The Pastor’s Reflections

Before we reflect on two important sayings of Jesus, we need to review the incident that preceded this passage. Jesus had healed a man who had been born blind. The Pharisees immediately involved themselves in the incident. They twice interrogated the man who had been healed, and even questioned his parents in an attempt to discredit Jesus. They accused him of being a sinner because he cured the man on the Sabbath. They had previously spread the word among the people that anyone who said that Jesus was the Messiah would be excommunicated from the Jewish community. At the end of the account the religious authorities followed up on their threat and dismissed the man from the synagogue.

Jesus found the man he had healed. He was still in the area. The Pharisees were keeping a watch on him but Jesus found a private moment and declared to him that he was indeed the Messiah. He then spoke loudly enough for the Pharisees to hear. “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see might become blind.” (John 9:39) Jesus then addressed the people who had been listening. This is the passage for our reflection.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.” (John10:1) In Israel’s past, several prophets had criticized the leadership of the religious leaders, “the shepherds of Israel.” Jesus built on their image, simultaneously condemning the Pharisees as unworthy shepherds, and prophesying about himself.

Building upon the image of the shepherd, Jesus presented a picture that was familiar to his audience. Towns had a communal pen for the shepherds of the area. Each evening they would herd their flocks into the sheepfold. In the morning each shepherd would come by and call to his sheep who would immediately respond to his voice, separate themselves from the others, and follow him out to pasture.

“Whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep…the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow the voice of a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” (John 10:3-5)

The case Jesus was making was clear to everyone, including the Pharisees. The people were listening to Jesus, and calling themselves his disciples. They found his message compassionate and liberating. He spoke of God as their Abba, daddy, who loved them. The Pharisees based religion on scrupulous adherence to the law. Jesus condemned them for it because they had corrupted religion, turning it into a lifeless multitude of do’s and don’ts. “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to carry, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they do not lift a finger to remove them.” (Matthew 23:4) Jesus immediately continued developing this image of the shepherd. In towns, the communal sheep pen was secured by a strong door during the night. In the summertime, however, the shepherds spent the nights outdoors in the fields. Scattered through the countryside were other communal pens. These didn’t have a door, however. So the shepherd slept in the opening to the pen. A robber or wild animal would have to walk over him to get to the sheep. The “good shepherd” was a noble man willing to put his life on the line for his sheep. “Amen, amen, I say to you. I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy. I came so that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 7-10)

Jesus held himself up for comparison with the Pharisees. He was the good shepherd willing to lay down his life for the sheep. The Pharisees were thieves who stole the religion of Israel. They destroyed the religion of Israel by removing its heart and replacing it with lifeless laws. These laws effectively shackled the people. The Pharisees made the people slaves of the law. Jesus offered them the life and the freedom of the children of God.

All of us can benefit from contemplating Jesus’ two profound statements: “I am the sheep gate,” and “I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus has called each of us to a life of loving service, clergy and laity, each in our own way. It isn’t easy. Each day we have to lay down our lives for one another. Each day we have to resist the temptation of glorifying ourselves. Each day we have to wash each other’s feet in loving service.

The first reading for this Sunday is very well known. It’s a description of the early Christian community. Here are the major points. They devoted themselves to the teachings of Jesus as presented by the Apostles. They lived a communal life, and some even sold their possessions donating the proceeds to support the greater community. Sill connected to its Jewish roots, they continued to go to the Temple every day for prayer. In addition, they met in each other’s homes to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist. Their way of life attracted many who joyfully joined them. I point this out because I want to connect it to the Gospel passage for today, another very well-known passage – the story of doubting Thomas.

