Over roughly the past month, we’ve had the privilege of looking at Jesus’ time spent in the Upper Room with his disciples. Now, while we didn’t have the time to look at all of the moments of teaching that Jesus had with them, we did see quite a lot. We looked at the beginning of their time together and the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Over the past four Sundays, we have paid particular attention to the way in which Jesus ended their time together in the Upper Room, his High Priestly Prayer. We ultimately took away from this prayer that it is a prayer for us, the Church. Jesus, in his most vulnerable moments, had us on the forefront of his mind. How amazing is that when we really stop to think about it?
Also, if you were able to be with us this past Thursday for our Maundy Thursday service, then you would know that we looked back at a brief unfolding of the events that took place over roughly a 24 hour period, culminating in the death of Jesus Christ and the words he spoke as his life on this earth came to an end. Now, we do have to admit that in each of the gospel accounts, the final words of Jesus are a bit different, but that’s nothing more than really a difference on behalf of the human authors and what they recorded. Had we read from John’s account of the events, we would have seen John’s very brief recording of Jesus saying the words, “It is finished.” Now, I know that so often pastors, folks like me; say in a manner that often comes across as condescending, that if you aren’t looking at the original Hebrew or Greek then you’re not getting the full effect. Well, here, that happens to be true, although I hope I’m not saying it condescendingly. The Greek word for “finished” here is a form of the Greek that tells us that the action is totally complete. It’s over; period. The end or the goal of what was being done has reached its full completion. So, Jesus died. And after some confirmation of his death by the Roman soldiers, he was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. That’s where we have left off in the unfolding of the events of roughly 2000 years ago.
I’ve often thought about the moment that Jesus died. Now, that’s an obvious statement for any Christian really. We’ve probably all thought about the death of Christ on the cross, or at least I hope we all have. We should every time we take communion shouldn’t we? However, I’ve tried to think of it in modern emotional terms, and let me explain. Have you ever been in the room when someone’s time on this earth was done? It’s a pretty surreal feeling isn’t it? You don’t even have to know them all that well for the magnitude of what just happened to hit home in a big way. It’s similar to some of the emotions that we feel during a time of loss when we’re given that first glimpse of someone’s body lying in a casket during a visitation or wake. It’s akin to that sinking feeling that we get when we watch a casket or an urn being placed into the ground or a mausoleum. I’m not trying to conjure up painful memories, but I’m building up to this point. Imagine that the person that you have watched fade into glory is Jesus. Imagine that the person that you saw lifeless, devoid of all spirit was Jesus. Imagine that you’re watching the rock being closed over the opening to the tomb, sealing Jesus inside and the Roman guards are taking their place. Imagine the sense of finality and hopelessness that you would have felt if you were a follower of Jesus witnessing all of this.
Now, of course the disciples are probably depressed, they’ve spent the better part of three years with him. They think back to all the things that they’ve seen and heard and think, “this can’t be it?” Of course his mother Mary is saddened, she has lost a son. Not to mention the fact that she’s seen Jesus’ powerful work and been told directly by the angel Gabriel that she was giving birth to the Son of God. She was told that Jesus was going to be given, “the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Well, now it looks like there’s an end. However, I want to also think of all of those other folks, some of whom have only recently heard of Jesus, the long-awaited and promised Messiah that was going to restore God’s people, and now he’s dead. Even the most casual or nominal follower of Jesus had to feel some loss and some pain during those moments. After all, we know what had to happen, what would happen, and what we gain from all of these events and we still feel great sorrow and sadness at the crucifixion of Jesus don’t we? Now, I’m not saying that we should be saddened by the crucifixion, since it means everything to us, but there is a sense in which it breaks our hearts to know that Christ, God himself, had to endure such pain and suffering on our behalf. It’s because of our sins that the cross is even necessary.
Think about all that you’ve done since Friday afternoon about three o’clock. That’s roughly about the time Jesus died. Imagine if all you had to do was to sit around and ponder bad or sorrowful news. The old business adage is to fire someone on a Friday because people are statistically happier on Fridays. Well, I’m guessing that those who’ve said that have never been fired, and probably not on a Friday. There is nothing that would make me feel worse than being told something on a Friday afternoon and knowing that there was nothing I could do about it for several days. Day one, you’re in shock. Day two, you’re angry. Day three, you’re depressed. Can you imagine the disciples and all the followers of Jesus going to bed that Friday night, hoping that it was just a dream? However, when they awake on Saturday, they are confronted with the reality of what happened; Jesus was gone. Jesus’ followers make their way through Saturday, some of whom deciding that they are going to go to his tomb the following morning for some reason. Maybe it’s to offer spices to mask the smell, maybe it’s to spread flowers, or maybe it’s a way for them to have some sense of closure about what has happened.
Our specific text for this day records Mary Magdalene going to the tomb so early that it’s still dark outside. Seeing that the stone had been moved, she runs to go get “Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved” (commonly thought to be John and I’ll refer to him as John moving forward). She’s distraught; she thinks that someone has come in during the night and stolen Jesus’ body. They all go running to the tomb where Jesus was buried, coming finally to the door (John adding in that he beat Peter there). John looks in, and Peter, upon getting there, just goes right inside the tomb only to find the linen cloths lying there and the face cloth folded up sitting by itself. John joins Peter inside the tomb. They become even more disheartened at this point. Not only is Jesus dead, but someone has stolen his body from the tomb. And before you think that they thought he might be alive, John specifically records the words, “for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.”
