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John 20:1-9
They always hugged the coast. During the time of Homer, Greek sailors never sailed out of sight of land. When they sailed, they hugged the coast because any seagoing ship would be lost. According to their belief systems the sea was filled with deadly monsters. Their "map of reality" limited their travels, suggests John Alexander in his book, The Warrior's Edge. A "Reality map," is a way of looking at the world. It is a belief system.
For centuries, European sailors navigated by reality maps that told them the world was flat. If you sailed too far, their belief systems said, you'd fall off. Christopher Columbus changed all that. It's interesting to observe though, that Columbus's own reality map told him he'd found India when he landed in the New World.
In 1597 another young sailor returned to his home port in Madrid, Spain. Juan Combe had been to the New World, and he was quite a celebrity. People flocked to hear stories of his ventures among the Indians. He was wined and dined, the toast of the town. Then one day it rained, and Juan Combe walked through the streets of Madrid wearing a wonderful cape that kept him and his clothes dry.
The superstitious folks thought this cape must be magic. Juan explained that such rubber coated capes were widely used by the Indians in the New World. But his explanations didn't satisfy the authorities who arrested him. A judge examined the curious garment, questioned Juan at length, and then gave his verdict. Juan was declared guilty of wearing a cape through which water would not pass. Juan was obviously interfering with the Will of God, who sent the rain "to drench the just and the unjust." Such evil interference was witchcraft punishable by death. That was what their reality map told them about rubber. Do you see how limiting reality maps can be?
"The wrong reality map can kill you," says John Alexander, "because your reality map sets your expectations. The right reality map can free you, vindicate you, or make you a hero. For individuals, nations, and cultures, all empowered by belief systems, reality maps are often the place where history is made, and fates decided."
I wonder, what is our reality map? What is our belief system? What beliefs guide our lives? There was a time when our reality maps said life ended at the grave. The actress Sarah Bernhardt kept a coffin at the foot of her bed so she could see it without effort on waking. It never left her presence even during her travels. She explained, "This is to remind me that my body will soon be dust and that my glory alone will live forever." Sarah Bernhardt's reality map told her that life ends at the grave. She wanted a coffin to remind her of the urgency of her work. And why shouldn't she? Her reality map told her there was no legitimate hope of life after death. She might as well make the best of this world because it's the only world there is.
"I don't know anybody," says Woody Allen, "who can contemplate death and hum a tune at the same time." If our reality map tells our life ends at the grave, wouldn't it be natural to try to extend life as long as possible? No wonder people yearn for some method by which they can cheat death. Their reality maps tell them it's the end.
This was the reality map the friends of Jesus were operating under that first Easter. The picture we get from the New Testament is of a group of people who were totally demoralized. As far as they were concerned, their dreams were futile. Their master was dead. There was nothing left for them to do but go back to their nets, their tax tables, their kitchens, and try to forget. It was all an illusion following this Galilean who spoke of abundant life, but now was dead.
He promised a new kingdom, but kings don't die on a cross like a common criminal. Jesus spoke of God as his Father, but when he needed God most, God disappeared. How foolish they'd been to give up their dreams to immerse themselves in his dream. He was dead and with him, everything he ever stood for. That's how Jesus' friends felt that first Easter morning. It was over. Finished. But that was before they found the stone rolled away and their reality maps were forever shattered.
The accounts of that first Easter morning are a little jumbled. Each of the Gospel writers gives a distinct perspective. It's not surprising. What we have are eyewitness accounts. Such accounts are usually jumbled. All the accounts agree Mary Magdalene was the first to reach the tomb and with the other women found the heavy stone rolled away. The tomb was empty. Can you imagine the impact this event had on the lives of Jesus' followers? Never again would they think of death in the same way. Once a reality map has been shattered, it can never be put back together. When a stone is rolled away, the world can never again be the way it was. Death had been conquered. Jesus' teachings had been validated. The lives of those who followed Jesus would now have extraordinary meaning and purpose and energy because the stone rolled away.
Consider something a friend of Pastor Roger Kruger, of Little Rock, Arkansas, discovered. This friend once had an opportunity to go deep sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. He had only fished in small lakes so he was looking forward to this experience. Well, the fishing turned out to be a bust. Still, he had a great time. He was especially enthralled by the sunrise and the sunset over the Gulf. Never had he been able to see the entire horizon as the sun rose and set. The rapidly changing colors were awe inspiring. Since he had his camera along, he took many pictures. Later when he examined his pictures, however, he couldn't tell which were of the sunrise and which were of the sunset. They all looked the same.
Thanks to the empty tomb death is like that for believers. To many it appears to be an end: the end of a life, the end of a relationship, a time of great sadness, a sunset. But for those who believe in Christ it is a sunrise, a beginning, the beginning of life with God. Easter Sunday changes our reality maps concerning death and the meaning of life. An enemy becomes a welcome friend. The stone has rolled away.
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Rev. Charles Eldredge is a member of Maitland Church of the Brethren. He has a Facebook page and can be contacted by email: ce1133 @verizon.net.