The Gardener

Gospel: John 20: 11-18

There are multiple ironies in Mary Magdalene mistaking Jesus for the gardener in this Gospel story.  John has situated us back in Eden: the cross as the tree of life; a man and woman at the tree; two streams; and the garden itself.  John imagines the death and resurrection of Jesus as events that return us to our original condition in Eden prior to the fall of our first parents.  It is only fitting that Mary Magdalene finds the Lord here in this place.

Jesus is in fact the gardener in two senses.  First, as the one present in the beginning of creation in John's understanding of him Jesus is present at the creation of the garden of Eden.  Second, this original garden was given to Adam as the first gardener.  Jesus as the new Adam becomes the one who has restored the garden to its original state, the one who will continue to oversee the restored garden going forward so that it will continue to bear good fruit.

Mary Magdalene, for her part, is the new Eve who receives this new fruit as Eve had done, and like Eve will bring this fruit to others.  She is the first to receive and share this new garden.  She becomes the model for us both in receiving this new fruit and in sharing it with others.  We become workers in the vineyard of the master gardener, the Lord Jesus, who has restored us to our original dignity and blessed us with abundant fruit to share with others. 

Fearful Yet Overjoyed

Gospel: Matthew 28: 8-15

The women have some fear at accepting this mission to tell the men about the resurrection of Jesus, and for good reason.  They know that the men won't believe them.  Throughout the Gospels the men have not believed angels about the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus.  They have not believed women about those things either.  The men have not even believed Jesus when he spoke about his impending death and resurrection.  The women know for certain that they will not be believed.

The men will likely be indignant as well.  How could the women be the first to encounter the risen Jesus? How can they be entrusted with passing on this message to others? From that time on the menfolk have made sure the women would be silenced, and that Mary Magdalene's personage would be maligned later in history by the menfolk.  The women have plenty of reasons to have fear at receiving this mission and carrying it out.  

Yet despite the fear, the women proceed with the mission, given added encouragement from the Lord who appears to them to reassure them.  The Lord himself knows the men will not believe the women; they did not believe him!  We too are sent into an unbelieving world to live a life of joy and hope because the Lord is risen.  We too may have both joy and fear, but know we also have the encouragement from the Lord to go ahead anyway, that his presence is with us, and that it is enough.   

Clear Agreement

Gospel: John 20: 1-9

The four Gospels disagree on a number of items and details in the life, death, and post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus.  However, in terms of the Resurrection itself, there are a number of points of agreement:  the tomb of Jesus was empty; Mary Magdalene and other women kept vigil at the tomb and were the first to see the risen Jesus; the women were the first to announce this Good News to others; the men-folk did not believe them.  All four Gospels agree on these points.  

We began the Gospel stories of Jesus' birth with women who had incredible stories to tell, and men who did not believe them.  Without the women we would not have these stories of Jesus' birth.  We now end the Gospels with women with an incredible story to tell, and men who did not believe them.  Without them we would not have the accounts of the resurrection of Jesus.  All we would have of the Gospels are a bunch of men who continually get it wrong in belief and in following Jesus.  

For those churches who continue to exclude women from ministry in the church these stories stand as an indictment to persistent toxic masculinity that somehow becomes "the tradition" to which they insist we must adhere.  The Resurrection of Jesus is our continual hope and witness against this false tradition, that the ministry of the risen Jesus is a ministry for all in bringing hope and healing, faith and liberation, love and nourishment to a world in need of these things.