From Sorrow to Joy, An Easter Message

Introduction

Next Sunday the choir will be presenting the Easter Cantata The Third Day. So today I will be presenting my Easter message since we won’t have enough time for it next week. At the retreat Lorna and I participated in earlier this week, our speaker talked about Growing in God’s Spirit and used the illustration of the caterpillar, the cocoon, and the butterfly. God wants us to be a butterfly – set free from the darkness of the cocoon. Jesus provided the way for us to achieve this by his own resurrection. I want to examine the resurrection story in John 20 and also see how God wants us to break out of our own cocoon of despair and sorrow.

Verses 1-2
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."

We know from the other gospel accounts that other women accompanied Mary Magdalene. MacDonald comments, "The faithfulness and devotion of women at the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord should be noticed. The disciples had forsaken the Lord and fled. The women stood by without regard for their personal safety."

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb in darkness. Her heart was full of sorrow and sadness. But as she came to the sepulcher, the discovery of the rolled away stone brought only more despair to her life – someone had stolen the body of Jesus. If you are going through a time of sorrow and despair, these verses were written for you. Mary was so overcome with gloom that she had to run and tell the disciples. Maybe they could do something about it

Verses 3-4
Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb.

They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

No doubt Peter and John were just as shocked as Mary by the news. How could anyone do such a horrible act? They raced to the tomb to find out for themselves. John outran Peter probably because he was the younger man. Doubt and confusion must have been swirling in their minds as they ran to the tomb. How could this happen?

Has doubt and confusion been swirling in your mind? Sometimes we are running for answers, but we are filled with questions. At least the disciples were not going to let their despair hinder them from searching for answers. Which way are you running? Are you searching for answers or trying to run away from facing your confusion?

Verse 5
And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

John arrived first, but he just looked in the tomb without going in. To his amazement, he saw the linen clothes lying there. Perhaps he wondered how anyone could steal the body and still spend the time to remove the grave clothes. John could not force himself to go in the tomb to face his worse fears. Instead he hesitated at the mouth of the sepulcher.

Sometimes when we are facing a difficult time, we are paralyzed with fear. We simply don’t want to face the cause of our despair. Maybe that is what John felt. He could not face the sorrow that was overwhelming him.

Verses 6-7
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying,

and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.

Peter was not hesitant. He stepped right in to try to find answers. As he looked, he noticed the grave clothes lying there and the napkin which had covered Christ’s head in a separate spot neatly rolled up.

McGee points out, "Remember that Joseph and Nicodemus had wrapped our Lord’s body in the linen and had sealed it with the myrrh and aloes, which made a sort of glue to seal in the body. How could the body get out of such an encasement without unwinding all that linen?"

It may have been that the more Peter examined the linen, the more perplexed he became. How could he explain this? But as he examined the clothes and the empty tomb, it seemed that there must be an answer here.

Verse 8
Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

John had been watching Peter’s activity from outside the tomb. Now he also walks in and looks at all that Peter had discovered. He looked to Peter for the answer, but Peter had no answers. Then as John looked once again at the empty tomb, suddenly he saw with spiritual sight, and verse 8 tells us he believed. Somehow his spirit made the connection that something miraculous had happened. He did not have all the answers, but he suddenly began to feel faith swelling up within himself.

You may be facing a dark and sorrowful time. But as you examine the problem you may discover that God is simply fulfilling a divine plan for your life. You may begin to remember the promises that God has given you in the past from scripture. And suddenly your spiritual eyes are opened and you believe.

Verse 9
For as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

I want to point out that John understood spiritually before he understood intellectually. He believed by faith something that he didn’t yet understand mentally. Later on he would understand all the words that Jesus had spoken to him about rising from the dead. And later still he would discover the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Jesus’ suffering, dying and resurrection. But for now he was going on simple faith. Something told him that all the cause of his fear and despair had been taken away, and somehow he believed.

You may not understand all that you are facing. You may not have the answers to your confusion or gloom. But you can accept by faith that Jesus will be there for you. He will raise you up out of your darkness and set you in the sunshine of his light.

Verses 10-11
Then the disciples went back to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.

Apparently, John did not share his feelings with Peter or Mary. Since he was the youngest, perhaps he did not want to appear foolish. Even though John could see with the eyes of faith, Mary could only see the despair. She wept and looked into the empty tomb trying to console herself, but her heart was overcome with emotion. It was hard enough to come to mourn the death of Jesus. Now she must face the fact that some horrible person had stolen the body. She was at her lowest point.

Are you at your lowest point? Have you been weeping and overcome with sorrow? Do you spend your time looking for answers, and only see emptiness? Mary looked one more time for answers and she found them. Why don’t you look to God one more time.

Verses 12-13
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, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."

Mary is so grief-stricken that it doesn’t penetrate to her understanding that these men are angels. She simply answers their question with her cry of sorrow and confusion. Angels were speaking to her, but all she could think of was her own misery.

Are you so overwhelmed by misery that you can’t hear angels ministering to you? Are you so overcome with hopelessness that you can only think of your distress? Let us be willing to look with faith on our problems. We may not have the answers, but we know that God is with us and will help us.

Verses 14-15
Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" 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."

Mary was so overcome with grief and so sure that someone had taken the body of Jesus that she didn’t even recognize him in the garden. The Believer’s Bible Commentary tells us, "At this point, something caused her to look in back of her. It was Jesus Himself, but she did not recognize Him. It was still early in the morning, and perhaps light had not yet dawned. She had been weeping continually, and doubtless her vision was clouded."

Jesus was standing right there beside her, but all she could think of was her own sorrow. Perhaps you have been spending so much time weeping over your own struggles that you can’t recognize Jesus. You don’t realize that he is right there beside you. He is standing next to you ready to help you. But all you can see is the gloom and despair. It fills your life and clouds your vision.

Verse 16
Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-boni!" (which means Teacher).

Jesus spoke Mary’s name. This must have been a shock to her – how would the gardener know her name? Perhaps it was because she recognized the voice that spoke her name so tenderly, or perhaps it was because she looked at the face of the gardener for the first time, but she suddenly realized that it was Jesus, her teacher, the one she loved so much.

Jesus is speaking your name today. He is calling to you tenderly. Are you looking at his face, or are you still weeping in your sorrow? Mary could not discover the miracle that God had done until she took her eyes off of her own misery and put them on Jesus. Christ is softly calling your name. Are you willing to turn from your despair and hear his voice?

Verses 17-18
Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."

Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord;" and she told them that he had said these things to her

Jesus sends Mary back to deliver the good news to the disciples. She entered the garden in suffering and pain, but she left happy and rejoicing. Christ had risen from the dead and had changed Mary’s sorrow to joy.

Christ rose from the dead for Mary and for the disciples and for you and for me. He also wants to change your sorrow into joy. Are you ready to hear his resurrection message? Jesus came and died for your sins that you might have a new life – that you might be resurrected into a new creation. All the pain and the suffering of the past will fade away as we look to Jesus and listen to his words of tenderness and comfort.

Jesus sent Mary back to his brethren to tell them the good news. Through the scriptures this morning Jesus has sent Mary to you to tell you the good news. Jesus is alive. Let us rejoice this Easter season. Allow Jesus to be the resurrection in your life. Allow Christ to make you new.

Footnotes:



	A Study of John 20:1-189