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"Jesus Christ is Risen Today!"Scripture: John 20:1-18 A man was once asked why he changed his religion. He had become a believer in Jesus Christ. The man said, "Well, it's like this. I had been going down the path of my religion quite happily. It was filled with great teachings, stories and other helps for life. But then I came to a fork in the road. I could have kept going down my path, but it was a path that was based on the teachings of a dead man. Instead, I saw on the other path Jesus who was alive. Which path would you have chosen, the path of a dead man or one who is alive?" Jesus is alive. That's all that really matters. He had been crucified on a Friday, but on the very next Sunday, He had risen from the dead. The rock in front of the tomb had rolled away. Guards were stationed on the outside of the tomb to keep the body of Jesus inside (it had been rumored that the disciples might try to steal Jesus' body so they called in guards). These guards faced death if anything should happen to the body. But they saw the rock roll up a hill early on that morning and watched as Jesus stepped out. They fell as dead men, paralyzed by fear. Then they fled. Who could have ever imagined such a sight?! Today, you can go to that tomb. The sign on the front reads, "He is not here, for He has risen." The only thing that matters is that He died and rose again. If He didn't rise from the dead, then the path of Christianity is useless and anyone who dares to walk down it is a fool. But, if the path of Jesus leads directly to the risen Lord then all the other paths are useless, nothing more than some pieces of wisdom lying around, ineffective to really change lives. Jesus has risen. That's all that matters. From that very fact purpose is given to all things. Mary Magdelene couldn't stand the days leading up to Jesus' death. She saw the crowds raise their fists high into the air and shout "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" She screamed in return, "Why?!...Why?! Don't murder an innocent man. Don't put to death my Jesus." She couldn't believe the evil that existed in Jerusalem on Friday. Certainly, her heart broke as she watched her beaten Lord stand before the people, bloody and used. Then she cried out at the cross, "Oh God, why?! Why are they killing my Jesus? All that I have left is Him." Then she watched as the soldiers mocked Him, laying Him on a cross, stretching His arms well out of His sockets to nail his wrists to the cross. She heard the pounding when His ankles were shoved up under Him and fastened into the wood. She stood by through the hours as He wearily said, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they are doing." She broke into tears as she heard Him say, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Then she heard His final scream as He cried out in a loud voice, "IT IS FINISHED! Into your hands, Oh Father, I commit my Spirit" Then His head dropped and He was gone. Mary Magdelene still didn't leave the cross. Even though all His friends fled, Mary stayed. She had nothing left. Jesus was all that mattered. She watched Him die. She followed Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus to the tomb with His body, so it's no mistake, as some say, that the empty tomb she went to on Easter was the wrong one. She knew it well. She saw them lay Him on the rock ledge inside and she watched as the rock rolled down, sealing Him in forever. For two days she paced the floors of her dwelling place. According to the law, she couldn't leave home once the evening came on that night. It was the Passover, so she waited. She knew Jesus was dead. She believed He would never speak to her again. She believed He would never look at her again with His loving eyes. But all she needed to do was just see Him one more time. One more time! This is where we pick up our story this morning. When it was still dark on Sunday morning, Mary took off from her house. She wasn't supposed to go in the darkness, but it was close enough to morning. She broke the law and her customs, but she wanted to be back at the sight where she last left Him. She wasn't supposed to be at that tomb so early, but she went. Nothing else mattered to her but Jesus. What matters to you? Mary was a woman of courage. She wasn't simply an admirer of Jesus. She was a follower of Jesus. He was the focal point of her life. Nothing else mattered. What matters most to you? A few weeks ago I spoke about Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. They also broke their customs because of this Jesus. To be a follower of Jesus requires putting Him first. Nicodemus, the Teacher of Israel, and Joseph of Arimathea were both Pharisees, Separated Ones, and they served on the highest council of law, the Supreme Court of the land. When they went to the tomb to bury Jesus it was the time of the Passover; a time when Pharisees and teachers needed to be clean for the salvation of others. But their law dictated that anyone touching a dead body was rendered unclean, ineffective, for several days. These were the great men of the law. They gave up their law, gave up all they were. They couldn't attend to the people of Israel during the greatest and most necessary point of the whole year in order to attend to Jesus. They gave up their whole world for Jesus. What have we given up? We don't need more admirers of Jesus. We need courageous people who will dare to say, "My first priority is Him. Since He is the author of life, the only one who holds the promise of a resurrection, He comes first in all things. The statement of the early Church is still the central creed of the Church today: "Jesus is Lord!" If Jesus doesn't take top priority in your life, you're not a disciple of His. One young man used to say that he was a student of a great professor in England. He used to brag and boast about his connection with this professor. However, when someone asked the professor about the student, the well-known professor said, "This young man may have attended my lectures and classes, but he is no student of mine." Are you an admirer of Jesus this morning? It's not enough. What really matters is being a passionate, sold-out disciple of the Resurrected one. What really matters is that Jesus takes a priority far above everything else; far above husbands or wives; far above children or grandchildren; far above possessions or professions; far above abilities or academics; far above all earthly possession or aspirations. If Jesus doesn't take priority in life, then you're not on the path of the Resurrected One. You're an admirer, not a follower. Admiration doesn't save. Only Jesus saves. The One who died said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Those