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Sunday April 4, 1999
The Resurrection of our Lord
John 20:1-18
Paradise Lost and FoundFocus Text: "Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb." [John 20: 10-11a]
"Mary and I had the most wonderful experience last night.
It was heavenly!"
"Sounds great," the other fellow said, "What did you do?
"Some friends of ours were unable to go to the opera and they gave us their
tickets!" (He was quite excited.)
"Oh. Well, that was really nice. Personally, Sheila and I are Willie
Nelson fans."
What's that old line? One person's heaven is another person's _______ .
***
A number of years ago, I went to a conference which was designed by a committee in our local clergy group to "free up" local church clergy. (This was the days of "encounter groups" and "let it all hang out" pop-psychology.) The intentions were good enough, but the result left this pastor more than a bit uncomfortable.
One session leader, an "expert" at helping people get "freed up" asked us all to think of ourselves as little birds just learning to fly from the nest. We were to "flutter" about the room like little birds... trying out our tiny wings.
Don't you just hate it when someone tries to force you into a mold that simply isn't you?
I have to tell you that this little bird did not flutter far from the nest. And as nearly as I could tell, the flock that day was in big trouble! Maybe some folks left that conference "freed up", but personally I could not wait to get out of the place. (I suspect that there are other little birds here and there who would confess a similar discomfort with the process.)
As the old saying goes, "different strokes for different folks." This particular thing just did not work for me.
We are unique and most of us appreciate and like to express our individuality. My wife tells me that one of her worst dreams frequently takes place around Easter. In this nightmare, she spends an excessive amount of time searching through several stores for the perfect Easter outfit that fits like it was made for her. "Then," she says, "I walk into church on Sunday and the very first person I encounter is wearing the exact same outfit!"
If you have children or grandchildren, you are likely familiar with Barney the purple dinosaur
. One of the songs they sing on Barney contains the words, "You are special, you're the only one -- the only one like you." The young children's hit show "Teletubbies" (which caused our granddaughter to drop Barney in a flash), has four similar, yet unique creatures. They are red, yellow, green and purple. They are the same and yet they are very different. But they have a great joy of life and a strong love for each other. The show teaches diversity, tolerance, acceptance and love.¹ In a scientific sense, there is no doubt that we are unique. The process of selection by which you and I were born is more than a one in a multi-million chance. Out of all the possibilities for conception, every new human being is a virtual lottery winner. Then the way our genes happened to line up along our chromosomes and produce the person you are today is an absolute wonder. The Psalmist expressed by saying, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." [139:14]. There is a strong sense of our individuality and uniqueness in the same Psalm, "For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb." [139:13] In other words, God our Creator is the designer of our individuality and uniqueness. *** Easter and Our IndividualitySo -- Where is Easter in all of this?
Think about it. Easter is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. St. Paul said, "...if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised... If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." [I Cor. 15:17&19]This means that Easter's message of the resurrection of Christ ranks as one of the most important truths in all of the Christian life. What a powerful thing it is to realize that the Risen Christ makes himself known to each one of us individually. The relationship each of us has with the Lord is unique.
Anyone who is a parent of more than one child knows how different children can be. You wonder sometimes how in the world they could possibly have come from the same set of parents. I have two sons. One was born talking and has not shut his mouth to this very day. The other has found verbal communication excruciatingly painful all his life. One on one, he's fine, but when "two or three are gathered together", name, rank and serial number are just about all you will get from him.
Jesus would understand. One disciple named Peter, opens his mouth every chance he gets. Sometimes he hits a homer and Jesus says something like, "Blessed are you -- God has revealed this to you!" Then it's a strikeout. "Get behind me Satan!" Another disciple, Peter's brother Andrew has two or three lines in the whole New Testament! Two young men. Both were involved in the family fishing business. Both were attracted to and made critical life decisions to follow Jesus. And wow... were they different!
It makes sense then -- doesn't it? Jesus would understand our individuality better than anyone. So with the incredible truth of the resurrection, he would certainly know that each one of us would need something different. And in the most beautiful and encouraging way the New Testament shows us exactly that.
