It was Rabbi Eliezer in the first century who says it most clearly,
"Better burn the Torah then teach it to a woman." Looking
for a witness-someone to testify to the truth-just the facts.
Someone who would get the details right and not be subject to
emotion or distraction. Someone who could stand up to the cross
examination of those who would bring doubt to the testimony. Certainly
we would want a witness of clear, strong, up-right moral character--someone
above reproach. Certainly the list of questionable witnesses would
be far longer than those who are most credible. A child under
age 10--doubtful a teenager would be any better--how about a drug
dealer off the streets-a known felon--how about an extortionist--probably
not a murderer--and in the first century--definitely not a woman.
Yet that is exactly who our gospel lesson for today identifies
as the first witness to the greatest event the world has ever
known--a woman--Mary of Magdala--the first witness to the resurrection--referred
to by the early church fathers as "the apostle to the apostles."
Our lesson is a familiar Easter text usually approached in sermons
by considering how Mary is surprised to find the tomb empty and
then further surprised to meet Jesus in the garden outside the
tomb. The focus of such sermons is the Easter theme of resurrection
and the miracle of new life revealed in Christ's resurrection--but
that is the Easter text.
Today is July 22nd--our lessons this morning are intended to focus our attention on the commemoration day of Mary Magdalene which is designated as July 22--and when July 22nd is a Sunday the lessons and theme for the day shift from the seemingly endlessly numbered Sundays after Pentecost to the special lessons assigned to honor the woman from Magdala. We are invited to hear the texts in a new way--focusing this time not on the miracle of the resurrection but on the impossible fact that it is a woman who is the first witness to the resurrection. To fully grasp the surprising power of this version of the message--as presented in our Gospel text this morning we need to first understand the depths of emotion and cultural weight that stood against this portion of scripture ever even being preserved. Do you believe that there is life on other planets? Let me push that question a little further--do you believe in UFO's? What would it take to convince you? If I told you that I had met an alien from another planet would you believe--or would you discover new doubts about me as your pastor? What kind of witness would you believe? How about a trained engineer with military background who was President of the United States? Most people don't know that President Jimmy Carter actually filed a UFO sighting report that is still on file with the Defense Department--and we might note that the certainty our country and people in general have about the existence of UFO's does not seem to be any more conclusive. But Mary of Magdala saw Jesus on that first Easter morning--a Sunday morning--and although she at first mistook him to be the gardener--when he said her name she knew instantly who it was that stood before her. He commanded her to go to the disciples and so she did--announcing in five simple words what should have been impossible to believe--"I have seen the Lord."
A UFO sighting and a resurrection sighting--by our time in history the number of people who have claimed to have seen a UFO is probably many times greater than the total of people who saw the risen Christ--But in terms of impact on world history and people's lives there is no comparison. "I have seen the Lord"--The tradition in the early church has become quite confused concerning Mary Magdalene. It seems that the church fathers--being raised in the chauvinistic traditions of their day --simply could not accept that a woman would be the first to see or speak with the risen Christ--Surely they thought the Lord would have been more discerning. Many of the traditions identify Mary with the woman who anoints Jesus' feet and is described as needing forgiveness for her sexual sins. Having been forgiven of personal sins that would separate her from society--it is argued that Jesus might have selected her as a further witness to his grace and love by making a special appearance to her--it just happened to be his first. But there is really no scriptural basis for such a judgment on the woman from Magdala--in fact, most modern scholars question the identification of Mary of Magdala with the unknown sinful woman --seeing this tradition as more likely the product of the church's discomfort over Mary's central role--a woman's central role--in bringing the Easter message to the disciples. One church father (Origin) actually suggests that Mary's going to the tomb is proof of her lack of faith since she went looking for the dead Jesus in the tomb--that is some how supposed to be more significant than the fact that when Jesus finally appears to the disciples in the verses immediately following our text for today He must appear to them in a room that has been locked by the disciples out of fear. Mary meets Jesus in the bright light of a garden morning--the disciples are encountered by Jesus while they coward behind closed and locked doors at night.
Who stands bolder in witness to the faith? But Mary is a woman--and the witness to the resurrection should be someone worthy--someone with the proper standing before God. The world has not changed so much since the first century. Then as now good news is seldom allowed to stand for long--and few good deeds go unpunished by someone who has to find a way to turn them into something less than noble, good or true. While we might think we live in a cynical world and time--the story of faith--our nation--our world--finds it hard to let any moment of glory last for long. This medicine can save your life--now let me tell you about the possible negative side effects. This program will be good for your children--but let me warn you about what others might say about your priorities. The announcement is made that Jesus is risen--To our modern minds in a Lutheran church in the northern suburbs of Chicago we have no problem--and it matters not the least that a woman is the bearer of the message--after all, we have a woman pastor who presides at our altar. But what if?
The story is preserved to us by faith--against all cultural odds--Most of the other accounts of the resurrection make no mention of Mary of Magdala. Paul's summary sermon recorded by Luke in the second lesson today from the book of Acts makes no special mention of Mary--even though we know that Luke also had a strong interest in recording Jesus' rather counter--cultural position of including and empowering women. What if this story is preserved by faith to challenge us also in our thinking about the newness of the kingdom Christ brings through his resurrection. What if we are also to be considering the voices that we would least trust--the people we would least expect to be the bearers of good news coming into our lives. Who might that be?
The witnesses to a world that have different priorities and order from our own--not just in some liberal social political agenda way but in the hard moments of dealing with real people. Who are the voices in our lives that make us least comfortable? Where is the claim of Christ in their words? What if they were to stand before us claiming to have seen the risen Christ--would we--could we--believe them. And if we did believe them how would that change our relationship with them. But we live cynical lives suspicious of even the most seemingly best intention. The other day I watched two of the neighborhood children playing. They were sitting on the curb talking when the younger brother got up and ran into the house--a few minutes later he came out with two cookies and gave one to his sister. They sat on the curb eating--then suddenly he got up again and ran to the house and came out this time with two drinks. When he got up a third time to run into the house I heard her say to him, "You're a nice brother, you know. But you're still not using my computer" "I know," he said. "You know?" she said. "Yeah," he said, "but now you're going to feel bad about not letting me." And he ran off laughing.
We live in sophisticated but cynical times--but around the edges of our lives are feelings of guilt that maybe we should trust a little more--believe a little more willingly--give a little more of our life into the gospel. "I have seen the Lord." Whether the disciples believed her or not, the truth is that they had now been told--much like each of us. We have been told repeatedly that this Jesus who was dead is alive once more--alive and moving among us. Most of us really don't have much trouble with that message--we have heard it preached to us for most all our lives. The challenge is really to deal with the witness to those words --the fact that time an again we hear words that sound suspiciously like this Jesus and the one who speaks is someone we would prefer not to hear. I hesitate to even begin to guess who such a witness might be in your life--I know I have tried to block them out--press them out of the realities of my world--leave them in the newspapers--on the television--tucked away in places where I don't have to deal with them except in the most intellectually abstract ways. I want trust the government and social service agencies and foreign powers and economic advantage to keep the witnesses to my faith reliable and safe. But there is this woman--the first woman--willing to proclaim the truth that has been revealed to her in spite of all that tradition and culture and society and religion and the world might have preferred. And Jesus said to her, "Mary!" If only he hadn't called her by name--if only he didn't call each of us by name--baptized into his name--accepting His body and blood given and shed for you--for us--for me. Old Rabbi Eliezer proclaimed in the first century, "Women are sanctified through the deeds of men." He was close to right--not just women but all humanity is sanctified through one man--And Mary of Magdala saw him first.
Amen.