Easter Sunday

John 20:1-18 - Easter Sunrise - March 27, 2016
Honoring Jesus

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

     Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

     But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

     She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”

     Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”

     She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 

     Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

     She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).

     Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”

     Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.

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Jesus’ disciples – including the women, who tend to be much more attune and devoted to the sorrows and needs of others – all of Jesus’ disciples figured that Jesus died for himself.  They were wrong.  But they believed what they saw.  It was a senseless death.  It had to be.  They saw no sense in it.  It was an unjust execution.  It had to be.  They saw no justice in it, because there was no sin in Jesus.  Isn’t this the epitome of a senseless death?  Isn’t this the very image of injustice?  In response, the men did what men do and the women did what women do. 

The men cowered in fear and depression that their Teacher had died.  What more could they do.  He had taught them the truth, and now the truth had been silenced.  The men did what men do when what they devote themselves to is shamed and shattered and shown to be weak and foolish.  This is what men do.  They stand with confidence by what stands sure until that thing is no longer sure.  Then they slink away and hide and refuse to face the day.  That’s what men do.  Their confidence was humbled.  They could not bear it.  They had played their last card counting on him whom they had hoped might redeem Israel.  But on Good Friday they saw the pot dragged off the table and into the coffers of death.  All they had left was to be afraid.  So they hid their fear behind closed doors. 

The women, on the other hand, did what made them great as women.  Though we can’t help but see some silliness in it.  They brought spices to honor Jesus’ lifeless body.  Win or lose, they would tend to the wounds of their Lord despite there being no chance of being appreciated or even really accomplishing anything.  They knew what they loved.  They knew what honor he had brought them.  This is all they knew.  This is all that mattered.  What beautiful women!  They did it for Jesus.  They did what women do.  They hid their fear behind their tears.  This is what women do. 

Both the disciples’ fear and the women’s sorrow were misplaced, however.  They both hid themselves in their own way, because the truth of what had broken their hearts was still hidden from them.  They were distressed over what looked senseless and unjust.  They needed God to teach them how he saw it, because they saw it wrong.   They needed to see the sense behind his suffering and the justice behind his death.  They needed to learn what only the resurrection could teach them.  They needed to know that Jesus who was innocent in himself had done it all for them to take their sins away.  They could only learn this if Jesus rose from the dead, leaving their sins behind. 

Jesus saw it how God saw it.  That is why he willingly bore the sin that God imputed to him.  He knew what knowledge he was gaining by knowing our sin more intimately and with deeper sorrow than we are able.  He knew he was gaining knowledge of God by suffering as a Man what God required of all men.  And he knew that he desired to share this knowledge with us.  Jesus saw it as God saw it.  That is why he spoke the truth even when he made more enemies than friends by doing so.  He bore witness of what he had seen even as he saw this marvelous plan laid out from eternity.  And knowing the boundless love behind this mysterious plan, he was strengthened in his resolve to face it all, and strengthened in his hope that his Father would not leave him in the grave. 

Jesus knew the truth.  He died for speaking the truth.  And now he wants us to die knowing the truth.  That is why he rose.  He rose to teach us how to die with the sure hope of rising again.  He rose to teach us how to live – by knowing that God does not hold our sins against us.  He rose to teach us why he died – so that God could count our sins against him in our place.  And he teaches us why he died by giving us what his dying won.  He gives us forgiveness.  Where there is the forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation. 

The Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the events of Christ’s resurrection and all that happened to the other women.  All the accounts agree when laid side by side.  St. John focuses on Mary Magdalene, and the way he relates this eventful morning is a very touching account. 

While the other women entered the tomb at the bidding of the angel, Mary Magdalene ran off before she saw him and sped to the men to tell them of the thing that broke her heart: “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”  Peter ran to see.  John was younger and beat him there. 

When they got there, they found it empty.  By this time the other women had already left to alert the rest of the disciples of what the angel had told them (but as Mark reports they were too afraid to tell anyone else).  John and Peter then also went back to hear the report from the others since they weren’t there to hear it from the women.  But Mary remained.  Now she was the only one who hadn’t heard the good news.  She would have, of course, if she hadn’t ran off to tell the disciples the bad news.  She would have again, if she had only returned with Peter and John when they did.  But she stayed.  She was full of grief and she wallowed in it.  Jesus was her Lord and Friend.  It was out of her that Jesus had cast seven demons and freed her from the bonds of hell.  She was devoted to him.  It was her brother Lazarus whom Jesus had just recently raised from the dead and freed from the bonds of the grave.  She knew his power.  And it was Jesus who just days ago permitted her to anoint his feet with costly oil and dry them with her hair.   Judas rebuked the seeming waste of money.  But as she kissed his feet Jesus did not rebuke her.  “Let her alone;” he said, “she has kept this for the day of My burial.”  How she longed to embrace her Lord again – at least to finish her anointing of his body and honor him one last time. 