To the skeptic Thomas, he offers a "seeing is believing" demonstration of his presence. "Here Thomas, put your hand in my side." To the hardheaded, arrogant Saul of Tarsus, he shows up as a blinding light knocking him off his "high horse." To the two discouraged supporters who were going back home to Emmaus, he lingered to show them and teach them what he was really all about."
What a wonderful, beautiful thing that Jesus Christ should care enough about each of those who knew him to meet them at exactly the place where he was needed most!
Mary's Encounter with the Risen Jesus ²Mary Magdalene is the first person to witness the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not Peter the Chief of Apostles. Not Herod the Ruler. Not the High Priest of Israel, nor Pilate the Governor. But Mary Magdalene. We don't know very much about Mary except that she was touched by the healing ministry of Jesus and remained close to him through the end.
This much we do know. She was profoundly grieved by Jesus' death and wanted to be near him -- even if it was only to be at his graveside. You can understand that can't you? Even though we live on this other side of the resurrection story and understand that those we love are not really "in" a grave -- we will visit the grave of someone we've loved and perhaps bring flowers on occasion. It's one way we hold them close to our hearts.
So Mary went to the grave. She had been there just the day before, watching as Joseph of Arimathea wrapped Jesus' body and placed it in his own tomb. Now it is dark -- she hasn't slept, except for small snatches of sleep -- likely disturbed by foggy dreams of the One who had helped her make a new life. When sleep won't come, it's best to do something. "Keep busy..." they say. She decides to go to the place where she witnessed his burial.
But, what a shock! The body is gone! She runs to tell Peter this devastating news. Both Peter and John race to the tomb and sure enough it is true. Now don't miss what happens next! This is too good to miss -- a New Testament example of, Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars!"
"Then the disciples
(Peter and John) returned to their homes." [v.10]
"But, Mary stood weeping outside the tomb." [v.11]
I have this feeling that Peter and James went home to "discuss" the situation while Mary stayed there to "embrace" the situation. They go home. She stays and weeps.
In any case, whether this is John Gray material or not, it is in the midst of Mary's grief that Jesus comes to her. This is huge! Do you see? The biggest issue of Thomas' life was his doubt. Jesus comes to Thomas to meet him in the doubt. Remember the two disciples on the Emmaus road? The biggest issue for them was incredible disappointment because they thought Jesus was honestly going to turn out to be the Messiah. Jesus comes to them out there on the highway from Jerusalem to Emmaus to teach them about who he was and how he was going to be Messiah. [Lk.24:13ff] For Mary, it is grief and her heart's desire to be with her Lord.
Get hold of this principle. Jesus Christ makes himself known to us in the midst of our deepest need!
Your Encounter with the Risen Jesus
I can not give you the exact reference, but it was Martin Luther who said, "It does not matter if Jesus Christ has risen from the dead is he has not risen for you!"
There is a phrase in the Apostle's Creed that says, "(I believe)... the third day he rose again from the dead." But, Luther might ask of us, "Did he rise for you?"
To Thomas he gives belief. To the disciples on the Emmaus Road, he gives understanding. To Mary he gives healing and hope for a broken heart. Yet, it is in the midst of your life and mine that the resurrection of Jesus Christ truly takes place.
I've had those "dark nights of the soul" where you wonder if there will ever be another happy day. A night so long that you wonder if dawn will ever come. A situation so hopeless that you are sorely tempted to "throw in the towel."
And you know something? If you are open to it, the Risen Jesus Christ will show up right in the midst of your deepest need. That's what Easter is all about. You see, Easter is a wonderful thing for Mary -- and Peter -- and all those people who lived way back when. But Easter is also a wonderful thing for you and me -- today -- right here in 1999.
