Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:18)
During Donald Trump’s presidency, “fake news” became his common description of the world of journalism. Regardless, journalists have played a crucial role in the framing of the American democracy. Walter Lippmann, the Pulitzer Prize–winning political writer of twentieth-century America, said, “There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and to shame the devil.” Newspapers and content media have a sacred trust to share the stories of our life together in a way that separates fact from fiction.
The Gospel of John has some unique features to the telling of the good news of Jesus Christ. In the other gospels, we know that women were the first to report from the empty tomb; in John, Mary Magdalene was the main correspondent. She told Jesus’ closest friends first, and after they corroborated her story, she “went to the disciples with the news.” For that reason, St. Augustine called Mary “the Apostle to the Apostles.” What is most important about her reporting this marvelous news was that she only repeated the facts, but they were facts that she knew intimately.
We are all news reporters. People will come to know that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not “fake news” by our truthful witness to what Jesus has done and shown to us personally.
Tell someone about your encounter with the risen Lord.
Rich Eckley is professor emeritus of theology at Houghton College (NY). He is an ordained Wesleyan minister, and enjoys—with his wife Lynn—entertaining four active grandchildren.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