Thomas’s story begins on the Sunday of the resurrection. A group of disciples have gone into hiding in a rented space in Jerusalem. They’re afraid that the Jewish authorities might be looking to arrest them. Suddenly, Jesus appears. They’re shocked and frightened but Jesus reassures them and wishes the Shalom, peace, perfect peace. He shows them the wounds of his crucifixion. This is no ghost. This is Jesus – for real. He even performs a ritual with them. He goes up to each of them, embraces them and breathes on them. In that breath he shares his Spirit with them and then commissions them. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”

This is powerful stuff! Jesus is telling them to take up his ministry! Later that day, one of the

disciples, Thomas, shows up. Of course, everybody is excited and relates all that Jesus did and said to them. Thomas interprets the moment as mass hysteria. He doesn’t want any part of this. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

The following Sunday the group is once again assembled and Thomas is with them. Jesus appears just as he appeared the Sunday before and immediately invites Thomas to touch his wounds. Without any more hesitation Thomas makes a profession of faith. “My Lord and my God.”

John, the Gospel writer, leaves the scene and directly addresses you and me. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

This account of the resurrection is a warning and an invitation. A warning? If you’re searching for the risen Lord, you won’t be able find him on your own. An invitation? Look for the Christian community, it is anointed by Christ who breathed his Spirit into it. They pray together, support one another and celebrate the Eucharist together.

You’re invited to hear his voice in the testimonies of the faithful and in the Scriptures we read. You’re invited to gain your strength by partaking of the bread of life. You’re invited to continue your faith journey with the community of faith – with the community that has not yet seen but has believed.

The first reading for this Sunday is very well known. It’s a description of the early Christian community. Here are the major points. They devoted themselves to the teachings of Jesus as presented by the Apostles. They lived a communal life, and some even sold their possessions donating the proceeds to support the greater community. Sill connected to its Jewish roots, they continued to go to the Temple every day for prayer. In addition, they met in each other’s homes to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist. Their way of life attracted many who joyfully joined them. I point this out because I want to connect it to the Gospel passage for today, another very well-known passage – the story of doubting Thomas.

Thomas’s story begins on the Sunday of the resurrection. A group of disciples have gone into hiding in a rented space in Jerusalem. They’re afraid that the Jewish authorities might be looking to arrest them. Suddenly, Jesus appears. They’re shocked and frightened but Jesus reassures them and wishes the Shalom, peace, perfect peace. He shows them the wounds of his crucifixion. This is no ghost. This is Jesus – for real. He even performs a ritual with them. He goes up to each of them, embraces them and breathes on them. In that breath he shares his Spirit with them and then commissions them. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”

This is powerful stuff! Jesus is telling them to take up his ministry! Later that day, one of the

disciples, Thomas, shows up. Of course, everybody is excited and relates all that Jesus did and said to them. Thomas interprets the moment as mass hysteria. He doesn’t want any part of this. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

The following Sunday the group is once again assembled and Thomas is with them. Jesus appears just as he appeared the Sunday before and immediately invites Thomas to touch his wounds. Without any more hesitation Thomas makes a profession of faith. “My Lord and my God.”

John, the Gospel writer, leaves the scene and directly addresses you and me. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

This account of the resurrection is a warning and an invitation. A warning? If you’re searching for the risen Lord, you won’t be able find him on your own. An invitation? Look for the Christian community, it is anointed by Christ who breathed his Spirit into it. They pray together, support one another and celebrate the Eucharist together.

You’re invited to hear his voice in the testimonies of the faithful and in the Scriptures we read. You’re invited to gain your strength by partaking of the bread of life. You’re invited to continue your faith journey with the community of faith – with the community that has not yet seen but has believed.

The Easter gospel invites us, as a community, to travel back in time to a garden that’s just a short distance outside the walls of Jerusalem. We’re standing in the predawn darkness, but we can see that there’s a tomb there. It’s cool and very quiet. Jerusalem is just beginning to wake up. It’s Sunday and the work week will soon begin.

