EASTER!
April 9,
2023
Pastor
Timothy J. Spaude
Text: John
20:1-18 (EHV)
HE LIVES!
What Easter Means to Me:
1. John: I am free from my doubts.
2. Peter: I am free from my guilt.
3. Mary: I am free from my grief.
Christ is risen! A blessed Easter to all. Do you have
everything ready? House clean? Got all the food? Goodies for the kids? If you
forget something that will be a problem. Even if you have it all ready, there
may still be problems. I was reminded a week ago of the infamous Krutz Easter
when the dog grabbed the ham off the counter and made a run for it. That’s a problem.
But as inconvenient as forgetting something or a doggy dash may be, there are
bigger problems we face, aren’t there? It’s easy to believe in the goodness of
God when things go well in your life but what happens when there are troubles
and problems? Is God for real? Am I
maybe being punished for something? Maybe you are dealing with grief over a
major disappointment or a first Easter without a loved one. Come along with me
today and see what it means that Jesus lives. Let’s join others who also dealt
with doubt, guilt and grief.
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still
dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been taken
away from the tomb. 2 So she left and ran to Simon
Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord
out of the tomb,” she told them, “and we don’t know where they put him!” 3 So
Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4 The
two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the
tomb first. 5 Bending over, he saw the linen cloths
lying there, yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter,
who was following him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying
there. 7 The cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was
not lying with the linen cloths, but was folded up in a separate place by
itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who arrived at
the tomb first, also entered. He saw and believed. 9 (They
still did not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead.)10 Then
the disciples went back to their homes.”
The Gospel of John’s Easter account draws our attention
to three people. Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, the Gospel writer who calls
himself “the other disciple.” All of them had problems, big problems that the
Easter message, “He is risen!” solved. John’s problem was doubt. Can we blame
him? Given that fact that he would live around 70 years after Jesus rose and
ascended he was likely a very young man at this time. He was one of the three
that Jesus allowed to see His glory at the Transfiguration. With the idealism
of youth, I’m certain he gladly saw Jesus as the promised Messiah and put his
faith in Him. And then the Garden of Gethsemane happened. Jesus arrested. The
disciples running away in fear. Then Good Friday happened. Jesus crucified.
Jesus dead! How can this be? To be fair, Jesus had told his disciples multiple
times that he was going to Jerusalem where he would be handed over to the chief
priests, where he would suffer and die and after three days rise again. But is
that something you could believe without seeing? If I told you that tomorrow I
would fly like Superman around the moon and back would you believe me? I could
tell you that plainly twenty times and you would not believe until I did it.
John had his doubts. Until he ran to the empty tomb and found that Jesus is
risen. While he did not understand yet all the why about what happened he tells
us he believed. Ask John what Easter means and he would tell you “I am free
from my doubts.”
What about Peter? Maybe the reason John got to the tomb
before Peter was that he was faster. Or maybe Peter wasn’t all that eager to
really go to the tomb of Jesus. After all, the last time Jesus had seen Peter, Peter
had been cursing up a blue streak to try to get people to believe that he didn’t
know Jesus. That night in the high priest’s courtyard, Peter cursed and swore
and said, "I don't know this Jesus you're talking about. I've never met
him." Then Jesus walked by and looked at him. Peter had a guilty
conscience. He wept bitterly. All that Friday, while he watched Jesus die,
Peter had to remember that look on Jesus’ face. All day Saturday, while the
disciples sat in stunned silence, Peter recalled Jesus’ face. Peter would never
forget that look. His last act for Jesus was to deny Him.
Unless Jesus lived. Unless He was exactly who He said he
was. Unless Jesus’ death was done purposefully to pay for sin. Unless Jesus
would forgive him. The Bible tells us that after the events of Easter morning
Jesus appeared to the disciples as a group. He was alive. Before that though Jesus
came to Peter alone. Can you understand why? Peter’s guilt. Don’t you wish you
could have been there to hear Peter blurt out, "Lord, I'm sorry! I didn't mean
those words"? Did Jesus wipe away the tears of sorrow from Peter’s eyes
and look into his face and say, "Peter, I forgive you"? The Bible
doesn’t tell us exactly what happened between Jesus and Peter that day, but we
do know that Jesus forgave Peter and Peter’s last act was not to deny Jesus but
gladly tell people everywhere about wonderful forgiveness provided by Jesus.
Ask Peter what Easter means, what it means that Jesus lives and he will say, “I
am free from my guilt!”
On to Mary Magdalene. “But Mary stood outside facing
the tomb, weeping. As she wept, she bent over, looking into the tomb. 12 She
saw two angels in white clothes sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying,
one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They asked
her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She told them, “Because they have taken away
my Lord, and I don’t know where they have laid him.” 14 After
she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did
not know it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why
are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Supposing he was the gardener, she
replied, “Sir, if you carried him off, tell me where you laid him, and I will
get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and
replied in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means, “Teacher”). 17 Jesus
told her, “Do not continue to cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my
Father. But go to my brothers and tell 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!” She also told them
the things he said to her.”
Mary was overcome with grief. Jesus had driven seven
evil spirits from her. Her gratefulness led her and several other women to followed
Jesus and support his ministry out of their own means. She must have loved
Jesus deeply. That’s why she was among the first to come to the tomb that
morning to cover his dead body with spices. When she discovered Jesus was gone,
she ran back in distress and confusion to tell the other disciples that someone
had stolen his body. When she returned she just stood outside the tomb crying. She
had lost more than a friend. The One in whom she believed was dead. How could
she follow a dead Savior? But He wasn’t dead. He lives! Jesus appeared to her
and her grief turned to joy. “I have seen the Lord!” Ask Mary what Easter means
and she will tell you “I am free from my grief.”
So what does Easter mean for you? He lives. Do you struggle
with doubts? All of us do at some time. Our belief and trust in God is easy for
us when things go our way. But then tragedy strikes. The diagnosis is not good.
The country and state you love moves further and further away from God’s good
and gracious will. Doubts can creep. Are you real God? If so where are you? He
is real. Jesus lives! He is in control even when it looks like everything is
going wrong. For this time or any time when you struggle with doubts run to the
open tomb. Jesus lives and will keep every promise to you. Or maybe guilt is
your bigger problem. If not now it will be there at some point. When the bad
things happen in life and the mind says “I know why. It’s because I did …”
Listen. You can’t take back sin. You can’t undo it as badly as you would like
to. Sin can only be forgiven. But that’s why Jesus died and rose. The very
reason Jesus gave up His life was to pay for sin in full. Your sin in full.
Everything, no matter how bad. The reason Jesus rose from the dead specifically
so we would know today we stand forgiven, declared not guilty for every sin. One
the price was paid Jesus came back to life. He lives! Or is grief what weighs
on your heart? Some disappointment where something did not go the way you
thought, hoped or prayed for or is someone missing from this year’s gathering? Just
like with Peter John and Mary God might have you wait a bit to see the wonderful
way He will work it out so while you wait go with Mary to Jesus’ empty tomb. He
lives and because He lives we will too. Death is not the ending but the beginning.
Jesus proves it. Jesus knows your grief and because He lives a day is coming
when every tear will be wiped from your eyes.
Jesus lives. That’s the message of Easter. Now it may be
that your life is so perfect you don’t need a living Jesus, eggs and bunnies
will do, but I doubt it. Into every life comes doubts, guilt and grief and so
for everyone comes Jesus. He lives. So what does Easter mean to me? I’m free,
free to give up doubts about God when they come, free to let go the guilt of
forgiven sin and free to let any grief turn to joy in Jesus, all because He lives.
I pray the Spirit give you that meaning too! Amen.
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