Paul Walton
13 April 2004
Readings
Acts 10: 34-43
Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24
I Corinthians 15: 19-26
St John 20: 1-18
This is our third Easter as the Mustard Bush Faith Community. The last two years, we read the full Easter Sermon of St John Chrysostom; this year, I thought I’d offer a commentary on it.
The Easter Sermon starts with an all-inclusive vision of grace:
Let all devout lovers of God enjoy
this beautiful bright Festival!
Let all grateful servants rejoice and enter
into the joy of their Lord!
Inspired by the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (St Matthew 20: 1-16), Chrysostom emphasises that it doesn’t matter when you came in, whether it was the first hour, the third hour or after the sixth hour. You are welcome. Why, even those who don’t come until the ninth hour are assured of life! And it doesn’t stop even there:
And they that have arrived only
at the eleventh hour,
let them not be troubled over their delay …
This is sheer grace:
for the Lord is gracious,
and receives the last even as the first.
Christ gives rest to them that come
at the eleventh hour
as well as to them that have toiled
from the first.
Chrysostom seems to realise that this sounds unfair, so he deals with the objection before it is raised:
Christ honours the former’s work;
the latter’s intent Christ praises.
But he isn’t pulling back one tiny little bit from this amazing proclamation of grace; so just in case we are holding on tightly to any shred of self-righteousness, he alludes to the Parable of the Prodigal Son (St Luke 15: 11b-32):
Let all then enter the joy of our Lord!
Both the first and the last
and those who come after,
enjoy your reward!
Rich and poor, dance with one another,
sober and slothful, celebrate the day.
Those who have kept the fast
and those who have not, rejoice today,
for the table is richly spread.
Fare royally upon it — the calf is fatted,
let no one go away hungry.
All of you, enjoy the banquet of faith!
All enjoy the riches of Christ’s goodness.
Let none cry over their poverty,
for God’s universal reign has appeared!
Let none mourn
that they have fallen again and again,
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
The consequence is that the power of death — and even its existence — is now gone:
Let no one fear death,
for the death of our Saviour has set us free.
Christ has destroyed it by enduring death.
“Let no one fear death …” Death is certain, but not to be feared. Christ has overcome it. How? By entering into its very depths. By descending into the very depths of hell, Christ opens the way for all people to rise to eternal life. As the Sermon says:
Christ spoiled the power of hell
when he descended into it.
Death was thwarted, indeed annihilated,
by the descent of Christ into its realm:
For it grabbed a body and discovered God.
It took earth, and it encountered heaven.
It took what was visible,
and was overcome by what was invisible.
Christ is the first-fruits of the resurrection; we have a vocation to join him:
Christ is risen,
and the tomb is emptied of the dead.
For Christ, having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who sleep.
To Christ be glory and power forever and ever!
Amen. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!