Christ is risen – He is risen indeed, Hallelujah!
Its good news isn’t it– it’s better than good news, it’s wonderful, amazing, life changing news!
Do you believe it? Has it brought you from darkness into light? From sorrow to joy? Has it brought you into new life?
I love John’s narrative of the first Easter morning.
It begins in darkness as Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and discovers that the stone had been removed from the entrance. It had been sabbath the day before and so they had not been able to go and grieve near the body…but she (and probably other women) go first thing even before it is light. This woman loved Jesus so much and she would have been in utter grief, having watched his crucifixion just 2 days before, helpless to do anything. But now she would want to be there to mourn and place spices as was the norm for a Jewish burial.
But alas the stone had been removed. This would have brought more despair and grief…I can just imagine the shock and horror on her face as she discovers this…so she runs to the disciples to alert them! Maybe they can do something. She hadn’t even looked in at this stage, but she assumes the body has been taken.
So, Peter and the disciple Jesus loved, who we think is John, head to the tomb. They also run!! There is a lot of running in this little scene. Shows how frantic they were…who could have done this after all the humiliation Jesus had suffered, couldn’t he have some dignity now and be left alone for his followers to grieve and care for his body?
John gives us much detail here…the beloved disciple as the faster runner gets there first and looks but doesn’t go into the tomb, he sees the strips of linen lying there. Then Peter arrives and you can just imagine him almost pushing John aside so he can go in and take charge and see what is going on. He sees the cloths all lying in the position they would have been in when Jesus was wrapped in them…but now there is no body.
No comment from Peter, but then we read that John goes in and has a good look…perhaps the untouched cloths make him wonder, for we read that he sees and believes.
What did he believe? He had believed that Jesus was the Messiah, he believed perhaps in the resurrection of the dead. But at this stage it doesn’t seem he believed that Jesus was alive. Perhaps he just believed Mary’s words that the body had been taken. For there were no shouts of joy, no celebration. The empty tomb does not seem to make an impact at this stage. John’s gospel tells us that they still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the death. They both just went home to where they were staying…no interaction with Mary is recorded.
But Mary stays right by the tomb, weeping. I wonder if by now the dawn is awakening, the sun beginning to appear in the sky.
Mary decides to investigate the tomb herself and she sees more than just empty linen cloths. She sees two angels in white – one at the head and one at the foot of where Jesus body would have been. Why didn’t Peter and John see them? Were they not there when the men peered in, or did they just not see them? It seems they were there especially to greet Mary. They ask why she is crying? They know of course that she no longer needs to cry, they know where Jesus is. If it was a pantomime they could cry out “He’s behind you!”. But this is a tender, serious moment. She senses that there is someone behind her and she turns.
She sees Jesus, though doesn’t know it is him. He tenderly asks about her tears and whom she is looking for? She thinks he is the gardener and asks if he knows where they have taken the body.
And then he calls her name. Simply “Mary” and the darkness disappears, the new day dawns and she recognizes the risen Lord – “Rabboni”. My dear teacher!
Sorrow is turned to joy. Tears to laughter. Darkness to light. Death to life.
Oh wow. Are you with me in this story? Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to Mary? Can you feel the stirring of new life? A new dawn?
That’s what happened when Jesus rose from the dead. He conquered death so that we may live a new life. A new life in Christ.
Christ was there in the beginning of creation making everything good, but sin entered, and things went sour, they were not as intended. We were separated from God. God sent Jesus on a mission to restore our relationship with him. That mission was finished when Jesus died on the cross to take away the sin of the world, to take away our sin (we talked about that on Friday). There was nothing more for Jesus to do. But God’s mission was fully accomplished when he raised Jesus from the grave, enabling us to be raised to new life also, if we repent and believe in Jesus. What an amazing gift.
Easter is the ultimate Christian celebration. Christmas is wonderful to remember Jesus coming into the world, but Easter is really the greater celebration.
It is apt that Mary calls him the gardener…for he cultivates and creates new life…
He brings us into a new relationship with the Father.
The apostle Paul puts it like this in 2 Corinthians chapter 5
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
What does Jesus then say to Mary? Don’t hold on to me…I am alive but not as before…which is probably why she didn’t recognize him. He was resurrected not to face death again…there would have been something different about him. He tells her to ‘go’ – tell my brothers that “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and to your God”.
This is a new relationship. Jesus often talked about his Father who had sent him, or that he was doing the will of ‘the Father”. But now he talks about his Father being our Father too, his God and our God. We have been brought back into that intimate relationship that had been intended right from the beginning.
We can know him as our Abba, Father – a very intimate term perhaps more like ‘Daddy’, we can approach him whenever we like, and he knows us and calls us by name.
Mary recognized Jesus when he called her name. Do you know Jesus knows your name? Janet, Rob, Rina, Angela… In John 10 Jesus says… I know my sheep and my sheep know me – and I lay down my life for the sheep. Jesus voluntarily died for us. Jesus also said …I lay down my life only to take it up again! He died but on the third day he rose again!! And he calls us by name, just like he called Mary, Marilyn, Trish, Kathryn, Trevor… He offers us new life, abundant life – and he calls us to follow him – the good shepherd.
Jesus also said in John 10 that there are sheep who don’t know him yet and he desires to bring them into his fold too, that they may hear his voice.
On Easter morning after appearing to Mary, and her sorrow is turned to joy – he sends her off to share the good news so that others also may believe.
Mary is the Apostle to the Apostles. This resurrection story shows how much Jesus valued and respected women…their testimony wasn’t worth anything in those days – but it didn’t stop Jesus from making a woman the first witness to the resurrection! This time as she went to tell the disciples I imagine she went with a new spring in her step, with laughter and a song in her heart rather than tears.
I see her bursting in to where they were staying hardly being able to contain herself: “I have seen the Lord!”
Have you seen the Lord? We may not see him physically like Mary did that morning… but do you know in your heart that he is alive? That he brings new life to those who believe in him. That he wants to have an intimate loving relationship with you…he wants to be on first name basis…and he wants us to share the good news with others who don’t yet know him.
I pray that you may be full of joy as we celebrate the risen Lord today. May you experience again with wonder and amazement the truth of the resurrection. May you see and believe and live the new life Jesus offers.
Let’s pray:
Prayer:
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! We praise you, Lord Jesus, for your mighty resurrection!
Lord God, You loved this world so much, that you gave your one and only Son, that we might be called your children too.
Lord, help us to live in the gladness and grace of Easter Sunday, every day. Let us have hearts of thankfulness for your sacrifice. Let us have eyes that look upon your grace and rejoice in our salvation.
Help us to walk in that mighty grace and tell your good news to the world.
All for your glory do we pray, Lord, Amen.