The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day, rcl yr a, 2026
JEREMIAH 31:1-6; PSALM 118:1-2, 14-24; ACTS 10:34-43; MATTHEW 28:1-10
he is going ahead of you to Galilee
Matthew’s Gospel, as it tells the the story of the first moments of the resurrection, does something odd. When Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, go to the tomb where Jesus was laid very well-dead, they encounter an angel of the Lord. And “the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised.’”
So it seems clear that we have established at least one thing about Jesus that particular Sunday morning: “He is not here.” The angel does say, though, where he might be found: “he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.”
So what happens next? Do the women at the tomb, and the other disciples, rush to Galilee to see Jesus? Nope! They don’t have to. Because as soon as we establish Jesus’s absence—“he is not here”—and then where he is supposed to be—“he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him”—Jesus just shows up, he just shows up a few steps away from the tomb, where he was not supposed to be. After leaving the tomb, as Matthew tells it, and long before anyone has arrived in Galilee, “Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him.”
Between Jesus and the angels, are they just teasing these poor disciples? ‘Ah ah ah, he’s not here! But I can tell you where he will be, he will be in Galilee!’ Except then not there either. Because he is here. Jesus just shows up, long before anyone gets to Galilee, only to say again … ‘Yeah, sorry, hi there. Here I am.’
The same thing happens in Mark’s longer ending, by the way: disciples are told: find Jesus in Galilee! Only for Jesus to show up unexpectedly elsewhere.
Much of this can be explained in that the gospel writers were working perhaps with different traditions, different community stories about Jesus’s appearances after the resurrection, and perhaps not worrying too much about getting all the details just right, but instead trying to faithfully convey as many of the community stories as they could tell. And that is interesting in its own right.
But I rather like this notion, and the way that especially Matthew tells the story as a whole, about Jesus after the resurrection. Is he here? Nope. He’s there, go there. Ok, so let’s go there! Nope. He’s here instead! Before we even start the journey to get there, he’s here! And now he’s telling us to go there! Eventually they do find Jesus in Galilee, but not for long, because there, Jesus sends his disciples away, still saying, as they all part ways, Jesus says, “I will be with you until the end of the age.”
Part of me is very tempted to tell you, with great confidence, “Are you looking for Jesus? Look no further! Jesus is here or Jesus is there.” And in a few different ways, I can do that. Jesus is here—in the church that is the body of Christ. Jesus ishere—in the sacrament of his body and blood. Jesus is there— in the neighbour you will meet as soon as you step out of the building today.
But the way these stories are shared with us, particular in Matthew’s Gospel, ought not to undermine our confidence—Jesus was found, after all, in Galilee—but they sure should make us question whether Jesus, in his freedom, can be grasped. John’s Gospel tells this in its own way, in that mysterious saying of Jesus at the tomb, when he says to Mary, “Do not hold on to me.”
What we can take from this, in how we are told that Jesus will be in some certain place on the path ahead, only for him to appear before we expect it, and then for us to carry on that path to find him, only to find him, and then to part ways with him, and for him to say at that parting, nevertheless, that he will be with us until the end of the age.
For me, I find it somewhat encouraging that Jesus is not to be grasped, or held. It’s partly a way of saying that Jesus is beyond our control, that we cannot coerce Jesus to be what we want him to be, for Jesus to be ours and ours only. I find it hopeful that Jesus is at once with us, and for us, but not predictably so, and not according to our own desires, but rather according to his own. He cannot be tamed; he will not operate according to our expectations. Jesus is not an item on a political agenda, Jesus cannot be used according to our own desires, or our own ends. Spend a bit of time in church, and see if Jesus acts just as we want him to! I’m afraid, with the Spirit that makes Jesus present to us, there comes a good dose of unpredictability.
But it’s not just that; what if we were to make Jesus in our own image, a force to be grasped for the sake of where we want him to be, doing what we want him to do. A Jesus that represents my own political interests, or my own selfishness, or my own warped desires for comfort? It would be to place ourselves in the place of God. But Jesus is well beyond our own grasp. He cannot be held according to our own desires. Instead, Jesus goes ahead, bringing us with him.
He is not here, he is there. And before we are even there, he is here. And when we get there, he sends us away, still promising that he is with us. Reminding us that our work is not to lead him, or find him where we want him, or to grasp and control him, but rather, we are to follow him—out of the tomb and into the world, first to Galilee with the disciples; and then to the ends of the earth, and not simply for our own sake—but for the sake of the world he loves.
Angus Sinclair was appointed Director of Music of St. John the Evangelist on February 1, 2023. Having graduated in 1981 (Honours B.Mus.) in organ performance from Wilfrid Laurier University, he went on to distinguish himself as a church musician, recitalist and accompanist touring in both Canada and the UK. For over 40 years Angus has served parishes and congregations throughout Southwestern Ontario as director of music. He experiences his present appointment to St. John’s as a welcome homecoming, both spiritually and musically.
As our parish musician, he provides both support and leadership so that a variety of parish programs can find musical expression and attract participation. When our handbell choir is in season, he is one of our ringers. At parish dinners, he provides popular piano music for the guests to dine by. For both worship services and concerts, he will rehearse and accompany vocal and instrumental soloists from our congregation on piano, organ, or even accordion.
Angus Sinclair was appointed Director of Music of St. John the Evangelist on February 1, 2023. Having graduated in 1981 (Honours B.Mus.) in organ performance from Wilfrid Laurier University, he went on to distinguish himself as a church musician, recitalist and accompanist touring in both Canada and the UK. For over 40 years Angus has served parishes and congregations throughout Southwestern Ontario as director of music. He experiences his present appointment to St. John’s as a welcome homecoming, both spiritually and musically.