Third Sunday
of Easter (Year A)
Luke 24.13-35
St. Gregory’s, Long Beach
Alleluia!
Christ is Risen!
The
Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
While
each of the four Gospels contain accounts of the resurrected Christ appearing
to his disciples, they all vary slightly in the details—in terms of who is
actually present and in the specific circumstances. The one consistent detail
across all four Gospels is that on the morning of the resurrection, Mary
Magdalene goes to the tomb. In John’s Gospel, she is alone. In all the others,
she is with other woman—exactly which women varies slightly. In three of the
four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and John—the Risen Christ appears to Mary Magdalene
and whoever else is with her. And only after this initial appearance to the
Magdalene does the Risen Christ appear to the eleven remaining apostles. Here
we must be very intentional in terminology. Jesus had more than just twelve
disciples. He had lots and lots of unnamed disciples. Mary Magdalene and
various other women were among this broader category of “disciples.” But
according to the Gospels, he only had twelve apostles (meaning messengers), the
inner circle who were with him throughout his three-year public ministry, who
are specifically named in the Gospels. Personally, I would argue that Mary
Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus should also be included in the list of
named apostles, but that is another matter for another time.
With
that as background, today’s post-resurrection account from Luke’s Gospel is
unlike any other in the Gospels. What we hear today is Luke’s account of the
first post-resurrection appearance. Unlike the other Gospels, the Risen Christ
does not appear to Mary Magdalene at the tomb. She does go to the tomb, but
only encounters an angel, not the Risen Christ. In today’s Gospel, Luke reports
a first post-resurrection encounter that varies so significantly from the other
Gospels to seem like a completely different story altogether.
In
this account, typically referred to as the “Road to Emmaus,” the Risen Christ
does not appear at the tomb in Jerusalem nor anywhere else in Jerusalem, as in
other accounts on the Day of Resurrection. This account, unique among all the
documented post-resurrection encounters, occurs in the middle of nowhere, on a
dusty road somewhere between Jerusalem and an obscure village called Emmaus. A
place that Biblical scholars do not even know where it was located, other than
within a seven-mile radius of Jerusalem. A place that archaeologists have yet
to find, if they ever will. A place that was barely known in Jesus’ time, and
which is lost to us in our own. And more intriguing than the place of this
post-resurrection experience, is who the Risen Christ choses to first reveal
himself to. He does not appear to Mary Magdalene. He does not appear to Peter
or any of the other apostles. Rather, he appears to two unknown disciples. Men
who obviously were followers of Jesus, although not among the named apostles.
In fact, while one is actually named in the account—Cleopas—the other is
unnamed. An omission or intentional?
Read more!