So, there’s Mary Magdalene remaining at the tomb by herself, weeping and cleaning up a bit. However, she finally looks in and sees these two angels sitting where Jesus had been laid. Why didn’t Peter and John see them? Well, obviously they weren’t meant to and they may not have been there at that point. What matters isn’t that these two disciples didn’t see them but that Mary did. And they have some pretty big news to tell Mary. Although, it is quite puzzling that we have nothing recorded of Mary’s reaction. Regardless, the angels ask her why she’s weeping. Again, we don’t know if they expected Mary to be excited or what was going on. So, Mary tells them why, “She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’” She’s heartbroken; not just at the fact that Jesus is dead, but that now his physical body is gone as well.
Then, after informing the angels why she’s saddened, she turns around, and there’s Jesus, only she doesn’t recognize him. Maybe it was shock, maybe she didn’t get a clear vision, or maybe it was some supernatural impairment that kept her from recognizing Jesus similar to that of the disciples traveling on the road to Emmaus that is recorded in Luke 24. Whatever the case might be, Mary doesn’t recognize him right off the bat. Then, Jesus says to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” After what can be described as a frantic response to whom she seems to think is a gardener, Jesus has to get her attention. “Mary” he says to her, and she turns to see him. “Rabboni!” she responds back to him. She finally sees that Jesus is alive and standing in front of her. Now, think about all of this for just a moment. First, it’s possible that in her frantic nature that she’s not noticing what is right in front of her. I won’t ask for a show of hands, but how many of you have panicked at the thought of losing a certain piece of jewelry, a watch, your wallet, your keys, or some other important item without checking your pockets or your person? Sometimes our emotions can control us to the point where all rational thought goes out the window. Again, this may have been some supernatural work of God in Mary not recognizing Jesus, but it does give us a glimpse into her state of mind. Secondly, once again there seems to be a lack of reaction on the part of Mary. She doesn’t seem to be overcome with emotion. There’s no mention of screaming or fainting or any type of outburst. We can assume from Jesus’ words to her that she might have grabbed onto him, but that’s all we’re told.
“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father, but go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’” As I said, we can assume from the text here that she might have grabbed onto Jesus. It is commonly suggested that she fell to her knees, grabbed him by the legs, and refused (at least momentarily) to let go. Imagine, if you will, the way that a child clings to his/her parent when walking into a room full of strangers. There is a sense in which regardless of whatever else is going on, that child feels safe as long as they have a hold of mom or dad’s leg. Mary, probably confused at everything that has transpired over the course of a short period of time (but with the emotional rollercoaster that has been the past week taking it’s toil), knows nothing else other than that everything is going to be okay as long as she has a hold on Jesus. All of the questions that we would naturally want to ask (how, why, or things like that), none of those things matter to her in that moment.
We sit here today, and we’re all excited and ought to rejoice constantly at the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. However, can you imagine being Mary Magdalene? Can you imagine living out those moments? There’s no reading to see what happens. There’s no way to speed things up and see how things are going to play out. In the words of the biblical scholar Tom Petty (kidding), the waiting is the hardest part. Mary had had to wait since around 3 pm on Friday, wondering if this was the end, and now she has her answer. Jesus is not only alive, but he’s well and he’s standing right there in front of her. It’s not as if she’s only heard that he’s alive; she’s seen him, she’s touched him, and she’s spoken directly to him. He’s also given her the command to go and tell the disciples (Jesus’ brothers as he calls them) about his resurrection; which she does. Now, I do have to imagine that there was a little piece of Mary that was afraid to leave. What if he wasn’t there when she came back? What if she brings back the disciples and something happens in the meantime? You would almost expect to find her saying to Jesus, “Why don’t you come with me to see them Jesus?”, but we don’t.
There is one of the great difficulties that we find in the Christian faith isn’t it. Instead of going, we would rather Jesus just make himself known. Now, we’ll see that next Sunday as we conclude this little glimpse at John’s gospel and this Easter/Lenten series with the account of Jesus appearing to his disciples. You know, it’s not like Jesus isn’t fully capable, it isn’t as if God is incapable of just striking all of us right where we stand and telling us that He is God and God alone and the only one worthy of our praise. I’ve seen that happen to people, I’ve heard testimonies of that actually happening to people. However, Jesus calls us to take this message outward. Unfortunately, we view this as more of a labor than anything else, don’t we? You mean I have to talk to folks about Jesus and tell them about the empty tomb? Think about how greatly things have changed from the time of Jesus’ resurrection.
I mentioned a moment ago about Mary’s hesitation with leaving. However, notice that I said that that was just my opinion about what she might have felt. Scripture in no way gives any indication that she balked at anything that Jesus said. In fact, we could even say that the absence of resistance on Mary’s part is an indicator that there was little-to-no hesitation within Mary. Immediately after being told that she needed to go and tell the disciples, we find our text saying, “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’—and that he had said these things to her.” In fact, as I read this, I envision her busting down the door of wherever the disciples are gathered and shouting with excitement, “I have seen the Lord.” She’s got that thing happening inside of her that we experience when we have a secret about a proposal, a pregnancy, or a huge surprise that is about to come someone’s way. We can’t wait to tell the good news that we know about. We’re in such a wonderful mood because of our excitement that it changes everything about us; it makes us overjoyed.
Friends, does the news of Jesus’ resurrection give you that kind of excitement? Does the words “He is not here; He is risen” cause your heart to become overjoyed? Does the fact that Jesus endured all manner of pain and suffering and yet he still lives to this very day, give you the strength and the courage to know that God is working all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes? Because if the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he sits to this very day at God the Father’s right hand, serving as our advocate (our eternal prophet, priest, and king), if that news doesn’t cause your heart to skip a beat then I don’t know what will. It’s great news; it’s wonderful news. It’s the best news that we could ever have. Not only is it news worth sharing, but it’s the only news that’s really worth sharing. Jesus Christ is risen from the grave, conquering once and for all the enemy of sin. “‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment