Easter (Jn. 20:1-9)

The Easter stories in the scriptures start with a common theme.  The disciples went to the tomb of Jesus.  The tomb was empty.  But at this point the cohesion in the story disappears for a while.  The disciples seem to have a variety of reactions to the empty tomb.  

The response of the first apostles reflects how we probably feel when we stand before the grave of a loved one.  If that person has just died, we are left to come to grips with what has happened.  

If we have ever walked through a cemetery looking at the markers, we have found they express a variety of reactions to death.  One philosopher wrote on his grave marker. “Death after life or life after death. A mystical distinction between sense and purpose.” 

Andy Warhol has these words etched on his tombstone.  “The goal is not to live forever; the goal is to create something that will.”  Bertold Brecht’s grave has these words, “Do not fear death so much as the inadequate life.”  Kahil Gebron’s tombstone reads, “Life and death are one, even as the sea and river are one.” An epitaph based on the Harry Potter books reads, “To a well-organized mind death is but the next great adventure.”  Yes, we all have our own unique responses to mortality. 

When we read about the reactions of the apostles on Easter morning, we have a sense that there was a variety of responses to what they found in the cemetery. One feeling was that of Peter who peered into the empty tomb and then walked away in amazement.  We also read of the mood of the women Mary Magdeline led to the grave of Jesus.  Among them was a sense of bewilderment.  The question they asked at first was, “Who stole the body?”  The beloved disciple looks in the tomb. We read that he understands. But we are left to wonder exactly what he understands.   

We have then, bewilderment with some disciples.  Amazement with others.  Finally, we have a third group that walk away from the tomb pondering what has happened.   

All in all, there is a lack of clarity.  What brings understanding to the friends of Jesus?  We would have to say what causes clarity is what transpires when each apostle encounters the risen Lord. The women, for example, perceive what has happened when the resurrected Jesus talks to them at the tomb.  Jesus appears at different times to the other apostles. And they see and they believe. 

But what do they see?  Again, we are left to wonder.  At first, it seemed like they couldn’t believe their eyes.  No one appears to recognize the risen Jesus until he says or does something that identifies who he is.  What did he look like?  Did he look like he always did? Or did he appear in a different form? How does one describe the indescribable with mere words?  We might feel disappointed.  What is the proof of what happened? 

The proof is that we come here today to this church to celebrate the resurrection.  Something happened at Easter two thousand years ago.  A band of motley people who were huddled in fear in the upper room burst out of that room with a firm faith that couldn’t be shaken.  After they had their mystical experiences with the risen Jesus, they no longer feared death. No, they understood death as a bridge to oneness with the resurrected Jesus.  Somehow, they had the audacity to believe that they could spread the Gospel message to the whole world.  Because the apostles met the Risen Jesus face to face, we pray as baptized believers today. 

We come here to ponder why Jesus’ tomb was empty.  We wait for the return of the Risen Lord with all our questions.  One day we will see him when he comes to us in Glory.  We wait in hopeful expectation. As Christians we believe in the good news that we will rise to live with Jesus forever.  Whether we are alive in this world or whether we one day wait in the grave, it doesn’t matter. Our destiny lies with Jesus.  Where Jesus lives today, we expect to live.  The tomb was empty. When the time comes, our graves will be vacant.  Jesus is alive. We are alive today, tomorrow, forever.