Image by Ksenia Kudelkina (Unsplash)
Karen Hollis | April 14, 2024
Easter 3
Luke 24:36b-43 Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched.
Thecla 23:1-25:2 And Paul was fasting with Onesiphorus and his wife and children in an open tomb as they went on the road from Iconium to Daphne. And when many days had passed, as they were fasting, the children said to Paul, “We are hungry.” And they had nothing with which to buy bread, for Onesiphorus had left behind the things of the world and followed Paul with his entire household. And Paul took of his robe and said, “Go, child, and buy more bread and bring it back.”
But when the child was buying bread, he saw his neighbor Thecla and was astounded. And he said, “Thecla, where are you going?” And she said, “I am looking for Paul; I was saved from the fire.” And the child said, “Come, I will lead you to him for he is mourning for you and has been praying and fasting for six days already.”
And when she was brought to the tomb, Paul was kneeling and prayed, saying, “Father of Christ, do not let the fire touch Thecla, but stand by her because she is yours.” But she rose behind him and cried out, “Father who made heaven and earth, Father of your beloved Child, Jesus Christ, I praise you because you quickly granted what I asked for, and you heard me.” And there was much love in the tomb, Paul rejoicing, and Onesiphorus and all of them. And they had five loaves and vegetables and water and salt and rejoiced at the divine works of Christ.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be reflections of your word to us today, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen
As I mentioned earlier, since the end of January, a growing group of people have been gathering on Wednesday mornings to study The Acts of Paul and Thecla. We’ve been on a wild ride with this story that includes so many twists and turns, to which we respond with resonance, confusion, and outrage, as we courageously and respectfully dialogue with the text and one another.
This is the first time I’ve led a Bible study on a book that isn’t actually in the Bible and it’s a very different experience, because while much of the conversation in our gatherings comes from individual insights and connections, I like to prepare by consulting a study Bible and a commentary or two . . . but for Thecla, these resources are almost non-existent.
My only really helpful resource is an online discussion group I’ve been attending this year about this same book. So, it’s been a very different experience to engage with insight that is emerging in real time as we collectively unpack the story. So, I thought this morning we could walk around in the text a little bit and see what we notice about the resurrection and anything else that might emerge within us.
As Barb shared, the story opens with Thecla hearing Paul preaching out her window in the courtyard of her neighbour’s house, and for three days she remains there. She’s fixed on his words and something in them wakes her up. Thecla’s mother and fiancé try to get her attention, but her focus remains on Paul. The two of them become quite distraught and actually have Thecla arrested, after which she is sentenced to be burned at the stake for refusing to marry. Standing there on the pyre, bound to a wooden post – which might evoke a crucifixion image in one’s mind – Thecla prays in the name of Christ to be spared, after which a storm cloud forms above her head, and just dumps rain down on the fire, putting it out. Thecla is then turned out of the city and she begins searching for Paul. She happens to run into her neighbour, a child who is buying food for his family and Paul, who are all traveling together. The neighbour child brings Thecla to the open tomb, where they are gathered and have been resting and fasting. When Thecla finds Paul praying for her to be spared from the fire, she jumps out from behind him, and they celebrate God’s goodness . . . that her story of death has suddenly become a story of life . . . and here she even finds herself in an open tomb.
It took a minute for open tomb to land for me . . . it evokes a slightly different image from the empty tomb of Easter morning. The tomb is now simply and exquisitely open . . . it is inviting, a place of safety and rest on the road, and a place for prayer and celebration. They gather there and celebrate that Thecla, who was once condemned to die, now lives . . . in this space where even the reader can sense the reverberation of Christ’s own resurrection . . . which seems to have something to do with Thecla not only receiving her life again, but a new life she’s found in Christ.
They are all overjoyed and hungry and must eat together, because remember they’ve already been fasting for six days! On the seventh day – the day of rest and completion – they break their fast and prepare – what was it? – bread, vegetables, water, and salt . . . sounds like a soup and bun lunch to me! Table fellowship has always been and continues to be an important part of Christian community.
The act of eating is also an incredibly grounding activity. Especially after something as distressing as what they’ve been through, tasting, chewing, and swallowing brings us back to our bodies. We are nourishing the soft animal of our bodies, who literally support us and carry us around through this journey of life. Sitting around the table, with nowhere to be but in that place, does your body ever take a giant sigh when you begin to smell and sample the food? Does rest into the moment in an exhale of thanksgiving?
At this moment of table fellowship in the open tomb, my mind wanders over to this morning’s gospel text, where Jesus suddenly appears to his disciples, who are also gathered together . . . and he asks them for something to eat. The text itself is one of those beautiful mysteries that also leaves us chuckling to ourselves or scratching our heads. I think the important take away is that as Jesus stands there taking some broiled fish into his resurrected body, Luke wants us to know that Jesus’ resurrection is physical – I mean, eating is a decisively physical activity – which means he is still present in our world.
Take a moment and think about what difference that makes to you. What does Christ’s resurrection and continued presence in our physical world have to do with your life and the life of the world? Does Christ’s resurrection have something to do with you receiving a hand of comfort OR in a moment you really need it, being challenged in just the right way to help you move forward OR joining with others who are advocating for, fighting for, justice and wholeness in our world OR healing for all who participate in perpetual violence?
As Thecla was standing, bound to the blazing pyre – Thecla, who heard in Paul’s teaching the possibility of another path than the narrow definition of womanhood in her time, whose only crime was choosing herself over the rules and requirements of her community – she sees Christ in the crowd . . . but she doesn’t see the form of Christ . . . she sees Christ as Paul, who had already been thrown out of the city (who has already been thrown out of the city – he’s not there) but Christ appears in the form of Paul, whose presence could bring her the most comfort and assurance in that moment. Christ pours himself out and becomes what she most needs.
This scene sends my imagination into a frenzy with the question, when has Christ taken on physical form for us and been exactly what we need? Thanks be to God for the risen Christ, who lives and moves among us.