I wish for you a truly enjoyable celebration of Easter -- of our resurrection faith. But more than that, I wish for you a genuine experience of the resurrection of Christ. And along that line, let me ask you, "If the Risen Christ should come to you today in just one place in your life -- where would you want that to be?" It might be in a painful decision, a deep need of the heart, a broken relationship or an illness that has struck you or someone you love. Wherever it is, my prayer is that Easter would not simply be an important place on your calendar, but an irrepressible power in your life!
God's Easter gift to you is the presence of Jesus Christ. The paradise we all long for deep within our spirit is found when Christ becomes present to our deepest needs.
* Our approach with this text intentionally takes a little different approach from the "standard" Easter message. This is a conclusion to the whole Lenten theme: "Paradise Lost and Found." The resurrection of Christ is the capstone of God's attempt to lead us back home to "the garden". Not, of course, in a literal sense, but in the sense of affirming that an everlasting relationship of love and fulfillment are ours in Christ. Thus the approach that each one of us as a unique and special creation of God, would of course, have a singular experience of the resurrection of Christ. It is important to note the distinction between "subjective" experience of the resurrection and "unique" experience. It is not that Christ or the Resurrection is "all things to all persons," -- or a totally subjective experience of the believer -- but that Christ comes to us where we are as the persons we are. The focus today is on Mary's unique experience of the Risen Lord.
Another note with respect to the accounts of the resurrection in the gospels: A lot of writers have gone to a great deal of trouble to forge a coherent account of the events of resurrection morning. This frequently leads to an artificial "harmonization" of the gospel accounts. On the other hand, there are those who see the varying expressions of what took place as evidence of disagreement as to the "reality" of the resurrection event. We believe that both are off base. Think of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas. What took place? Whose account is correct? To this day, people do not agree -- even on the "facts". But no one disagrees with the event -- namely, President Kennedy was assassinated. A harmonization of eyewitness accounts would be artificial and indeed distort what took place. On the other hand to conclude that the event did not take place would be absurd. We see the nuances and variations as evidence of authenticity rather than subterfuge. For more on this whole topic, we appreciate Clark Pinnock: "The Resurrection Narratives"
¹ [Just in case you've run into this...] We are aware of the rumors about the Teletubbies -- having to do with bad language and prejudiced comments and worse coming out of these talking toys. We've checked that out and this is a myth. The British company which produced these characters has a clear educational mission statement and does not have a prejudiced (or even "demonic") agenda. Some of the supposed foul language is Cantonese used by the character "Po". The company has agreed to put some translation terms in its packaging.
² It is significant to note that the writer identifies the "Risen One" with Jesus. "...she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus." [John 20:14] The Gospel of John is consistent in this identification. This would argue against the attempt to separate the Risen Christ from Jesus of Nazareth.
v.1 Jesus cured Mary Magdalene of seven evil spirits (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2) after which she became a devoted follower. (Matt. 27:55 - she had followed from Galilee to Jerusalem and was a part of the group of women who cared for Jesus' needs as he traveled.
vv.6-7 The note of mystery is introduced with the fact that the burial cloths were still in the tomb. The head wrappings are separated from the rest of the body cloths. If the body had been stolen -- the robbers would certainly not have taken time to unwrap the body.
v.8 "... he saw and believed." That is "believed" that the body of Jesus had been taken away just as Mary said it had. v.9 goes on to explain that they did not yet "get it" about the resurrection. Some commentators, however, do have the "other disciple's" belief a matter of belief in the larger sense of the gospel's "that you might come to believe." [John 20:31] [pisteuw]]]][[] ] John's belief in this case would be a preliminary or even revelatory belief induced by the empty tomb. Yet, the belief of the disciples does not reach its fullest meaning until the paraclete [paraklhtos ] is given and teaches them all things. [John 16:12-16]
v.11 Luke's account of the collage of resurrection morning events contributes the notion that the males of the group of followers did not believe the women who came with news of the resurrection. (See Luke 24:10ff)
v.14 "She did not know that it was Jesus" What are we to make of Mary's non-recognition of the risen Jesus? Barclay says the answer is so simple as to realize that Mary didn't know Jesus because she was looking through tear filled eyes. [DSB: John 20] There is more to the issue however. There is a "breaking in" factor that comes to many who saw the risen Jesus, but did not recognize him immediately. With the disciples on the Emmaus road in Luke, it is the breaking of the bread -- for Mary it is the speaking of her name. (We explore this further under "Alternate Sermon Ideas"] As with the theme of our sermon -- "recognizing" Jesus is a unique and personal event for each one of us.
