Sunday 17 April 2022
Easter Sunday
Acts 10:34, 37-43. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad – Psalm 117(118):1-2, 16-17, 22-23. Colossians 3:1-4 / 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. John 20:1-9.
He must rise from the dead
We know that ‘to see, is to believe’, but the encounter in the empty tomb also demonstrated a seeing that involved a contemplation and perception of more than the immediate reality. The Gospel writer uses three different Greek verbs of the English translation ‘to see’ to express a gradual revelation of the Easter truth. Outrunning his older companion Peter, John stopped outside to bend down and look within the tomb. From outside, he ‘saw’ (blepei – Greek: simply observe a material object) the linen cloths described by Mary. Making his way past John, Peter crawled into the tomb and ‘saw’ the scene (theorei – Greek: contemplate, discern, scrutinise), trying to make meaning from the evidence. Finally, the initially hesitant John entered into the tomb and ‘saw’ (eiden – Greek: understand and perceive the significance of) in a second loving gaze, what would be the beginnings of his belief in the risen Jesus.
Email this Print This Page
