APRIL 16, 2017
EASTER SUNDAY
7:00 a.m. Sunrise Service
8:15 a.m. Traditional
9:30 a.m. Praise
11:00 a.m. Traditional
Sermon: Rev. Jim Berlau
Closer & Closer Worship Series
"One Whisper Changes Everything"
Scripture: John 20:1-18
The Resurrection of Jesus
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look[a] into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew,[b] "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because 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.'" 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
When looking over our text for Sunday morning, take a moment to count how many times you see the word "see", "saw", or "look." Go ahead and re-read the passage slowly, considering how many times John includes these words. If you came up with ten, you would be accurate. Ten times in eighteen verses. Throughout John's book, one of the overarching themes is "seeing and believing." The emphasis here is not on reliance for physical evidence in order to elicit true faith within someone or something. Instead, the point is that belief comes through understanding, seeking truth leads to finding it, and most importantly, revelation occurs when the Lord allows it. So ten times within these short eighteen verses we read words about seeing, seeking, and believing. However, it seems as if there is an eleventh occurrence, and this one would be the most important in John's resurrection narrative. The interesting part is that John doesn't even use a specific word to illustrate this. In verse 16, Jesus calls Mary by name and instead of saying that Mary saw Jesus for who he was; instead John writes that Mary calls Jesus, "Rabboni!" Within this one response, Mary has illustrated understanding. Jesus has revealed the truth to Mary, and Mary now believes. Are we looking, are we seeking, are we ready to believe the resurrection story this Sunday?
Throughout this text, we also see parallels with many other critical occurrences within the Bible. Mary finds Jesus outside of the tomb in a garden. The Hebrew word John uses for garden means "paradise." This setting reminds the reader of where the Biblical narrative beings, in a garden or paradise that eventually sees its human occupants banished in shame and sin. So when we read about the resurrection of Jesus occurring in a garden, within this one world-changing moment, humanity is once again restored to a right relationship with the Lord. We also see the importance of someone's name or identity being used throughout scripture. From the Lord responding to Moses with the identifier "I am" to Jesus saying, "It is I" to the disciples to comfort them in the middle of the storm. Over and over again, we see the Lord reaching out to God's people, and here it culminates in one of the most intimate and personal of approaches...the Lord chooses to identify himself by addressing Mary by name. Maybe this is because John is highlighting for the reader the fact the God of all creation knows our name; that this resurrection is personal. How do these parallels enrich the resurrection story for you?
Finally, why in the middle of this great story of Mary and Jesus, do we have the inclusion of Peter and "the other disciple?" While at first this seemed jarring and disruptive, when looking at John's usage of the words "see", "saw", and "look", we find an increasing level of importance and urgency. First, "the other disciple" physically sees the empty tomb. Then Peter goes into the tomb, and the usage of the word "saw" here has an emphasis on observation, as if to highlight the fact that Peter is not only seeing what the state of the tomb is, he is beginning to critically consider what could have taken place. These are important steps, yet when we reach verse eighteen of the story, and Mary has returned to the disciples, she declares, "I have seen the Lord." The usage of the word "seen" here is particularly strong, because the emphasis is not only on physical sight or discernment of truth, but stresses the idea of perceiving...meaning both seeing and believing have occurred. The full strength of this proclamation would not be realized without "the other disciple" and Peter. Are you intrigued by the fact that Mary is the one chosen to be the first to see the resurrected Christ?
I look forward to sharing in the resurrection of Christ with our Peace family this weekend. I am eager to enjoy the celebration that Christ is risen, as together we come to see and believe. As we ready ourselves for Sunday, may this excerpt from the poem "The Answer" by R. S. Thomas be our prayer leading us to an encounter with Christ's resurrection within our own lives...
There have been times
when, after long on my knees
in a cold chancel, a stone has rolled
from my mind, and I have looked
in and seen the old questions lie
folded and in a place
by themselves, like the piled
graveclothes of love's risen body.
See you on Sunday!
Jim
