The Empty Tomb - Full Sermon
As we approached the year 2000, there were discussions about what were the significant events or dates in human history up to that point in time. I recall a panel on the Today show in which several people gave their opinions on important dates. Some mentioned the year 1776 when the United States declared itself a separate nation. Some brought up 1968, a year of turmoil in which we witnessed the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy and the Tet offensive in Vietnam which turned the tide of popular support for that conflict. What I remember most, though, was the statement made by Jon Meacham, former editor of Newsweek magazine and author of several books, including American Gospel. Meacham said, “There are two significant events in human history, unparalleled by anything else. First, there was World War II and the development of the atomic bomb; second, there is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Our Easter passage today comes from the Gospel of John 20:1–18. Mary Magdalene has gone to the tomb of Jesus very early on Sunday morning, while it is still dark, and has discovered that Jesus’ body is not in the tomb. The ensuing narrative has three parts. First, what is the significance of the empty tomb? Second, there is Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene. Third, there is Jesus’ commission to Mary Magdalene.
After the death of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate to let him take away the body. Pilate agreed and Joseph of Arimathea arranged for Jesus to be buried in a new tomb where no one had ever been laid. There was a stone in front of the entrance to the tomb. Because of talk that Jesus claimed he was going to rise from the dead, both Jewish and Roman authorities made sure that there were guards at the tomb to make sure no one stole the body.
Mary Magdalene finds the stone has been removed from the tomb and she then runs to find Peter and the disciple Jesus loved to tell them that someone had taken Jesus out of the tomb. The disciple Jesus loved, known as the beloved disciple, is believed to have been John, the writer of this gospel. The significance of Mary Magdalene and John being present on Easter morning at the tomb is that they both had been at Jesus’ crucifixion. They were among the last people to see Jesus alive. They probably saw him removed from the cross and wrapped in his burial wrappings. On Easter morning they could verify that those wrappings were still in the empty tomb even though Jesus was not there.
All three of these people had strong connections to the ministry of Jesus. Mary Magdalene was a devoted follower of Jesus throughout his ministry. In Luke 8:2 she is the woman from Galilee from whom Jesus exorcised seven demons. Contrary to popular notions developed during medieval times, she was not a prostitute. John embodied the love and intimacy with Jesus that is the goal of discipleship throughout the book of John. Peter functions as the representative of all the disciples throughout the Gospels and he is the “Rock” upon which Jesus shall build his church.
In the empty tomb what Peter sees is described in detail. He sees the linen wrappings lying in the tomb and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head rolled up in a place by itself. This evidence of the burial clothes suggests that the body had not been stolen. It was as if Jesus had passed through the wrappings, like he will slip through the doors in the next part of this chapter.
The emptiness of the tomb bears witness that Jesus has conquered death. We must realize that at this point the world has been transformed because Jesus has risen from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection was a cosmos-altering demonstration that the cycle of sin and death can be broken.
When John went into the tomb, he believed that Jesus had risen from the dead and had conquered death. What is important to recognize here is that he did not need to see the risen Christ to believe he had been resurrected. The beloved disciple believed in Jesus and the trustworthiness of his promises. We as Christians must be able to believe in the resurrected Christ even though we personally have no evidence of his risen body. The empty tomb alone is evidence enough.
Mary Magdalene has a more difficult time because she does not know what has happened to Jesus. It was necessary for Jesus to appear to her. At first, she does not recognize him, maybe because the resurrection has changed his appearance or because Mary was not expecting him alive at the tomb. Before she realizes it is Jesus, Jesus asks her, “Whom are you looking for?” In this question Jesus repeats the first words spoken by him in the Gospel of John (John 1:38) when he began his ministry. It is the same invitation he issued to discipleship, and he will show in this passage that Mary is also a disciple.
In verse 20:16, Jesus’ speaking Mary’s name enables her to recognize him. Her grief turns to joy. She experiences the grace of delight at the resurrection when she realizes he has arisen. She can say, “Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.” Jesus fulfilled his promise earlier in the Gospel that he would not abandon or orphan his followers. In her joy, Mary responds to Jesus in a very personal way. The Aramaic word Rabboni is a personal address or form of endearment of the word “rabbi” or teacher. This interchange with Mary shows Jesus as the good shepherd—he knows his sheep by their name and they respond to his voice.
Sometimes we do not recognize that Jesus is always with us. At times we are like lost sheep. We can always trust, though, that Jesus will find us and bring us back into the safety of his care. Like Mary, we need to listen for his voice when he calls our name.
Finally, in verses 17–20, Jesus commands Mary to go and proclaim the good news of his resurrection. Mary is the first disciple to proclaim the good news of Easter. We learn from this command that discipleship is not restricted to men. Jesus tells her to go to his brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” It is interesting that Jesus does not tell her to tell them of his resurrection. This is probably because she will do this anyway, which is what she does in verse 20 when she tells the disciples that she has seen the Lord. What Jesus wants everyone to understand is that his glorification and the ultimate fulfillment of his purpose on earth consist of his death, resurrection, and ascension. Only when he returns to his Father will all be complete. The story of the Word, the Logos, finds its conclusion in the ascension, which is the counterpart to when Jesus became incarnate and became human and came to earth.
Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension complete the purpose of his coming to earth which is written in the Prologue to John in chapter 1. In John 1:12, we read, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” His ascension fulfills his promise to prepare a place for all believers and to make them children of God. When Jesus uses the name “brother” and “sister” to refer to the disciples, the disciples are recognized as members of Jesus’ family and the family of God. This is the community of Christ. Christ’s ascension is the confirmation that the believing community now knows God as Jesus knows God.
In closing, let us recognize that the cross, the resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus Christ makes God’s new age a reality. It is critical that we believe in the resurrection. It is the central part of our faith. Jesus’ death on the cross, his revelation of his and God’s love, his resurrection and his ascension are about us, because they open up for those who believe fresh possibilities of life as children of God.