v17 "Do not hold on to me..." This isn't a prohibition against touching the risen Jesus before his ascension. Thomas is invited to touch. The idea here is "don't detain me or keep me here -- but go and tell the others. "I have not yet ascended to the Father" -- One perspective is, "No need to hang on to me now, I will be with you for a time but go now and tell the disciples that I will be ascending to 'my Father and your Father...' " Could this be the 4th evangelist's way of presenting Jesus' ascension? (As Gail R. O'Day in NIB: Vol.9 p.843) An interesting thought, but problematic in light of the detailed interaction between Jesus and the disciples and particularly with Thomas in John 19:20ff.
v.18 The first "witness" of the resurrection is Mary. A remarkable position for a woman in first century Judea!
Knowing the Risen One ~ John 20:11-18
There is an interesting and important message in the story of Mary's encounter with the Risen Jesus in John 20:11-18. Mary had great interest in and some knowledge of Jesus, but she did not know the "Risen One" -- at first. The same could be said of Thomas [John 20:26-29] and of the seven disciples who shared in the "Easter breakfast." (Amazingly in this case, there is a hint that the disciples knew in some inner sense that this was Jesus (the Risen Lord) but had some questions as to his physical appearance. [See John 21:9-14]
There is a similar experience recorded in Luke's gospel where the two disciples are leaving Jerusalem after the crucifixion and resurrection and are joined by the Risen Jesus during their journey. They do not recognize Jesus until he joins them in "breaking of bread". [Luke 24:13ff] One of the more interesting comments relating to this theme is contained in the commissioning of the disciples in Matt. 28:16-20. In this momentous occasion of Jesus sending the disciples all over the world, there is this verse: "When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted." [Matt. 28:17]
All of this points to a critical issue -- namely, "What does it mean to know the risen one? The burden of these passages points to the fact that "knowing" Jesus is more than physical recognition or having knowledge of him. One might say they know who Abraham Lincoln is. They could say they know "about" Abraham Lincoln. But, anyone who would say, "I know Abraham Lincoln," would undoubtedly be visiting with a mental health professional before too long.
There is a similar issue with celebrating Easter and knowing about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is a huge difference between knowing about the resurrection and knowing the Risen One. (See Paul in Philippians 3:10 -- "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection..." Paul's life demonstrates the difference between knowing and knowing about.
To have an authentic Easter, we need to appreciate the difference between knowing and knowing about the Risen One. The common element in those who came to know the resurrected Christ is the declaration of St. Paul that he had a desire to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. Desire leads to openness and openness leads to experience. You can develop this theme by tracing the desire -- openness and experience of Mary, Thomas, the disciples on the Emmaus Road, the seven disciples who went back to Galilee and the Apostle Paul.
A Call To Worship
Leader: Christ is Risen!
People: He is risen indeed!
Leader: Our Lord has overcome the power of death,
People: In Christ we live forevermore!
Leader: This is the Lord's doing;
People: It is a marvelous thing in our lives!
Leader: This is the day that the Lord has made;
People: Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Leader: Let all God's people rejoice;
People: Alleluia! Amen! Alleluia!
A Prayer of Dedication
O Holy God and Savior of us all, we stand before
you in glorious
wonder today as the truth of resurrection fills our spirits. There is
no God but you and there is no hope for life eternal apart from your
love and grace. O bless the gifts we bring today and make of this
church a fellowship worthy of your mercy and grace. Amen.
A Benediction
O people of the Lord, you have been raised with
Christ! Go from
this place with joy and rejoicing in your hearts, for Christ is your
life and his glory is your hope! Amen!