A Finished Work – John 20:1-7 – Part II

 

A Finished Work – John 20:1-7 – Part II

(Easter Sermon 2004)

 

Essentially, the folded cloth which legend holds of the sacred, “Shroud of Turin,” that covered Jesus’ face is found lying aside separate from the other burial clothes. Presumably in the wee hours of the morning during the fourth watch of the night when we believe the actual resurrection occurred; Jesus rose from the dead. Like  the good, industrious and faithful carpenter that He was, Jesus took His burial, cloth and folded it neatly and left it in a corner. Thereby, He indicates that he totally defeated death and built an eternal home for all believers.

 

Rather than building a glorious and grand edifice, Jesus builds the church, ecclesia, the confessional community of disciples who devote their lives to studying and implementing Christ’s teachings. These persons proactively dedicate their lives to Christ and elect to live according to His teachings and principles regardless of the social mores and cultural norms of the dominant culture in which they live. The Fourth Evangelist uses the detail of the folded cloth to dramatically depict the purpose of Jesus’ incarnation. He builds the church upon the foundation of His sinless life as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He spends three and a half years in a seminar with the disciples wherein He teaches them the principles of the kingdom of God. Succinctly, Jesus teaches the “new Law of God’s love” as an expansion of the Torah. The “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew and the “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke crystalize this teaching. Although he was a carpenter by trade, Jesus possesses an incredible insight into the laws and character of God. His three and half years of public ministry with an especial concentration upon the twelve disciples with an inner circle of Peter, James and John prioritized building a foundation for the church and expanding kingdom of God.

 

That folded burial cloth demonstrated the saying on the cross, “It is finished!” It signified the completion of Christ’s earthly mission and purpose. He conquers death which biblical authors describe as the final enemy. More importantly, Jesus liberates humankind to live freely, happily and joyously to the glory of Almighty God. The fear of death imprisons countless persons. Fundamentalist religion becomes a glorified penitentiary for many disciples as they misguidedly assume they must earn God’s approval and grace through strict adherence to rituals, rites and creeds. The elder brother in the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” remains the enduring archetype of the self-righteous religious person who lives as a slave to dogma, orthodoxy and religiosity rather than a son. Jesus personifies the necessity of seeking a vibrant relationship with God rather than utilizing religion to justify yourself before God.

 

You recall in the temple scene when Jesus overturns the money changers and accuses them of defiling the house of prayer and transforming it into a den of thieves. That provocative act demonstrates the fallacy of religion. Therein, Jesus condemns the longstanding practice of the hereditary priesthood of manipulating religious practices such as sacrifices to exploit the masses. Jesus in contrast encourages listeners to investigate the Law and Prophets and find God. He summarizes the Law in His reply to the rich young ruler by stating “The Great Commandment.” “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Jesus further states that the entire Law and teachings of the Prophets rest upon the foundation of the “New Law of Love.” The folded burial cloth represents the final act of completion and construction of the church.

 

Notwithstanding the seminars with Jesus over an extended period of years, His followers misinterpreted Jesus’ purpose and mission. They assumed that Jesus would use His divine and miraculous powers to overthrow Rome militarily and politically. They anticipated the restoration of Israel to the glory days of Kings David and Solomon. Members of the inner circle, Peter, James and John, asked for coveted positions in the kingdom of Christ. They asked to sit on His left and right hands. In today’s terms, they joined the presidential campaign expecting victory and prized Presidential Cabinet positions. It was as if one brother sought a guarantee of becoming the US Secretary of State and the other desired assurance of being the Secretary of Defense or Treasury. I suggest we extend some forgiveness and graciousness to those disciples instead of judging them for being selfish. For centuries, these people expected the return of a Davidic Messiah who would erase the longstanding degradation of Israel emerging from the Assyrian sacking in 722 BCE and the Babylonian captivity in 587 BCE. Those colossal destructive events permanently injured Israel’s collective psyche. The presence of Roman soldiers in their neighborhoods and the priesthood’s subjugation to the government were the latest iteration of Israel’s loss of standing. Tax collectors were reviled by the average Israelite as they disdained any brother who would assist the Romans in exacting tribute on behalf of the Roman oppressors.

 

Nevertheless, Jesus’ followers resolve that He would employ His divine abilities to achieve a seminal political victory that eluded them for centuries. Yet, they failed to understand that Jesus’ kingdom would not rely upon political, military and economic power. Instead, it would usher in an age in which God’s love would surpass human might. It would reorient society’s values and priorities. Humankind would begin to share God’s love with each and extend to each other the same consideration that they want. Ideally, they would codify these new spiritual principles into law and daily living. This renaissance of religion would fulfill the grandiloquent vision of the Old Testament prophets. Yet, Jesus’ followers fail to comprehend the vision of God’s kingdom. Though they did not see the kingdom which Jesus details, He takes the time to fold his burial cloth to verify His accomplishment of eternal salvation for all disciples by irrevocably destroying death.

 

The evangelist cautions against excessive spiritualizing of his Gospel. He desires that his readers personalize the message by applying it within their daily living and internalizing its principles. Henceforth, their choices in professional and personal relationships would redefine social structures, allocation of resources, coalitions in governance and redirect religious devotion toward a relationship with Almighty God. Biblical scholars and commentators divide the Gospel of John into main parts: “The Book of Signs – Chapters One to Eleven” which culminates in the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead and “The Book of Glory – Chapters Twelve to Twenty-two” which records Jesus’ ascendancy as the “Son of the Living God” who redeems humankind through His glorification through crucifixion, death and resurrection. Jesus’ final miraculous sign occurs in a quaint cemetery on the outskirts of Bethany. Surrounded by a small crowd of mourners, He fantastically raises Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, from the dead after four days of decomposition and entombment.  

 

That final sign offers enduringly earthly hope to disciples and anyone who has faith that he or she can experience resurrection from existential death. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus assures the disciples that they possess the power to triumph over any adversity. Defeat and failure emerge in myriad ways from unprofitable and insolvent businesses to loss championship games to unjust termination of a job to bitter and inexplicable divorce. Wrongful conviction and unjust incarceration additionally contribute to death and destruction of the nearly 250,000 persons whom advocates for criminal justice reform posit are languishing in the nation’s prisons. This dastardly fact reflects the paralysis that a considerable number of people experience considering the possibility that they may not have committed the crimes for which they have been imprisoned. Alcoholism and other types of addictions are kinds of existential death as victims cease to live meaningfully while ensnared to mental, spiritual and physical obsessions to drinking, narcotics, eating, sex, gambling, debt and other compulsions. Such people disregard all other people and purposes in their lives. Loveless relationships and marriages can morph into types of relational and experiential death. The past hurt and pain that result create resentment, anger, bitterness and strife. Those toxic emotions kill creativity, happiness and joy. If people on that side of unrequited love do not progress toward forgiveness of the persons who rejected their affection, they die daily. Dickens’ indelible character, Miss Havisham, in Great Expectations remains the archetype of a scorned, unrepentant, exceedingly bitter and lifeless victim of unrequited love. Throughout life, disciples and others swing along the pendulum of these regrettable experiences. The resurrection of Lazarus, a common name in the Ancient Near East, in a nondescript graveyard on the outskirts of town promises resurrection to anyone who believes. The promise of Christianity and the assurance of resurrection is a gift for disciples.