who believe in me, follow me, courageously, witnessing to me and testifying of me, I will raise from the dead. - those who live and believe in me will never die." Then He proved it by resurrecting from the dead. And, at the moment of His resurrection, others were raised and walked into Jerusalem as a testimony that power of the Resurrected One is for everyone who courageously receives. Do you believe? Do you have the courage to follow Him, leaving everything else behind as second place? Who is this Jesus? He is the presence of God. Before He died upon the cross, the only place where God was worshipped was the Temple. But when He died, the Temple was shaken. The curtain that separated the presence of God was torn in two. It exposed the very presence of God in and around the ark of the covenant. Two angels on the ark, one on one side and the other on another side shielded themselves by their wings on the ark because of the holiness of God's presence. Now think about that image. The Holiest of Holies was now opened for everyone. When Mary looked into the tomb where Jesus had laid, she saw two angels, one where his head was and the other where his feet were. The Ark of the Covenant, the presence of God was no longer in the Temple. It was there at the place where Jesus sprang to life. But now the presence of God was no mere inanimate object. The presence of God is Jesus. Mary Magdelene didn't understand. All she knew was that Jesus was not there. She faced the tomb. Her posture was toward death and Jesus wanted her to face life. She needed to turn around and see Him not in death, but behind her, the opposite direction from death. But when he called to her, her eyes were filled with tears and she couldn't see Him clearly. Then He said, "Mary!" His lamb heard His voice and recognized the voice of the Shepherd calling her name. "Mary! It's me. See, I am risen. Turn away from the tomb. It doesn't exist anymore." And Mary was pushed onto another path. What will it take to shatter us out of this myth called life we've created? How long will we find ourselves on the path of a dying world? If Jesus has risen from the dead, then why are we still so sad, so depressed, so weak and so petty? Jesus has risen from the dead - Hallelujah! If we really understood this our lives would continually be different. Look at Mary! When Mary held onto Jesus' feet, the very presence of God who allowed her to do so laughed with her. Read vs. 17 again, " Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father." Mary, I'm going to be around for forty days before I return to Heaven. But if you keep holding onto me the way you're doing, nothing is going to get done." He's joking with her! He's laughing with her! How do you think Jesus would feel after being resurrected from death? How do you think He would feel after going though excruciating (ex-crucis - out of the cross) pain then rising from the dead in power? He's as excited as Mary is - - "I know, Mary! It's wonderful isn't it? I am alive. I told you this would happen. But now we get to enjoy it together. And Mary...Mary, you'll never die. You're going to be just like me." Why was Jesus laughing with her? Because that's what Jesus does. I don't know your image of Jesus, but I'm weary of the terrible images we often present. When I tried to find a picture of a laughing Jesus I had a hard time. I find thousands of pictures of a stoic Jesus. I found thousands of pictures of an angry Jesus. I found thousands of pictures of a teaching Jesus; a dying Jesus; a frightening Jesus; a powerful Jesus...and even several hundred pictures of a good-looking Jesus. But I found about 6 or 7 pictures of a laughing Jesus...and most of them were not very good. I think our images present our theology. I wonder if we Christians have forgotten to smile; forgotten to recapture the joy of the resurrection. Smile! Laugh! Let the joy from deep within pour out through you! Jesus has risen from the dead. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! What else matters? If we really understand the resurrection and what it means, then anything put in the light of that very fact tends to pale in comparison. What is it you're going through? What are your difficulties? I believe they're real. I believe they're difficult. And I know that God cries along with you. But as long as you keep them on the same path everyone else has them on, they'll consume you...and they'll kill you. But if you change your course to take it down the path of Christ, then watch how the resurrection overshadows your problems. Listen to these words because they're all that matter. They were taken from the Scriptures and given to the great composer George Fredric Handel to put to music in the early 1740s: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world King of kings, and Lord of lords, And He shall reign forever and ever, Does anything else matter? No. In order to end the story, this morning, we need to look at what Jesus does with Mary. It is the same thing he asks of us if we have the courage to laugh with Him: Go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." And Mary does that. In this way, she becomes the very first preacher of Gospel ever. If you caught a glimpse of the resurrected Lord this morning, tell the world that He has risen. We need more preachers in this world today. Not necessarily preachers like me. We need courageous people who aren't afraid to go against their culture, their traditions and their journey when it gets in the way of the very presence of God; Jesus. We need people who will come to a fork in the road (and maybe that fork in the road is in front of you this morning) and choose the path less traveled, the one with Jesus welcoming them to a journey that leads to life, not more dead teachings. Do you have the courage to follow Jesus? I'm not asking you to have admiration, I assume you already do. Do you have the courage to stand for Him even when everyone else forsakes Him? Would you like to know the joy that is in the power of His resurrection? You can't if you don't commit; if you don't make Him first above all else. That's the straightforward message of the Gospel. As we sing the Hallelujah Chorus to end the service today, remain seated. And if you can remain seated as we all sing the song, then well-done, you've resisted the resurrection. But, if during the song you have to stand, I am asking that you make it your commitment to be a follower of Jesus Christ and a choice to go down the path to smile with the One who is alive forever. You'll have some time to consider what your choice may be as we move toward that great moment in the service. Amen. |
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