April 4-Easter Day-St. John 20:1-18

‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.’ (Ps. 19:14) Amen.

Christ is Risen! [response] He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

‘Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 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.”’ (Vv. 1, 2)

John’s opening statements about the resurrection of our Lord are not as glorious as those that Luke pens for us. In Luke we here a more joyous account. It signals a time of rejoicing. This rejoicing for you and me, as for the early church, spreads from here to the festival of Pentecost. The entire time of these next fifty days is one of rejoicing!

John speaks to us in our text about a more confused group. In fact, not all of the eleven go to the tomb, only Peter and John. Soon, as we shall see, for all those first Christians the Alleluia’s spring forth again with great joy as we have cried ourselves this morning.

For all of Lent, we have had the Alleluia’s of the service buried, left out of the service. Then for this past Holy Week we dropped even more. All to make the point that our Lord suffered and died for our sins. He paid the price so that you would not have to. He covered everything. Then this morning, it all comes flooding back in a joyous profusion of praise and rejoicing! The Alleluia first sprang forth from our lips today in the opening words of our Introit Psalm: ‘Alleluia. [Christ] has risen, as he said. He has risen from the dead. Alleluia.’ (Saint Matthew 28:6a, 7b)

Rejoice! Rejoice! Christ Jesus has risen from the grave!

Early this morning, at the time we may celebrate an Easter sunrise service in our own day, those women who were closest to Jesus and wished for Him a proper burial were already on their way to the tomb. They did not wait more than a second longer than they had to with the passing of the Sabbath on Saturday. They went and found the proper materials at the market early that Sunday morning, the very first Lord’s Day as we would count it, and bought the spices they would need. Such work would not have been allowed on the Sabbath. Then these few women trudged out to the garden tomb. They were wondering how they would possibly go about moving that massive stone. They were probably also formulating a plan and who would be the spokesman for the group if there were a guard posted by the chief priests.

And now, in Mary Magdalene’s distressed voice, we hear that glorious news. ‘“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”’ (Vv. 1, 2) He is gone! He is no longer in the tomb!

We first think, “He is risen! [response]” She was thinking, “I need some help. Someone has moved or stolen the Lord’s body!” We hear the good news in the actions of the women and the two disciples. They are rushing around in a mad confusion of fear and mourning and loss. The two men rush out to the tomb and see: ‘the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.’ (Vv. 6-9)

Whatever may have been swirling around in the minds of Peter and John, they could tell that something strange had occurred. They could tell that no one had stolen Jesus’ body. Again, actions speak louder than words could. The fact that all the linen cloths were still lying there as if there was still a body within, though they would have been sunken from the weight of all the burial spices Nicodemus had brought Friday afternoon. What especially proved this fact of the resurrection was the head cloth lying neatly folded separate from the rest this really told the story.

Jesus’ body had disappeared from where it was laid but because He had chosen to leave, not because anyone else had done anything to Him, just as He chose to give up His spirit on Friday (Saint John 19:30). When Jesus rose early Easter morning, He was simply not there any longer. As our Confessions state, the natural laws of space and time no longer held our Savior subject any more. He had risen. His body is now glorified and moves about as Jesus wills. (Formula of Concord Solid Declaration VIII: 12ff.) We see that later when Jesus appears to the disciples as they hid behind closed doors. (Saint John 20:19) Mary, not remembering the words of Jesus that He had to suffer and be crucified and on the third day rise again, (V. 9) did not understand any of this. The only thing that made sense to her was that the body had somehow been moved.

‘And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 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.”’ (Vv. 12-13) These are not words of rebuke by these two angels. Rather, they are words of assurance for Mary Magdalene. They were seeking to help her see that all her spices and assumed preparations for a dead body that she had planned, were unnecessary. Praise God that these angels are correct! It is true; Jesus is not where He should be. He has risen! [response]

These angels are trying, though it does not seem to do much good, they are seeking to help Mary believe the good news of the resurrection. So, we have the next verses. Mary stands up from looking into the tomb and turns seeing what she thinks is a gardener. Jesus repeats what the angels had already asked Mary. ‘“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”’ (V. 15) As we see, He asks her a further question. Teasing out of her the understanding of what had happened and to whom she was speaking.

What we have is the reaction we first expect on Easter morning. We have the same joyful response we have given ourselves to the resurrection of our Savior. Mary exclaims: ‘”Rabboni!” (which means Teacher)’ (V. 17) She is overjoyed at this unexpected reunion. She is rejoicing that Jesus really is not dead, her eyes had not deceived her. She is rejoicing as we all are today. This Easter is double cause for celebration for many in our area.

It is a great and wonderful thing to be reunited with one you had thought gone or who has been away for a long stretch of time. I have never personally sent a family member off to war, I have only rejoiced with all Christians on Easter Sunday that our Savior’s payment for my sins and your sins with His sinless life was accepted by the Father and Jesus was returned to we who love Him. Though John does not record this for us, I am sure that Mary Magdalene was jumping and running over to Jesus to give Him a great big hug and checking His hands for the nail marks to see that it really and truly is Jesus. That her eyes really were not deceiving her.

As with you and me, we those who are blessed by Jesus, ‘“who have not seen and yet have believed.”’ (V. 29) Mary Magdalene finally believed the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. As she knew and would believe she now knew that when she died she would be in Paradise with Jesus. Death would now transfer her, as also it does for you and me, to the Father in heaven. Mary Magdalene finally knew and believed that her sins are forgiven, she had been rescued from sin death and the devil and she had eternal life with Jesus in heaven. Mary now knew this for certain. It is the same with you. You now know for certain that you have forgiveness of sins, salvation from sin death and the devil and everlasting life with Jesus in heaven. You know this for sure. These gifts are yours because of your baptism (Small Catechism IV: 2nd) and are yours eternally because of Jesus death on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday. 'Amen, Come Lord Jesus!' (Rev. 22:20)

In the Name of Jesus+ our Risen Savior. Amen. Alleluia!