An Easter Revelation
For one of my assignments at college I had to do an exegesis of a passage in the book of John. The one I chose was John 20: 11-18, the first appearance of Jesus after his resurrection. In the research of this I had something of a small epiphany and was rather moved by what I had found.
Considering it is Easter I realised it was the perfect time to write a little bit about my findings (don't worry I won't give you my whole essay...)
The two main people in this passage are Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Now the fact that Jesus chose to appear to Mary first has been a point made by many feminists proclaiming how Christianity calls for us to show equality as Jesus did. However I believe this passage goes a lot deeper than highlighting equality. Whether the first person Jesus chose to appear to was a woman does not necessarily matter so much in what I am about to say. What matters is the person who Jesus appeared to was the same person who was so often referred to as 'the sinner' or 'the woman who sinned.'
We are often taught in churches that Jesus did not come for the healthy, but for the sick. He spent his earthly life ministering to those in need, the outcasts of society, the sinners. It seems somewhat natural then that even in his resurrection his focus was on those who were in need of his salvation.
The message of the cross and resurrection itself is one of forgiveness, giving new life to those who's lives are a mess. The appearance to Mary, the sinner, was not to highlight gender equality (although it could also be interpreted as that) but to highlight that the message of the resurrection as a gateway to new life and freedom from sin.
At the end of this passage Mary runs to tell the disciples about Jesus' return. This presents a stark contrast to the previous accounts of Mary going to the disciples. In her labeling as 'the sinner' Mary only went to the disciples when she was in need. This however changes so dramatically in this passage as the goes, not in need but as a bringer of good news!
You may think this does not really affect you in anyway seeing as the way Mary is portrayed prior to this passage is being so sinful and beyond any help. Yet that is why it directly applies to you! We all fall short of God's standards and are all in need of forgiveness and the message of the cross. That is why these 7 verses are so powerful. The very first person Jesus chose to reveal himself to was not some high flying person but the one who is known as the sinner. Although Mary probably didn't fully grasp the deep theological truths of that momentous moment in regards to her salvation, she believed. Do you? X
Considering it is Easter I realised it was the perfect time to write a little bit about my findings (don't worry I won't give you my whole essay...)
The two main people in this passage are Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Now the fact that Jesus chose to appear to Mary first has been a point made by many feminists proclaiming how Christianity calls for us to show equality as Jesus did. However I believe this passage goes a lot deeper than highlighting equality. Whether the first person Jesus chose to appear to was a woman does not necessarily matter so much in what I am about to say. What matters is the person who Jesus appeared to was the same person who was so often referred to as 'the sinner' or 'the woman who sinned.'
We are often taught in churches that Jesus did not come for the healthy, but for the sick. He spent his earthly life ministering to those in need, the outcasts of society, the sinners. It seems somewhat natural then that even in his resurrection his focus was on those who were in need of his salvation.
The message of the cross and resurrection itself is one of forgiveness, giving new life to those who's lives are a mess. The appearance to Mary, the sinner, was not to highlight gender equality (although it could also be interpreted as that) but to highlight that the message of the resurrection as a gateway to new life and freedom from sin.
At the end of this passage Mary runs to tell the disciples about Jesus' return. This presents a stark contrast to the previous accounts of Mary going to the disciples. In her labeling as 'the sinner' Mary only went to the disciples when she was in need. This however changes so dramatically in this passage as the goes, not in need but as a bringer of good news!
You may think this does not really affect you in anyway seeing as the way Mary is portrayed prior to this passage is being so sinful and beyond any help. Yet that is why it directly applies to you! We all fall short of God's standards and are all in need of forgiveness and the message of the cross. That is why these 7 verses are so powerful. The very first person Jesus chose to reveal himself to was not some high flying person but the one who is known as the sinner. Although Mary probably didn't fully grasp the deep theological truths of that momentous moment in regards to her salvation, she believed. Do you? X
This is fantastic! That's a whole new insight for me too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this, Rebecca :)
It was so fascinating looking into this passage, one of my favourite essays of the year by far! :) Glad you enjoyed it x
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