In the distance we see a woman making her way down the hill to the garden. She goes directly to the tomb and sees that it’s open. The quiet is broken by her sudden cry. As she looks into the tomb her cry becomes a heartwrenching wail. She turns, runs back up the hill and disappears through the city gates. We listen as her cries gradually fade. We turn our gaze back to the empty tomb just as the pink rays of dawn appear along the horizon. We can see a bit more now. There are some burial clothes neatly folded and resting on the shelf where a body would have been placed. The cloth used to wrap the face was rolled up and not with the others. Again, there’s movement at the city gate. The same woman is returning. She has two men with her. They’re running, the woman is first followed by a young man. The other man lags behind them.

The young man and the woman arrive first. The woman is still crying. The young man stands beside her. They stand outside the tomb watching the other man, who’s elderly, hurry toward them. He goes directly to the tomb and looks in. For a long moment he studies the shadowy tomb. The moment he moves away the young man looks in. He looks for only a moment. He turns around. His face catches the morning light. He’s smiling yet there are tears running down his cheeks. No one says a word. The two men leave the tomb in silence. The woman, still weeping, remains. The scene ends here.

There’s so much more to this account, but the Church only gives us this one scene to think about today. Who are these people? What are we to make of this scene?

This is the beginning of the story of the resurrection of Jesus in John’s gospel. The woman is Mary Magdalene. Jesus cleansed her of seven demons. She became his fervent disciple and even supported him during his mission. Loyal to the end, she stood at the foot of the cross keeping vigil as he died. The young man is the apostle John. It’s his account of the event that we’re reading today. Simon Peter is the older man who was given the title “rock” by Jesus.

Mary loved Jesus deeply. She came to the tomb blinded by her tears and overwhelmed by her sorrow. The young man, John, looked into the tomb and believed that Jesus had transcended; Jesus was the Christ. The elderly Peter, was puzzled by the empty tomb. He returned to Jerusalem wondering what had happened there.

Through this short gospel passage the Church is focusing the attention of her children on the empty tomb. These three people represent us – all of us looking into the tomb. We respond in different ways.

Mary looked into the tomb and saw only darkness. She was blinded by her personal loss. Mary was stuck in time. She knew Jesus and she loved him but now he was gone and she was in deepest mourning. Unlike John who “saw and believed” Mary was blinded by her sorrow. She wasn’t yet ready to see the transcendent Jesus, the Christ.

John, the mystic, looked into the tomb and realized that Jesus wasn’t dead. The burial clothes were neatly folded. The stone was casually rolled away. It was obvious that death had no power over him. Jesus had stepped out of the constriction of time and space. He had conquered the cruelty of the world. He was the universal Christ. He would be present until the end of time.

Peter left the tomb wondering “what rising from the dead meant.” He knew Jesus was no longer in the tomb. No one stole his body; the condition of the tomb gave no evidence of that. If he had risen from the dead where was he now?

Mary, John and Peter represent all of us. Some of us, like Mary, are good, dedicated people. We love deeply. We aspire to follow Jesus and his teachings but, somehow, we can’t see beyond the cruelty of the world and we can’t overcome our fear of death.

Some of us, like Peter, are slow to understand. Believing is a long and difficult process. It involves not only our minds but our hearts.

John represents the Church, those believers who, from the day they looked into the empty tomb, have proclaimed Jesus Lord, resurrected and with us, feeding us with his very life at the Eucharistic table. John represents the Church who throughout the centuries “sees and believes.”

This account of the resurrection will continue. In the next scene Jesus will speak Mary’s name. She’ll see him, recognize him and fall at his feet to worship him. She’ll come to be remembered as the first witness to the resurrection. In another scene, Jesus will ask Peter three times if he loves him. Each yes will heal his heart. Healed, he’ll join the resurrected Christ in shepherding the Christian community until the day he himself will be crucified.

The empty tomb is a challenge to our faith. It forces us to ask what “rising from the dead means.” Each of us is Mary. Each of us is Peter. We listen to hear him call our names. We assure him that we love him. We gather with the Church at the empty tomb. In chorus we whisper, “My Lord and my God.”