Revision as of 14:15, 21 April 2025

Theological Proposition/Focus: The resurrection of Christ transforms our deepest sorrows into lasting joy and hope, illustrating that grief does not have the final word in the life of a believer. The resurrection takes the teeth out of sorrow.

Christ Focus: In this passage, Jesus' resurrection is the fulfillment of God's promise for redemption and restoration. It foreshadows the ultimate victory over death and serves as the foundation for Christian hope, reflecting throughout Scripture as the one who conquers sin and death.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: This sermon aims to help Christians understand that, despite current struggles or the burden of grief, the resurrection of Christ offers hope, healing, and assurance. It reminds us that no sorrow is beyond the reach of God's resurrection power.

Introduction

Image: Failure to recognize, showing up in athletic clothes to evaluate a teacher.

Have you ever failed to recognize something and later realized it?

When I first started as the first-year program director in the math department at UNL, I had a lot less grey hair. One of my instructors was having discipline problems in her classroom, so I decided I would go make an observation to see if I could figure out some advice to give her. The day I went to observe, I had ridden my bike to campus, so I decided to just wear my athletic clothes and try to fit in.

I walked into the classroom, approached the instructor, and remarked, "I didn't go to college algebra this morning; would it be okay if I sat in on your class today?" She looked at me slightly perplexed and said, "Yeah, sure, just sit right here." It took a while, but at some point in the class, she finally realized it was me sitting in her classroom and that I was sitting at the trouble table.

The best part was that none of her students realized who I was either, and I was able to gain some very unique insight into what was happening in her classroom.

Today we are going to see a different case of failure to recognize, but in this case, rather than gaining insight into bad behavior, we are going to obtain insight into how Jesus is present in the midst of pain and sorrow and offers us a unique hope.

Text: John 20:11-18 read all at the beginning.

Setting the Stage:

The resurrection is not only a historical event but a present reality that has the power to transform our circumstances and emotions, turning our grief into joy and hope.

On Easter Sunday, we often focus on the empty tomb, and that is an appropriate focus. In fact, the empty tomb is one of the most significant realities in all of history, but the empty tomb is not where the story ends. The tomb is not only empty; the Savior is alive.

1 Corinthians 15:55 states, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

This verse is part of Paul's discussion on the resurrection, emphasizing Christ's victory over death and the hope believers have in eternal life. It's a powerful declaration that death has lost its power because of Jesus' resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ changes things both eternally and in the here and now.

Need: We are called to live the life we have here and now, but we need to do it in light of the resurrection.

Preview: We must understand that in life we are susceptible to sorrow, and grief can shroud glory, but there is real glory in recognizing Jesus. The ultimate solution to sorrow is to dig in, trusting Christ and proclaiming the hope He offers.

Way back in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve chose sin, the world was broken.

In "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace," Yoda speaks to young Anakin Skywalker during the Jedi Council's evaluation of him, warning about the dangers of fear and how it can lead to the dark side of the Force.

"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."

The words sound good but are not the truth. In fact, it is sin that leads to suffering. Anger and fear are not required steps in the process.

As a result, we all experience real, significant suffering. We cannot avoid it; we are fallen creatures in a fallen world, and the fall has brought about suffering. This inevitably leads to a significant emotional sorrow.

But here is the thing: the resurrection speaks not just to the defeat of death but also to so much more. Through the resurrection, we have the ability to begin the process that will reach its conclusion in Revelation 21:4: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

But knowing the future does not eliminate the pain of the present. What are we to do in the here and now?

Body

Grief Shrouds Glory — Sorrow is a very real and undeniable emotion (11-13).

Mary's grief left her blinded to the reality of Jesus' resurrection initially. Her tears and focus on the empty tomb caused her to miss the angelic messengers. This suggests that our grief can sometimes obscure the hope present right before us. The resurrection begins to remove the 'teeth' of sorrow by introducing a new perspective, hinting that divine presence is as close as a shift in focus.

Sorrow is a very real emotion.

Image: Eskimos and words for snow

Have you ever heard that Eskimos have many words for snow? The idea that Eskimos have an unusually large number of words for snow is often cited as evidence of their deep familiarity with their icy environment. Because snow plays such a vital role in their daily lives—affecting travel, hunting, and survival—it makes sense that they would develop a rich vocabulary to describe its various forms. Inuit and Yupik languages, which are polysynthetic, allow speakers to create precise and nuanced terms by adding affixes to root words, enabling them to distinguish between light, powdery snow, wet snow, or snow suitable for building igloos. While the claim that they have hundreds of words for snow is an exaggeration, their language does reflect their expertise in navigating a world where snow is more than just frozen water; it is a defining element of their way of life.

Similarly, in biblical Hebrew, there is no single word for "sorrow," but rather about 15 different words expressing its various dimensions, from emotional pain (Psalm 13:2) to the suffering brought by sin (Genesis 3:16-19). The Greek word "lupe" carries meanings of grief and affliction, and Paul distinguishes between godly and worldly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:8-11). Just as the Eskimos' detailed language for snow reflects their experience with it, the Bible's nuanced vocabulary for sorrow reflects humanity's deep encounter with pain and the hope of redemption ^[1]

We need to admit that we live in a world filled with sorrow, and the Bible does not attempt to hide that reality.

Indeed, laments make up the largest category of Psalms, with about 60-65 of the 150 Psalms classified as laments. These psalms express sorrow, distress, or pleas for God's help, often in response to suffering, injustice, or personal and national crises.

