2nd Sunday of Easter A - Homily 2

Homily 2 – 2011

 It is so hard for us to grasp the impact of Jesus’ crucifixion on the disciples, because we can see things only in the light of resurrection.  None of them expected resurrection – at least any exception to the fairly general Jewish expectation of the resurrection of the just on the last day.  We tend to send up “poor old doubting Thomas”.  But, with the exception of the Beloved Disciple, none of the disciples could believe it until they saw the risen Jesus.  Even Mary Magdalene, who discovered the empty tomb, assumed only that the dead body had been stolen.

It is hard for us to get inside their skins on the Friday night and Saturday.  Jesus was dead.  Dead – that was it! – crucified.  He had been mercilessly tortured, dying in agony, degraded, dishonoured and utterly shamed.  To the Jewish mind, the horrendous death by crucifixion was seen as indication of the victim’s being abandoned by God – cursed by God.

He had been killed; and they had done nothing about it, [other than clear out and save their own skins].  He had been their idol, their guru.  They had left everything to follow him. He had fascinated them, set them dreaming and fanned their hopes.  They were good people.  They warmed to his message, and to his ways of going about things.  He had preached love, love even of opponents.  He had warned against violence, or any use of force, as a means to change, change for the better, for salvation.  He was firm about that – and refused to back off from it. That was why he was dead.  It had got him nowhere, and even God, apparently, had finally abandoned him.  He was dead.  It was all over.  They couldn’t believe it.  Their lives were suddenly empty. 

No wonder they weren’t open to resurrection.  It was totally off their radar.  He had died – cursed by God.  No wonder, eight days later, Thomas still thought that the other disciples were kidding themselves or seeing things.  No wonder he would be convinced that it couldn’t be an hallucination only if he saw the actual wounds of Jesus – that he was the one who had died crucified.  But, if it really were Jesus, then God had obviously not cursed him.  God was not involved only in his rising, but also must have been somehow present to him in his dying.  God played the same rules as Jesus.  God was on about love, especially love of opponents, on about the renunciation of all force or violence as the way to saving the world from its mess.

Of course, that realisation may have taken longer to sink in.  Perhaps, he needed to experience personally in the risen Jesus the obvious absence of blaming, of shaming or of scoring a point.  He needed to hear Jesus say to him, respectfully, caringly, gently, Peace be with you.  Touch my hands.  Touch my side.  I forgive.

Perhaps, only those who have confronted their own weakness, their own fears and their own betrayals are safe to let loose on the world to bring the message of forgiveness to everyone who is truly guilty – not to judge, but to love responsibly: As the Father sent me, I now send you.