A sermon for Easter Day 2015

I hope this helps in you in the midst of this busy Holy Week.

Mark 16.1-8 (NRSV)

The Resurrection of Jesus

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. ²And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’⁴When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. ⁵As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ⁶But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ ⁸So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 

My text for today is written in Mark 16.7:

⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ 

The Resurrection of Jesus, according to St Paul, is the cornerstone of our faith, and it is also a simple historical fact that, if Jesus had not risen we would not be here today. At the time of Jesus, there were many people who claimed to be the messiah, and the rule was, if you followed one and he was killed, you were following the wrong one. Realising this, we can imagine how the disciples must have felt – especially Peter – who was gutted by his unfaithfulness and denial, and who probably thought that even if Jesus was not whom they all expected him to be, he had been a good friend and they should have supported him to the end because they all loved him. All the disciples would therefore have felt regret, because they had deserted Jesus in his time of need, even if they had not denied him as Peter had done. The women had proved the most faithful; they had remained with him at the Cross and had been there when he had been taken down to be buried.

So as early as they could, the women had got up at sunrise and were going to anoint and care for the body of Jesus in a way that they had wanted to do when he had died, but had been prevented from doing, because of the Sabbath beginning. This was nothing out of the ordinary, but something women would have done as a matter of course on the death of a loved one. It was also perfectly natural for this to happen up to three days after a death. But they were totally unprepared for what they found. When they discovered the empty tomb and the messenger they were shocked – amazed – and terrified.

I always find it wonderful that our Lord, right from the start, breaks into our everyday ordinariness and blesses us. What is required is faithfulness; when we faithfully go about of daily tasks, and when we are open to his presence, he breaks in and touches us with his love and encouragement.

Notice also the authenticity of this account. Some have suggested that the Gospel accounts have been edited by later writers to fit in with the teachings of the Church, and to prove that Jesus was who he claimed to be. If this was the case, they would have edited out the fact that the first people to witness the truth of the resurrection were women, because at the time, the testimony of women did not count legally; it was considered unreliable and untrustworthy! But the truth matters and so Mark wrote his account as it was reported to him and as he experienced it for himself. The whole of Mark’s Gospel has this flavour; he always tries to tone down the miracles because Jesus never intended them to prove who he was. Mark even tones down some of the teachings, because it would be a mistake to think that Jesus proved his Messiahship by what he taught or did. As Donald English explains:

Jesus refuses to convince by displays of earthly power, or convincing argument. They will find the truth only as they look through the evident circumstances and by faith perceive the hidden realities. (p. 240)

This seems obvious: many people experienced the miracles and his teachings, yet at the time of his death, Jesus only had a handful of followers. But when we enter into a relationship with the Jesus, his presence with us by the Holy Spirit, then the truth becomes real. And we do this when we follow his example in obedient service. Our discipleship is never in the spectacular, or even in success. Jesus warned his disciples and he warns us that true fulfilment, flourishing as a human being, comes when we too take up our crosses and follow him.

Notice how the angelic messenger gets the women to do something: they must ‘go’ to Galilee and ‘tell’. This is our daily task, to go to where the Lord is, and then go out and live for others. We do this when we reflect on Jesus and his teachings and actions. The difference is that our reading and reflecting is not only an intellectual exercise – although reason plays an important part. We are not meant to leave our rational minds behind as we open the Bible to read. But it is also the Spirit of Jesus that inspires and blesses us as we read and prayerfully consider the meaning of his message for us today. We need to steep ourselves in the Scriptures in this rational and spiritual way. In acts 2.42 we are given the way to so this. This verse reads:

And they came together for the Apostles teaching, for the fellowship for the breaking of bread and for prayer.

The earliest disciples were no different to us; they were not more disposed to faith than we are; faith and discipleship was not easier for them. Is this not also a source of deep encouragement for us? What was true for them can be true for us. Being a disciple today, like the women, requires courage. Jesus had been despised and rejected, and today once more, he is despised and rejected. The women were rightly fearful and filled with uncertainty – they even had the practical problem of not knowing how they were going to get the stone removed from the front of the tomb, but they set out early, knowing what they needed to do, and they were faithfully willing to do it – and they were blessed – eventually. Notice how the passage ends – and the most reliable manuscripts suggest that this is where the original gospel ended – in mid-air – “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Blessing does not always come obviously and immediately. In a sense the women seemed to be too scared even to follow the instructions they had been given. But, in time, it became clear for them and they rejoiced. We too need time to make sense of things that happen to us, struggle with things sometimes even wrestle with them, but the meaning will become apparent and real.

But then notice the simple, yet wonderful message they were all to receive: “But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”

To be told that Jesus was alive – by itself – might have led to feelings of embarrassment, even fear. They had all – other than the women – deserted him in is hour of need; Peter had blown it even more, he had publicly denied Jesus. And so the message of forgiveness and restoration would have been clear and liberating – the mention specifically of Peter’s name would have meant much – not only to Peter – but all of them. They were forgiven, accepted and restored. This truth was probably behind Mary Magdalene’s faithfulness. Earlier in the Gospel we read of how she loved much because she had been forgiven much. Now all the disciples were to be restored. As J C Ryle explains:

“There were to be no exceptions in the deed of grace. All were pardoned.”

Here to we find encouragement and a challenge. We, like our Lord, ought to delight in being merciful, and we will find this easier when we realise how much we have been forgiven. As Ryle continues:

“If Christ is so ready to forgive us, so ought we to be ready to forgive others.”

And we are reminded of this every day as we say the Lord’s Prayer:

“Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”

There are wonderful consequences that result from the truth of the resurrection. Jesus is not merely a person of history – although this is an uncontested fact even acknowledged by those who reject him. Jesus is a living presence whom we can meet each day as his spirit touches us as study the Scriptures which inspire us in the way that we relate to others in love. Jesus is therefore much more than a mere memory. Barclay reminds us that memories fade, even our dearest ones. The memory of Jesus would have faded if he hadn’t been and still is a living presence in our lives. Barclay writes: “Jesus is not someone we discuss, he is someone we meet.” Being a Christian is not knowing lots and lots about Jesus; it is about knowing Jesus personally. Barclay adds:

“The greatest scholar in the world, the man who knows everything about Jesus, is less than the humblest Christian who knows him every day.”

We too are left with the challenge: “Go, tell …” We too have the message that God loves us and forgives us, and we can tell others that he loves them and is ready to forgive them as well. As the angel said to the women:

⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ 

Amen.