According to a couple of psychologists named Myers and Briggs who will forever go down in history for realizing that there are really only 16 variations of people in the whole world, I'm an ENFP. For the record, that means I share the personality of Machiavelli and Dr. Seuss. "An ENFP who has 'gone bad' can become manipulative - and is quite good at it." I'm excited.
Anyways, that's not the point here. The point is that I'm an "Feeler" and not a "Thinker", which basically means I never make rational decisions and really just rely on what I feel like is a good idea. No, that's actually not true either. It really means I have more of a reliance on my emotions than non-feeler types. Not that big of a deal, but it does, in some sense, help justify why I'm about to try and ameliorate those who weep. If your not the weeping type, no need to fear - it's not for everyone, I'm told. My point here is that it is, in fact, for some.
We went to church yesterday (it was a British church, so I probably should cut them some slack), where we heard a most interesting Easter sermon. I won't get into the pastor's comments about how "When we are resurrected, we will all be 33. You know how I know this? - because Jesus was resurrected in a 33 year old body." Somehow I must have missed this detail the last time I read the Synoptics... And I'll only mention his saying that we all brought our angels with us when we came to church this morning. The main thing I had a problem with was his contention that Mary Magdalen's weeping was both improper and wrong.
Here's the passage:
'But Mary stood weeping, outside the tomb, and as she wept she stopped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, 'They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.' ...
Of course, the story goes on, and she recognizes the risen Lord when he calls her name, and it is a lovely, glorious story of hope in the midst of a broken world that God himself has redeemed.
But that's not what we talked about this Easter Sunday. Instead we focused on how Mary's weeping kept her from seeing the truth and how He chastises her for letting tears get in the way of hope. hmph.
Now don't get me wrong - it is all very true that we can lose sight of hope sometimes because we become overly emotional about something or think all is lost when really things just didn't happen the way we thought and wanted them to. But Mary's weeping here was not something she should have been chastised for - and she wasn't - not by Christ at least. When He and the angels ask her 'Why are you weeping?' they are not condemning her - they are showing their genuine concern. If she went to the grave and saw an empty tomb and thought, 'hrmmm...well, I guess he's gone for good, let's get on with life and trust that something will make all this work out in the end,' we'd think her an emotionless, heartless woman who never really cared about Christ outside of his ability to help her personally. Mary's weeping was both natural and proper.
The more important question here is 'Whom are you seeking,' which Jesus answers for her shortly by revealing his true identity to her by saying her name - showing her he cares for her personally and filling her with all hope and joy and peace. The tears allow her to appreciate this moment all the more. It's no wonder Jeremiah tells us in Lamentations to "Cry out into the night watches / Pour out your hearts like water in the presence of the Lord." It's no wonder the Psalms are saturated with weeping, questioning tears. And it's no wonder we are told when Job tears his clothes and falls to the ground in sorrow but still worships the Lord that "in all this Job did not sin."
See, the point here is not to never weep. The point is to not lose sight of hope in your weeping. This is why the ending of the Lord of the Rings is so wondrous when Gandalf assures the hobbits: "I will not say: Do not weep; for not all tears are an evil." The Fellowship is coming to an end, but hope is not.
Weep for the end of something gold that didn't stay, but weep in hope and assurance of the swift sunrise that will permeate eternity.
Why? because He is risen.
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