“Why Are You Weeping?”

2008 Easter Homily

John 20:1-18

Apostles Creed: The third day he rose again from the dead.

Confessional Documents: God raised [Jesus] from the dead, vindicating him as Messiah and Lord. The victim of sin became the victor, and won the victory over sin and death for all [people]… We declare that Jesus is Lord. His resurrection is a decisive victory over the powers that deform and destroy human life… God raised Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.

William Barclay: In the message of Mary [in today’s text] there is the very essence of Christianity, for the Christian is essentially one who can say: “I have seen the Lord.” Christianity does not mean knowing about Jesus; it means knowing him. It does not mean arguing about him; it means meeting him. It means the certainty of experience that Jesus is alive.

[prayer]

There is an old hymn with a refrain that goes, “O Mary, don’t you weep no more; O Mary, don’t you weep no more.” That is the essence of the Easter story: there is no longer any need to weep. The Lord has risen. Death could not hold him. Sin could not destroy him. The devil could not claim him. He was alive. He is alive. There is no longer any need to weep.

But Mary Magdalene had no way of knowing that as she made her way to the tomb of Jesus that first Easter morning. She had seen Jesus die. She had seen him buried. She was filled with a deep, deep sadness and sense of loss. Jesus was dead, taking with him to the grave Israel’s dreams of a Messiah and the world’s longing for a Savior. That’s why she was weeping.

What she and the other disciples was feeling is described very well in the familiar walk to Emmaus story found in Luke 24: “But we had hoped that he would be the one to redeem Israel.” We had hoped that he would be the one to redeem Israel. That hope was now destroyed: crucified, dead, and buried.

That was what Mary believed that morning. More than that, she had lost a good friend, one who had delivered her from demonic possession, and if we are to believe some traditions, a life of prostitution. The first man in her entire life who had treated her with dignity and respect was dead. No wonder she was weeping. No wonder she was overwhelmed by grief. All was lost. There was nothing more to do but complete the burial preparations that had been interrupted by the Sabbath. That would be her last gift to Jesus. A gift of love.

And just when she thought things could get no worse, they did. She found the tomb empty. Not only had Jesus been killed, now his grave had been robbed and his body desecrated. So she ran to tell Peter and John. Peter saw the empty tomb and sadly accepted it for what he thought it was. But John – the other disciple, the one Jesus loved – knew in his heart that something other than the theft of a corpse was going on. He believed that the Lord had risen.

Mary, though, was left to weep. She conversed with the two angels she saw sitting in the tomb, but still she wept. And then she heard a voice, a very familiar voice, asking her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” The voice was familiar, but she still didn’t recognize who it was that had spoken. She assumed that he was a gardener. So she asked him if he knew what had happened to the body of Jesus. Jesus spoke again, simply saying her name. She finally got it. Jesus wasn’t dead. The resurrection of which he had spoken had become a reality. Her grief gave way to joy, and not a little shock! Jesus lived! He was risen! He was risen indeed! Then she ran to tell the disciples the good news. “O Peter – O Andrew – O John, don’t you weep no more!”

When I conduct the funeral or memorial service of a believer I always open with those words we use every Sunday, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I am in no way making light of a loved one’s loss. I am in no way disregarding a very real and appropriate grief. Someone precious has died.

But it is not for nothing that The Book of Common Worship names such services “A Service of Witness to the Resurrection.” The service is a celebration of life everlasting. I use the liturgy, Scriptures, and my homily to essentially say, “O people, don’t you weep no more!” Death does not have the final word. The grave is not the ultimate stop on a Christian’s life journey. Because he lives – because Jesus was raised from the dead – we too live. So on this Easter Sunday 2008 I say to us all, “O Christians, let’s not weep no more!”

If we know Christ – if we are in Christ – if Jesus truly is our Lord and Savior, there is no need to weep. He lives. He is the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Savior of the world. That is the Good News we celebrate today. That is the Good News we share with the world: Jesus lives, and because he does, all who believe in him will live also.

There are people who don’t know that. There are people who don’t believe that. These are people who need to hear the Good News of resurrection. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him if they are not sent?” Believing the Good News of Easter is wonderful. Its assurances are comforting in the face of death. Celebrating it is definitely appropriate.

Sharing it is our mandate from Christ. There are many around us whose lives are bereft of hope for eternity. It is up to us to challenge them “not to weep no more,” and then tell them why. Amen.