“It seemed like an idle tale”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Sunday, April 17, 2022

Luke 24:1-12 (Forward, p. 78) CEV p. 1097

Translations render this response of the disciples, all male, to the women’s report of finding the tomb empty and hearing from the two angels, in varying ways, but all of the renderings are profoundly dismissive. It seemed to them—the male disciples— ‘an idle tale’, ‘all nonsense’ (CEV), ‘a fairy tale’ (The Living Bible). It gives the impression that these disciples thought that the women were ‘seeing things’, caught up by ‘their emotions’, hallucinating etc. It was written off as stupid or useless talk, or even as a fiction, a lie. They were accused of ‘making it all up.’ In a world where the testimony of women was not accepted in a court of law unless it could be backed up by a man, this present disbelief of what the women had truly seen and experienced on the part of men was even disrespectful and demeaning, even more harrowing and disingenuous on their part.

But, to me at least, even apart from the fact that this is exactly how women have often been treated—just think how often they have been excluded ‘from the table’ when important issues are raised and discussed—it also speaks of how people are often reluctant to take seriously, address and accept straight-forward, undeniable evidence when it is clearly set before them. This certainly has often been the case in terms of the resurrection. Some Biblical scholars have declared it to be one of the most and best substantiated facts of history, and yet there are many who try—totally unsuccessfully, I would say—to dismiss it or explain it away. They suggest that Jesus did not really die but just swooned and was later revived in the stone-cold sealed tomb. Or they suggest that the women—and the men—went to the wrong tomb, that the ‘real’ tomb still contained Jesus’ body. Or they suggest that it was a mass hallucination—some 500 witnesses in all. But none of these ‘supposed’ explanations stand up to the light of day. None of them stand up to any sustained examination. But still these sceptics try, they still ‘write it off’ as ‘an idle tale.’

However, isn’t it just like how some people treat all sorts of other pieces of information these days. They write it off as ‘fake news’, as a deliberate fabrication, etc. We have heard this in the political discourse coming to us from both our own Canada and the United States, and we hear it more recently from Russian sources concerning the terrible, horrific things that their forces have perpetuated in Ukraine.

So, how do we deal with this question of sorting out what is real and true from what is not? First, let me suggest, that we seek out multiple sources, sources that come from varying directions, and sources that appear to be reputable and science or evidence based. And then try to get information from as close to the source as possible, from people who have been there and have experienced it for themselves. And, if the event has been personally experienced by us, then that is great. And If the sources do not appear to have any personal motive, personal axe to grind, or derive any personal gain from it, then all the better.

We can see all this at work in the Resurrection. It is attested to, not only by the gospel writers, the apostles and the early church, but also by secular, non-Christian sources, much of it very close in time to the actual events. And in the case of the first disciples, this ‘story’ was maintained literally for years upon years, often at the cost of their lives. (No one would ever hold on to and maintain a bold, known and deliberate lie when faced with those consequences). It has been studied and critiqued by people who were very skeptical, who went to it determined to disprove it, and who yet, after looking, examining, the evidence declared it to be true. And then there are the thousands of people who have accepted Jesus into their own lives and found that He is indeed still alive and present with us, and who have found that His claims ring true within their own experience. So, there is no ‘idle tale’ here, but only the ring of truth. Amen.

Forward notes: “The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen’” (verse 5).

“Easter is about resurrection. As we retell the story, we relive the resurrection of Christ that happened so long ago. We also experience how this story brings about resurrection in our lives today.

“The question before us is whether we will acknowledge that new life in ourselves, the world, and the people around us. Will we celebrate new beginnings or look for the living among the dead? Will we make a fresh start or continue bad habits? Will we forgive or hold grudges? Will we seek to meet the needs of others or prioritize our own pleasure and comfort?

“Will we see Christ in the living and life-giving aspects of who we are and could be?”

MOVING FORWARD: “Are you ready to live into the love and grace of Jesus’s resurrection? Reread the Easter story in Luke and then go and tell the Good News.”