By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, April 12, 2009 · Easter Sunday
Sermon Text: John 20:11-18
Sermon Theme
Mary Magdalene is weeping outside the tomb of Jesus. This was an established custom of the time (John 11:31). Mary’s weeping focuses on the fact that Jesus’ body is missing and, in her mind, could have been stolen. Her weeping over Jesus’ body could well involve both regret and remorse. Grief deals with both. Weeping is more than an initial response, and she is asked twice, “Why are you weeping?” There are many things in life, things we have done and not done, which can cause us to grieve. In addition, the scene of a woman weeping over a dead god was a familiar one in the ancient world. This, however, is neither a picture of unresolved grief nor of false gods. Mary’s assumptions are all wrong. Jesus is not missing. His body has not been stolen. He is not a dead Lord. He calls her by name. He is risen and standing before her. She needs to turn from her sorrow to see the risen and living Lord Jesus. On this Easter Sunday, we need to do the same.
Sermon Outline
- Regret. Mary is weeping not only over Jesus’ death, but also because she assumes that Jesus’ body has been taken away or even stolen. However, the grief that is expressed over a death can well go beyond simply a sense of loss. Grief often involves regret. Mary Magdalene was one of the women at the cross. As she looked at the wounded and dying body of Jesus, she may have had regrets both over her own life and the times she spent with Jesus. Perhaps she feels she should have stayed at the tomb to prevent someone from breaking in. Do we have regrets? Have we taken full advantage of all that Jesus has given us? We have all wept at the tomb of missed opportunities.
- Remorse. Mary’s weeping can also be an expression of remorse. We regret the things we did not do that wished we would have done. Remorse, however, is the sorrow and guilt we feel for things we’ve done wrong. Mary’s weeping could include not only things she’s neglected but also bad decisions she has made. We know that she had seven demons cast out of her, so she may have been involved with the occult or served as a pagan priestess. Even after coming to Jesus, there may have been things she did or said that she wishes she could take back or undo. So she weeps. Feelings of remorse can overwhelm us as well.
- Resurrection. Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus had affirmed his divinity. He had claimed equality with God, said that he was one with the Father and referred to himself as I AM, the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Mary was probably present at some of these moments. Now, from her perspective, her God is dead. Her weeping at the tomb evokes a well-known ancient image of women weeping at the tombs of dead gods. These gods were believed to rise again to guarantee the coming of spring and die again after the annual harvest. These false gods were even worshipped in Israel (Ezekiel 8:14-15). John creates a tremendous irony in telling us that Mary weeps outside an empty tomb. Jesus is not dead and his body has not been stolen. He calls her by name. He shows himself to her, risen, never to die again. He is the creator not only of spring but of all seasons, indeed of all that exists. He heals our regrets. He takes away our remorse. Mary never needs to weep again. Neither do we.
Questions for Us
- Mary's assumptions about what has happened on the first Easter are all wrong. How do we make the same mistake in assuming things about Jesus that are not true? What are some ways we try to put limits on Jesus' power?
- Regret is a sense of loss and remorse is sorrow over things we wish we hadn't done. What are some of the ways we have experienced both regret and remorse in our lives? Have we wept over these failures?
- What are some of the ways we have thought that Jesus was "missing" when in fact He was with us the whole time? What does it mean for us today to hear Jesus call us by name?
