After Darkness Light

Pastoral Prayer Before the Sermon

John 20:10–18 LSB

So the disciples went away again to where they were staying. But Mary was standing outside the tomb crying; and so, as she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you seeking?” Thinking Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

Mary remains at the burial site where Jesus was placed after the crucifixion. The Lifeless body of the Teacher, who just a handful of days before was welcomed to shouts of acclamation and praise into Jerusalem, is nowhere to be found. The linens used to wrap his body are in place, and the covering for the Master’s face is placed to the side. No doubt this is a shocking event that further rocked the disciples’s understanding of their unclear future.

The Darkness of Sorrow

The disciples are in disbelief; their ability to see and perceive, to hear and understand, is captive to their sense of loss.

The possibilities of occurrences for the body are countless.

Perhaps the Romans took it away.

Maybe the guards of the High Priest have removed it.

Perhaps the gardner removed it because it was a condemned man who was in his garden.

3. The First day of the week appears to give the disciples more pain and hopelessness than the day their Teacher was taken, beaten, humiliated, and killed.

Isaiah 53 LSB

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our peace fell upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, That for the transgression of my people, striking was due to Him? So His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But Yahweh was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If You would place His soul as a guilt offering, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of Yahweh will succeed in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide for Him a portion with the many, And He will divide the spoil with the strong; Because He poured out His soul to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

The empty tomb confronts us at the core of our conviction and confession. Do we live our lives under the power of the tomb or the power of the resurrected Jesus Christ? This is a question that disciples of Jesus the world over must answer on a weekly basis, as we gather to worship and encourage one another.

The Voice in the Darkness

Mary focuses on the loss and the disciples have walked away.

There are two men standing there, who with compassion simply ask what is the cause of her lament.

In despair her answer focuses on the demise of the Teacher, and not in the promise He made during their last meal that he would rise from the grave.

Even as she turns she does not recognize the man next to her, who is the risen Lord.

Matthew 26:31–32 LSB

Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’ “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

As we live out the call of the risen Savior, do we focus on the losses of this life, or do we fix our eyes on the One who has conquered the grave?

Light Overcomes the Darkness

The Gospel of John opens with this hope as its endgame:

John 1:1–5 LSB

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

Mary’s sight was clear by the mention of her name.

Mary acknowledges the Teacher and her affections are turned from sorrow and mourning to exuberant joy.

Jesus commands her to evangelize those who have lost hope in the valley of the shadow of death.

The encouragement to Mary is that Jesus is restoring all things as they were meant to remain as in the Garden of Eden.

Jeremiah 32:36–40 LSB

“So now, therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you are saying, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence.’ “Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have banished them in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will cause them to return to this place and make them inhabit it in safety. “And they shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. “And I will cut an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.

As we encounter the risen Savior, will our response be like those whose sight was lost in darkness and despair? or will we respond to the radiance of the risen Savior in His magnificence and glory to bring the good news of the Gospel to all who will hear? God will save those whom He wills, our job is to proclaim the empty tomb to all peoples, nations, and tongues, that Jesus Christ is the Risen Lord.

Rejoice, friends, rejoice! For those who are saved are messengers of the Gospel and our joy is to tell those in our lives of the wonderful name of Jesus. If you are here and God is calling you to confess your sin and confess Him as Lord, Master, and Savior of your life. Be joined to this family of faith and join the work of brining the only transformative message that leads to everlasting life.

Concluding prayer