Sunday, April 4, 2010
Easter Emptiness
I really struggle with being patient, especially when it comes to the big things in life: job decisions, raising a family, decisions about where to go and what to do. I want to know the answer now and I don't want to wait.
In the Christian tradition, we have one day specifically assigned for this period of waiting, of uncertainty. It is Holy Saturday - the day after the death of Jesus on Good Friday, but before the joy of Easter morning when we celebrate the resurrection.
But today I'm thinking that even the story of the resurrection was a challenge in waiting and uncertainty.
The empty tomb was an unexpected twist in the plot. A confusing, frustrating, disconcerting event for those who first experienced it. They were not immediately over-joyed, but rather they were upset, frightened and fearful.
It's agreed amongst biblical scholars that the book of Mark originally ended this way:
16:4But when [the women] looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "
8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid." [emphasis added]
In our contemporary bibles, we have more verses added (vs. 9-20) and they provide a comfortable resolution and peace to the end of the story. But initially, the closest followers of Jesus were confused, afraid, and completely lost - not just after Jesus' death but when they saw the empty tomb as well.
For myself and several of my close friends, the past few weeks have been a challenging time filled with unexpected events, questions, uncertainties and fears about the future. Many of us live this way every day - standing on the edge of a combination of decisions and changes just before us, all of which put us in a state of uncertainty about life. We think that this is a bad place and we try to get through it. We offer words of comfort, assurances of prayer and quips from Scripture about "God working everything out for the good."
Maybe this state of uncertainty and emptiness is the truest state of faith, and the place that God is always trying to get us to. Jesus experienced it just before he went to the cross, and probably through the full ordeal of the passion. And the followers of Jesus experienced it when they saw the tomb was empty. It was not what they were expecting. They were confused, challenged, afraid, and didn't know what was coming next.
That same feeling is very familiar to me. I have no idea what is coming next.
And that is how I am celebrating the empty tomb this Resurrection Sunday. Not as an assurance that "all is going to be OK," but as an embrace of the emptiness and uncertainty of a life followed close to Jesus.
3 comments:
Great post Jesse this is a really interesting way to think about the Resurrection. You should link this on the cohort blog as well.
I'm not sure I'm tracking with you Jesse. I think the sticking point for me is equating not knowing what's next with "emptiness". I believe a major part of faith is experienced in a wonderful tension between hope/expectation and being in a place where the future is not clear. The mystery and unexpected twists that our lives take are part of the package. Dealing with such challenges by ourselves, alone, would indeed be disconcerting.
Because Christ is risen I encountered Him. It changed me. I knew emptiness before I knew Him. My relationship with Him has filled me up. I can't see what's ahead. I don't have all the answers. I've got uncertainties. I do have a connection with God. I've got a peace, a joy and a love that neutralize fear and replace the emptiness. Those things aren't something that I manufacture rather they seem to be the natural byproduct of the relationship. Those byproducts empower me to do life in a way that I could never describe as "emptiness".
So I sail on through the uncharted waters of life not knowing what's over the horizon. And I'm learning to focus more on my immediate surroundings like this ships deck that is my life in this world today. Dealing with those things that are within reach and trusting Him with what lies ahead out there over the waves. There's that tension again:)
It's Easter, I can't help but be happy!
love to all
Right on Scot. I don't think "emptiness" is always the best word for that uncertainty of what is ahead. It is just part of the Easter story, and provided an easy title for the blog :)
You bring up the really important other side of faith - there is an assurance, a peace, and a certain amount of connection and relationship that we experience that is real. And obviously Jesus eventually spoke with his disciples face to face again, and they had comfort and a level of understanding.
But then he ascended and they were confused again. They waited in uncertainty until Pentecost and the Holy Spirit came. There is a lot of back and forth....
I like the analogy of the ship sailing toward a horizon. We have a certain level of knowledge and certainty about what is on deck, but what is ahead is a mystery - and really the whole experience is overwhelming.
Thanks for chiming in Scot - I appreciate it - happy Easter!!
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