March 28, 2013       Daniel Daring       Daniel's previous reflections

He saw and believed – Easter Sunday
           Acts 10:34, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9

The poll conducted by Scripps Howard/Ohio University from February 19 to March 3, 2006 found out that 68% of American adults believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but only 36% of them believe in “the resurrection of the body.” The similar poll conducted in the year 2003 by Harris Poll, revealed that there is a higher level of belief among women than men, people aged above thirty than those aged 25 to 29, and those with no college education than those with postgraduate education. The polls also revealed, however, that 25% of those who believe in Jesus’ resurrection contradict their faith by upholding a belief in reincarnation.

The Gospel of John narrates that early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, and having seen the stone being rolled away, thought of only one possible explanation: “the body was stolen!” Peter, after entering the tomb and seeing “the strips of linen” and “the burial cloth,” went speechless, unable to comprehend what had taken place. The beloved disciple, however, “saw and believed.” What made him into the “first believer” of Jesus’ resurrection without even seeing the risen Lord? What triggered his faith in the circumstances where others were unable to believe nor comprehend?  

Memory  

“The guard passed by, insulting me” – writes Victor Frankl in his recollections of the Auschwitz experiences – “and once again I communed with my beloved. More and more, I felt that she was present with me; I had the feeling that I was able to touch her, able to stretch out my hand and grasp hers. The feeling was very strong: she was there. Then, at that very moment, a bird flew down silently and perched just in front of me, on the heap of soil which I had dug up from the ditch, and looked steadily at me.” (His wife and almost his entire family had been wiped out in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany).

We have an amazing ability to store knowledge and information and to recall past events. This amazing ability of our mind – memory - allows us to think and talk about things, events and personalities that are not present in our immediate environment. The beloved disciple had a sharp memory, and it did not fail him at the very moment of seeing “the strips of linen” and “the burial cloth.” It carried him all the way back to that special evening at the Cenacle; he communed with Jesus and heard him saying it again:  

      “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3).

      “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:18-20).

      “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me” (John 16:16).

      “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  

The memory of Jesus’ words was so vivid, and the feeling of His presence was so strong that the beloved disciple knew that Mary Magdalene and all the others were mistaken: the body was not stolen!  

Trust  

Mike, a first grade student of an elementary school, went for an outing with his teacher and all his classmates. It was a part of the school curriculum to allow the children to discover the beauty of nature. They were heading towards a mountain-village, where they were supposed to spend the night. Suddenly, a cobra came out of the grass and lifting its head, began a “war dance” in preparation for a strike. There was nothing to be done. Everything happened so fast and it was a matter of seconds before the snake would sting one of the children. Mike quickly approached the cobra and ordered it firmly: “In the name of Jesus, stop and go away!” To everybody’s surprise, the snake slowly lowered its body and disappeared amidst the bushes. Asked by the teacher where he learned what he did, Mike answered: “In my Sunday school. Our teacher always tells us that Jesus’ name has power over everything.”

To trust is to believe that someone is honest and means no harm. The disciples spent a lot of time in Jesus’ presence, listening to His teaching and seeing His actions. Step by step, moment by moment, they realized that Jesus was a person of integrity: there was no discrepancy between what He said and what He did. His words and actions often challenged them and many left Jesus in the course of his ministry, “Many of his disciples said, ‘this is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’” (John 6:60), but they could not question his honesty and integrity. The beloved disciple was one among those who learned to trust Jesus and to take Him by His word. This trust led him to such a faith that Jesus’ every word and promise was taken at face value. Having seen “the strips of linen” and “the burial cloth,” therefore, the beloved disciple realized that the scene signaled Jesus’ victory over death:  

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life [for the sheep] – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father” (John 10:17-18).  

Conclusion  

Believing in the resurrection of Jesus may go along with beliefs in reincarnation, transmigration, astrology, and so on, but it is not the kind of faith that can be called Christian. Believing in the resurrection of Jesus may be confined to a dogmatic teaching about the fact, reality and proofs of His resurrection, but it still falls short of what is expected of a Christian. To believe that Jesus is alive means to commune with Him, to recall His words recorded in the Gospels, and to sense His presence when everything tries to tell you that He is absent. Such faith can only spring out of your personal relationship with Jesus, of your trust in Him. The beloved disciple saw and believed, because he remembered and trusted. Will you follow his example?