesus’ Resurrection to everyone, especially those who
are desperate.
May
the mystery of the Empty Tomb that we celebrate in this liturgy fill our hearts
with the joy of Jesus’ Resurrection. Amen.
Happy Easter!
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church in Jackson, MS
&
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
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