But there would be no one last time – at least not to honor his corpse. Jesus was alive.  He was already anointed well enough by the Holy Spirit who quickened his lifeless body.  Angels from in the tomb asked her why she was weeping.  She repeated the same complaint she gave to the disciples.  It was then that she saw Jesus but did not know it.  Jesus asked why she was weeping and who she was looking for.  Here was her chance.  “Tell me where you put his body, and I will have my Jesus back.” 

But what did she want?  What was she seeking?  What she needed was not the object of her love to grieve over.  Oh, how often we dwell on such things, as though our own memory of what we have lost will somehow mend our hearts.  But what she needed was to know that she was still the object of Jesus’ love – that he remembered her.  What she needed was for Jesus to be alive again and to give her what she in her great loss could not reclaim. 

You have known death.  So you know this need.  You sorrow for those whom you wish you could still hold and talk with.  And you have learned the cause of your Savior’s death.  So you know the guilt.  You know the constant struggle with sin that just won’t end.  You know the death that claims your body.  You know that you go the same way as all flesh.  But what do you need?  Do you need a lifeless Jesus to honor?  Do you need an image of selfless love to ponder?  Or do you need a life-giving Jesus who honors you and comforts you beyond all telling?  Yes, you need the image of self-giving love that gives you more than his death to ponder.  He gives you the certain hope of life beyond death.  Ponder this!  And so that you may ponder this – and more so, receive it – we gather here on Easter morning – and every single Sunday morning since they all serve as celebrations of our Lord’s resurrection on the 8^th Day.  We gather here to hear the proclamation of the angels.  We gather here to hear our Lord call us by name and give us pardon and life. 

“Mary,” Jesus said.  “Teacher,” she called him.  All was clear at last.  He called her by name.  She knew her Lord as the one who had instructed her in the word of God.  But as she clung to him, he told her not to.  Why?  Because she was to go and tell his disciples what she saw.  She was the very first witness.  But it was not by holding onto what she saw that she would hold onto Jesus forever.  No.  It would be by holding on to what Jesus’ disciples would continue to teach her that she would hold onto her Rabboni forever.  It was not what made her great as a woman that would keep her blessed in this moment.  It was not her devotion and care and tender love.  No, it was Jesus’ devotion and care and tender love.  She would receive this not through a long hug, but by hearing the truth that the men would proclaim. 

What she needed now was to keep him as her Teacher.  To this end, Jesus sent her as a herald to the Apostles to whom Jesus would give precisely that command: “Teach!”  So she relayed the message: “Jesus is ascending to his God and ours, to his Father and ours.  He will soon dispel your fear.  He will show you in his very wounds, which I myself pressed myself against as he let me hold him for a while – he will show you in his very wounds that you were right to stand on the truth of his word, and that you were wrong to cower in fear in the moment that looked like truth was losing.  He will rebuke you, but with kindness, because he will comfort you and teach you to comfort me.  He will make you courageous men again by giving you the peace that he has earned as both God and Man.  I have peace now.  Jesus wants you to make sure I have peace forever.  He is risen!” 

The disciples didn’t believe her.  Men don’t listen to women. Maybe this is part of the reason why women can’t be pastors.  It’s just the way it is.  But as we will hear in the continuation of John’s 20^th chapter next week, they would soon believe.  Jesus rebuked them of course.  They should have believed the women.  But then he sent his disciples to rebuke us.  And he sent them to deliver the peace that he breathed on them, anointing them and us with the same Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life.  Through the word of truth that Jesus died for, through the word of truth that Jesus rose again and made haste to confirm to those who loved him, through the word of truth that gives courage to men and that sanctifies the devotion of all pious women, the breath of the ever-living Christ – our God and Brother – continues to give peace to us who mourn death behind us and who fear death ahead of us. 

What made the men great – and this is generally true of honorable men – is that their courage stood and fell on whether or not truth prevailed.  In Christ, truth prevails.  What made the women great – and this is generally true of honorable women – is that their devotion remained focused despite all appearances.  They knew the love they felt.  But more than we need to feel devotion today – dear Christians, Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed – more than we need to feel or show devotion, we need to know the truth upon which we may stand forever even as we sink into the graves ourselves and even as the world persecutes us and leaves us huddled together in fear for our lives – we need to know the truth that because Jesus is raised from the dead, his pardon and peace and forgiveness shall stand forever!  This truth does not waver.  By this truth preached to us by men who are cowards in and of themselves, Jesus makes us brave again and bold to stand on the unwavering truth of our confession: Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Jesus will dry our tears, perfect our devotion, raise us to glory, and confirm the truth of his gospel once and for all when we ascend with him to his God and ours, his Father and ours to embrace him forever!  Amen.