Jesus Keeps Playing Hard To Get

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’ And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back-it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were afraid. And he said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go; tell the disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you. And they went out and fled from the tomb, for they were trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

The MyrrBearing Women

Here, among trembling, fear and hope, Mark’s drama ends…There is no sighting of the Risen Lord, no hands in his sides, no Road to Emmaus, and certainly no glory filled ascension.  It's a strange way to end a story of good news. And while most of today's Bibles tidy up the story by adding an alternate ending, of the nearly 6,000 Greek manuscripts available, none of them have the remaining 11 verses we read today.  This veiled attempt to clean up Mark’s mess limit the beauty of the text.  By leaving the story incomplete, Mark is inviting the reader to provide the ending. His discipleship drama will only continue if the apostles,  and if we the reader, choose to accept the call to ‘Go and meet Jesus in Galilee’, to continue the pursuit of Him even in the midst of fear and uncertainty.   New Testament scholar Ched Meyer writes, “The abrupt ending without a resurrection appearance points emphatically to the still future character of the kingdom of God.  Jesus’ disciples at the end of the story find themselves suspended between the news of the resurrection and the experience of the risen Lord.”  This is the exact same place we find ourselves…Joy and frustration give birth to indecision and fear as Jesus remains elusive, just out of reach but still calling us to meet him in an age of ambiguity. 

This rightful ending to Mark’s story summons the reader to embrace the tension of discipleship.  First, we are summoned to continue to follow Christ’s example even without him. Discipleship requires nothing less than what was demanded of him.  In fact, the young man’s invitation ought to provoke trepidation in us, if we take it seriously.  As Bonhoeffer paraphrased, “When Christ calls a person, he bids them come and die.” Will we flee, or will we Follow?   Simultaneously, joy is experienced not only in the pursuit of the risen Lord, but also in the promise of complete, cosmic redemption.  The game has not been lost, darkness does not prevail, sickness and death do not triumph, evil has been dealt with once and for all and at His appearing, we will be like Him.

But in the meantime, we live in the present age which is “an anomalous interval in which the ‘already’ and the ‘not yet’ of redemption exist simultaneously in dialectical tension.”[iii]  We live in the “time between Times”; the end of one age and the beginning of another have overlapped.  A time when the world’s true Lord is still waiting his Final consummation and vindication…Our future hope is near, and yet we are entreated to join in Christ’s suffering now.[iv]  This temporary point along the historical timeline finds us living under the thumb of sham Caesars requiring our political, social, and spiritual allegiance.  Like the souls under the alter in revelation we ask, “How long oh Lord”? “How long is murder, mayhem and injustice going to rule this horrible world.”? But God answers, this isn’t a horrible world, it is a good world that I made and that through my grace I am making new.  I’m cleaning it up and it will happen in its proper time.   And when it finally happens, we won’t say “why did it take so long”, we’ll say, “Now we see, that’s the way it was supposed to be.”

Living between the ascension of Jesus and His ultimate appearing marks a very unique moment in the grand narrative of human existence; a moment that is building to a second climax, which is the fulfillment of God’s kingdom on earth as it now is in heaven.   The Jesus event ushered in a new world, a new creation and a new historical age that is being fulfilled daily relationship by relationship, economy by economy, village by village and will ultimately find its completion with his appearing.  But this will only happen if we accept the challenge, to continue to follow our ‘just out of reach’ Lord. Our call is to join the disciples, not standing gazing into heaven wishing for instant kingdom culmination, but rather in their work restoring relationships, binding broken hearts, welcoming outcasts and setting the addicts free. 

Going ahead to Galilee requires our pursuit of a world where power and position are used for service rather than self-promotion, where authentic relationships are built on trust rather than manipulation, where work is fulfilling and rest is sweet, where economics resist the temptation to stock pile wealth in the hands of the few, but rather divides her surplus equally, where equality trumps hierarchy and privilege, and tables are welcome for all who choose to join in the feast.  These can be characteristics of our time, as we allow the Kingdom to direct our steps.    But doing so requires understanding, humility, soberness and discipline as we balance the current, fallen state of things while living out the promise that Christ’s kingdom has already dawned, but not yet reached its final consummation. Joy and suffering are present, and Christ-followers must expect this paradox to continue while embracing the role to live as Christ until his return.

So come, join him in Galilee toiling for peace, justice and righteousness; become his hands and feet by uniting your life, passions and gifts with His spirit work in this world. And in so doing,  we help bring the present rushing forward into the ultimate consummation of His future, when God will be all in all as the waters cover the sea.