The Resurrection of Our Lord, Easter Sunrise (2025)

John 20:1-18

Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed Alleluia! What a joyful proclamation this morning as we get to share with the world the great victory of Christ over the powers of sin, death, and the devil, that He has freed mankind from the grave and hell itself. For He has not only died for us but also risen again victorious and this is the foundation of our faith. It is this message that we get to share with everyone with great joy. That Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed Alleluia.

Now in our Gospel Lesson, we find that the women went down to the tomb and ran back to tell the disciples, but the Gospel of John records that Mary stood weeping outside the tomb of her Lord, and mistook Jesus for a gardener. We look at this and we wonder how could that happen? Well how did she last see him? What was she expecting this morning, what did she think had happened?

She had seen him beaten and bloodied his body wrapped in linen clothes, and did not expect to find him healthy and whole on Easter morning, she and the other ladies had been bringing down to anoint and prepare the body. Knowing the great hatred that the Jewish leaders had for Jesus expected that they had taken his body. So she searches for someone to tell her where her Lord and Savior is located. The angels ask her about it, but she continues searching for an answer to her question.

Now what do we learn from this? First off, that we cannot understand the Resurrection and the Scriptures unless our eyes are opened, and we cannot recognize Jesus by our own power or might, but that Christ calls to us, and rescues us. We may seek him fervently, but it is not until Christ calls us to Himself that He is known.

This is difficult for us but it is what Jesus said earlier, that the world would rejoice, and they would ahve sorrow, but their sorrow would turn to joy. As we see here on Easter Morning. For even though the world threw everything it could at Him, and Christ suffered on account of the World. He remains victorious and that is our joy. For the power of sin has been brought to nothing. But Easter morning is but a foretaste of the joy that we look forward too, and that is why Jesus tells Mary to not cling to him.

Which seems odd, why not? Well because Jesus also told them that He must leave them and go to the Father. For He will ascend to the heavenly realms and there stand before the Father as our advocate and make intercession for us on that day of Judgment. Before he departs, he wants her to go and speak to the disciples and remind them of his ascension. But do you notice what Jesus says there?

Go to my brothers, and say to them I am ascending to my father, and your father, to my God, and your God. What does Jesus consider them? Well what had they done just a few day ago? They scattered they abandoned him, they had boasted of being so brave, and yet when the shepherd was struck they fled like sheep without a shepherd as though they had not heard anything Jesus had taught them these past years about His death and resurrection.

They had failed and fallen short and abandoned Christ at his darkest hour what type of friends were they? What worthless friends they appeared to be? Yet what does Christ call them, “My Brothers” They may not have stood the test on that dark day, but Christ had not forgotten them upon the Cross. He was there for them, just as He was there for you.

For indeed how many times have fallen in sin? How many times have we proved to be faithless as we know what God’s word says, and yet instead of standing firm upon the Word of God and trusting in all that has been revealed by the Holy Spirit we fled back into sin and death? What type of friends are we to Christ knowing that he suffers on our behalf? Yet this message to the disciples gives hope to us as well.

No matter how grave or awful our sins might be, there is hope to be found in Christ. Who even in his suffering on our account did not consider us His enemy, but as a dear brother for whom He was willing to lay down his life. He died that you might be set free from the bondage of sin, and that you might know God as your Father in heaven.

He gave this message to those who knew Him well. We are disappointed a bit when a stranger doesn’t follow through on what they told us, but we don’t hold it personally. It is different when family wrongs us, or good friends, when they leave us hanging that hurts, and we consider that a betrayal. Christ did not hold this against them, but sought to comfort them and let them know that there is forgiveness and by His blood Jesus secured for them peace, even though they had turned their backs from Him.

He didn’t wait until they bowed down scraping before Him, He didn’t make them grovel, no the forgiveness he showed them flowed from the same love that took him to the Cross. It was shared with them freely for Jesus died for sinners that they might be free. For they could not free themselves, the chains of slavery to sin first had to come off that they might be restored to grace.

This is the surprising thing about the grace of God. For in our world, we want to make sure people are sincere, or that they really will change and so we seek to secure that before we offer them forgiveness, but that really isn’t forgiveness. You are just demanding payment from them and trying to make sure they will pay you what is owed before you let them out of the chains. That isn’t what Jesus did for the disciples or for you.

You are forgiven, Jesus considers you His brother or His sister a child of the Father in heaven and you belong to His house. That message has been shared across the globe with all people for we desire them to know that you have peace with God, and that there is hope no matter how deeply you are in Satan’s kingdom, there is no corner too dark, nor too deep that the light of Christ on Easter morning and His resurrection cannot shine and bring hope to mankind.

So my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed Alleluia! He does not come bringing vengenace upon those who had wronged him, He did this for us for He considers us His dear friends, His brothers, and Sisters. But we were lost to our Father in heaven, and so He laid down His life to open the way to His Kingdom that we might be restored to the presence of God and there dwell with him for eternity. That is the hope that all Chrsitians have shared throughout the centuries as we lay dear saints to rest in the soul, that Christ has forgiven them, and promised that whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved. In Jesus name. Amen.