Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Monday, April 21, 2014 Read John 20:19-23 John does not tell us the response of the male disciples to Mary Magdalene’s proclamation. Luke tells us that when the women made their announcement to the male disciples they thought it was an idle tale, but John provides no report of a response. Instead, John moves immediately to the first appearance of Jesus to his disciples. If we briefly examine the other gospel writers we discover that Mark provides no resurrection appearances. Mark simply ends his gospel with the women fleeing in fear and saying nothing to anyone. Only Matthew tells a story of the guards going to tell the chief priests what had happened. Remember, Matthew has told us that the guards witnessed the descent of the angel and the rolling back of the stone. What these guards made of this event is not reported – only that they went to the chief priests to report it. Matthew tells us the chief priests immediately invent a story of the disciples coming and taking the body of Jesus out of the tomb while the guards were asleep. The guards are promised protection should the news reach Pilate’s ears. And so the first deception begins. It is remarkable that people can witness the very same thing and that some come to faith and others persist in unbelief. Matthew tells us the guards do as they were told (Matthew 28:11-15). Matthew will now go on to tell of an appearance of Jesus to his disciples on a mountain in Galilee where Jesus commissions his disciples to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. Jesus does exactly what he said he would do and what the angel had said in Matthew and in Mark – he goes ahead of his disciples to Galilee and there they see him. Following this commissioning Jesus ascends into heaven (Matthew 28:16-20). Luke’s gospel is more like John’s than either Mark or Matthew. Luke begins by telling the story of two disciples on the road to Emmaus who encounter Jesus but do not recognize him. In this way they are a lot like Mary Magdalene in John’s gospel. Along the way Jesus interprets the scripture for them and in the end of the story they recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Mary Magdalene recognized Jesus when her name was spoken. Holy Communion does the same for the Emmaus travelers (Luke 24:13-35). Word and Sacrament create faith! Luke then goes on to tell of an encounter of the risen Jesus with his disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem. This encounter sounds a lot like the encounter John tells his readers (Luke 24:36-49). Finally Luke tells of Jesus leading his disciples one last time to the Mount of Olives and ascending into heaven (Luke 24:50-52). Once again we are struck by the similarities and the differences. For his part John tells a story of Jesus appearing to his disciples in a room with locked doors on the evening of the day of resurrection. It is clear that John and Luke are dealing with the same story of an appearance of Jesus to his disciples in Jerusalem on the evening of the day of resurrection. In John’s story, the disciples have heard Mary Magdalene’s good news but apparently they have not believed it – the doors are still locked for fear of the Jews. We have noticed John’s theme of “fear of the Jews” which may be speaking to people of his own day at this point as well. In the room Jesus reveals himself to the male disciples just as he did to Mary Magdalene. Now they too rejoice! They join Mary Magdalene in adequate and full belief. In a report that sounds something like Matthew commissioning on the mountain in Galilee, John tells of Jesus commissioning his now believing disciples for mission. They are to join Mary Magdalene as evangelists. John also reports a bestowing of the Holy Spirit upon these disciples. Luke will save that story for a later time after telling of Jesus being present with his followers for forty days following his resurrection (Acts 2). The language John uses in the bestowing of the Holy Spirit is reminiscent of the creation story where God breathes the breath of life into Adam (Genesis 2:7). Here Jesus breathes the Spirit into his followers. But a significant happenstance is reported in the story. Thomas is missing. How will the good news and the commissioning continue? We will meet that story tomorrow.