Debbie
Cato
John
20:1-18
An
Empty Tomb
Fairfield
Community Church
April
17, 2022 Easter Sunday
Holy God, we so often long for more. We want more than the
hamster wheel life of to-do lists and errands, meal prep and alarm clocks. We
want more than comparison and competition. We want more than certainty that
drowns out curiosity. We want more than fear that leads to violence. We want a
life that is teeming with alleluias. We want a life overcrowded with hope. We
want a life congested with good news. We want a life jam-packed with
forgiveness. We want a life bursting with laughter. We want a life so full that
the stone just has to be rolled away. So today we pray— break the dam. Dust the
cobwebs from our ears. Clear space in our minds to hear you clearly. Speak to
us as only you can. It’s what we long for. We long for you. Gratefully we pray,
amen.
An Empty Tomb[1]
“They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they
have laid him.”
Why does Mary say this, especially on
Easter morning? Isn’t she supposed to be
full of hope? She notices that the stone
has been rolled away from the tomb, and yet she weeps? Mary Magdalene was expecting Jesus’ body to
be in that tomb. “They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they
have laid him,” she weeps.
We have spent seven weeks; 40 days,
walking to the cross with Jesus. We have
focused on things like temptation, lamenting, worthiness, and brazen faith. For seven weeks we have walked to the cross
with Jesus. For seven weeks we have
anticipated the “Hallelujah!” of Easter morning. We have felt the momentum build for this day,
knowing that today we can say with confidence and joy, “Christ the Lord has risen today! Christ the Lord has risen
indeed!” And yet, Mary weeps.
When we read this account of the women
finding the tomb empty, we are filled with the joy of Easter morning. This is the ending we’ve been waiting
for! We praise God that the tomb is
empty! This is the ending that saves the
world! Certainly, the men and women who
knew and loved and followed and learned from Jesus would be filled with
joy. After all, Jesus himself told them at
least three times that he would be killed by the religious and secular leaders
in Jerusalem. He told them three times
that he would die. He told them three
times that after three days he would rise again. Why don’t his followers get this?
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early
that Sunday morning and did not find what she expected. Yet, she witnessed His crucifixion. She watched him die. Mary expects to find the Lord’s dead body in
the tomb. But instead, she is devastated
to find the tomb empty. She is filled
with horror, loss, and confusion. Mary
bottoms out with sorrow when she finds the tomb empty.
They must have taken him away. Maybe he was never really there. Maybe he was only a rabbi. Only a teacher. Maybe he wasn’t the Messiah after all. Fill in the blank. Any explanation except the one that Jesus
gave: “I am the resurrection and the
life,” Jesus said.
May Magdalene is grief stricken. “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not
know where they have laid him,” she
cries. When she first met Jesus, she was
possessed by seven demons - seven. Jesus
healed her and gave her a new life. She
literally owed Jesus her life. Mary
became a devoted follower, entering into the close circle of those taught by
Jesus during his Galilean ministry. She
became prominent during the last days, accompanying Jesus during his travels
and following him to the end; all the way to the cross. She was the leader of a group of women disciples who were present at the
cross, when all the male disciples, except John the Beloved, fled out of fear
for their own lives. She witnessed Christ’s Crucifixion and burial. And now, according to all four
Gospels, she is the first
person to see the resurrected Christ. In the midst of her despair, in the midst of her grief, she hears the
voice of her Lord. “Mary!” he
says. “Mary.”
In the sound of her name, she recognizes her Lord’s voice.
“I have seen the risen Lord!” she announces to the disciples. Mary, this woman once possessed by demons,
this faithful follower of Christ, brings the good news to the other
disciples. “I have seen the risen Lord!” It is with this astonishing
news, first announced by Mary to the other disciples where all Christian
teaching begins. This news is
revolutionary! “Christ has risen! The Lord has risen indeed!”
Honestly, I'm not sure I really get
it. What about you? How could Jesus, who after being beaten and
mocked and crucified; how could Jesus, after dying on that cross and buried in
a stone tomb, live? The resurrection defies
logic. It's hard to explain. It's hard to understand. I cannot fully grasp what happened in that
tomb. No one actually saw it. It was entirely between Jesus and God.
I have to admit – I probably would have
reacted as Mary did. Devastated by the
empty tomb. And yet, just as He
promised, Jesus defeated death. He rose
from the grave. He spoke Mary's name and
hearing his voice, she knew it was
Him. And after that, the Risen One had
people to see and things to do. In the
days ahead, Jesus talked with his followers; He ate with them; they touched
Him. For forty days, Jesus walked and
talked among his followers after his resurrection. Every time Jesus came to his friends they
became stronger and wiser; kinder, and more daring. Every time Jesus came to them, they became
more like him.
In the end, that is the only evidence we have to offer those who ask us how we can possibly believe. Because we are forgiven. Because we live, that is why. Because we have found, to our surprise, that we are not alone. Because we never know where He will turn up next. We never know when He will call our name. It’s these appearances that cinch the resurrection for me, not what happened in the tomb. For the rest of us, Easter began the moment Jesus said, “Mary!” and she recognizes his voice. That is where the miracle happens, and it is where it continues to happen. Not in the tomb, but in our encounter with the living Lord.
For Mary, for Peter and John, for Thomas
and for the rest of the disciples, and for people like me and you, the empty
tomb is indeed the cause for great rejoicing.
Christ defeated death and rose from the grave. He is present with us, Emmanuel – God with
us. He is present with us in all places and all times.
I'm thankful that human interpretation
(or misunderstanding) of the empty tomb does not determine its significance.
The empty tomb proves God's power over death.
The empty tomb is the concrete reality of the presence of the risen
Lord. The empty tomb means that the
risen Lord stands before us; when we are fearful and troubled and scared, God is
with us. He calls our name. When we are filled with joy and excitement –
the risen Lord is with us. Christ walks
among us just as He did with the disciples.
He is with us when we feed the hungry; when we help the oppressed, when
we love one another. The empty tomb
means that for us, death is not the end.
The empty tomb promises resurrection for those who believe. The empty tomb means that the worst thing, is
not the last thing.
The apostle Paul tells us that “Jesus destroyed our last enemy;[2] Jesus destroyed death.”[3]
The resurrected Jesus responds to our doubts about his presence among us
every day of our lives with this question:
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen!” He has risen indeed! Amen.
[1] Resources used in addition to commentaries include: Journey
with Jesus, by Dan Clendenin @ www.journeywithjesus.net/Essays/20100329JJ
Escape from the Tomb, Barbara Brown Taylor @ www.christiancentury.org
Empty Tomb, Empty Talk, Thomas G. Long @ www.christiancentury.org
Completing the circle:
The Resurrection according to John, Derek Tidball.
[2] 1 Corinthians
15:26
[3] 2 Timothy 1:10
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