Lament Psalms can be divided into two main types:

• Individual laments — Personal cries for help (e.g., Psalm 22, Psalm 51, Psalm 77).

• Communal laments - Expressions of grief or distress on behalf of the nation or community (e.g., Psalm 44, Psalm 74, Psalm 137).

The reality we need to come to grips with is that in our world there is much for which we can express sorrow.

Even Jesus felt deep sorrow as he lived and walked on earth (John 11:35).

I think it is fitting that the shortest verse in the English translation of the Bible, the one that is easiest to memorize, is a testament to the reality of life in a fallen world: Jesus wept.

Scholars like to talk about why Jesus wept. In context, Lazarus has died, but Jesus knew he would raise Lazarus, so scholars like to discuss Jesus weeping over the pain Lazarus experienced, the grief others were enduring, or even the brokenness of sin. I suggest maybe all of these. Instead of trying to understand exactly why Jesus wept in John 11:35, we should simply note that God is weeping. The world truly is a broken world!

And guess what, we still have a ways to go before all sorrow is eliminated.

We still have a long time to go until sorrow is removed (Revelation 21:4).

There is coming a day when sorrow will be no more, but we are not there yet; in the meantime, bad things still happen!

Mary's response demonstrates both a deep love for Jesus and the reality of human brokenness.

What we read in John 20:11-13 is a narrative of sorrow. Mary is hurting, and her hurt is a testament to her love for Jesus. Her hurt is also a testament to the reality of human brokenness. I want us to understand that Mary's pain is not due to a lack of faith; I think it is due to a lack of imagination.

If the body is missing, then the logical conclusion would be that someone has stolen the body. There is no way around it: if someone has stolen the body of Jesus, it is to do awful things with the body, and that just stinks. Mary is experiencing the full effect of brokenness, and she can't help but cry.

Sometimes I cannot help but love the simplicity with which God asks us a question. Here, the angel, speaking on behalf of God, asks an incredibly important and significant question: "Why are you crying?"

It can be a great help to define and label your sources of pain (12-13).

Before I get too far into this, let me start by noting that

The presence of the angels is a reminder that God cares about individuals, not just His grand plan.

Likely, Mary would have figured things out eventually. Also, didn't God have more important people to tell? Couldn't God have just announced to Mary instead of asking Mary first?

What I see here are a lot of ways in which God could have simplified the conversation or made it more efficient. God didn't choose those! Instead, God invests in Mary as an individual.

The question by the angel is a reminder that God is willing to condescend to our level to help us.

Mary's response to the question helps us understand her dilemma. Grief has kept her from recognizing glory. So what does God have Mary do? Put a label on it, name it, and set herself up to receive the truth.

The truth spoken by Mary prepares her to hear the Truth.

I believe it was crucial for Mary to acknowledge her struggle. She needed to express her profound sense of loss, which was compounded by the crucifixion of her Lord and the apparent theft of His body. At this point, I don't perceive a lack of faith in Mary, but rather a deficiency in imagination or comprehension. Nevertheless, God chose to reveal these emotions, thoughts, and ideas that had been simmering within her mind. Why? The text doesn't provide an answer, but I propose that it was significant for Mary to articulate her feelings.

There's a real power in expressing our hidden fears and thoughts. By bringing them into the light, we open up the opportunity to confront and address them. I believe Mary needed to express these emotions so that they could be dealt with effectively—not by Mary, but by the God of the universe. And what we witness next is that Jesus Himself intervened and resolved these matters.

MTR: Don't be afraid to give voice to your hurts, doubts, and fears, but as you do so, make sure you are looking through them to see your Savior.

How? By allowing yourself to feel sorrow and bringing that sorrow to Jesus.

Glory in Recognition — It is important to realize that Jesus is present in your pain (14-16).

Mary's turn and recognition of Jesus, who was initially seen as a gardener, is worth noting. This encounter could highlight how the resurrection reveals itself personally and specifically to us, transforming our understanding and bringing overwhelming joy. By calling Mary by name, Jesus demonstrates that the resurrection power is not just universal but personal, recognizing and redeeming each sorrow.

The presence of Jesus went unrecognized.

Here we see an important reality. Jesus was there, but Mary did not see Him. The text does not tell us, or even hint, as to why Mary did not recognize Jesus. Perhaps it was simply because in her grief, Mary was not ready to see anything other than grief.

But that does not mean that Jesus wasn't there.

Verse 14 is an amazing verse, but to really understand it, I need to delve into the weeds a little regarding Greek grammar and what is known as verbal aspect. The text does not give us any transition from the angel to seeing Jesus. What is most interesting to consider is the description. We read that Mary ἰδὼν (saw). The verb is a present tense verb, but context tells us it is historical, and so we generally translate it as a past tense, drawing on the notion of the historical present. Some might even translate this as "was seeing."

However, if we instead consider verbal aspect, I think we can gain much deeper insight into what John is trying to communicate. Language and thought patterns are intimately tied together, and so when we are looking at another language, we also need to try to think like the individuals speaking that language. This is where verbal aspect comes into play.

The verbs in the Greek language carry more than temporal information but also what I like to call point of view. The younger generation is going to be able to understand this a lot better, so let me start by apologizing to the older generation for this, but there really is an easy way to understand verbal aspect.

In a typical video game, there are three different points of view. A game can be a first-person point of view, a character view, or a map view game. Think something like a first-person shooter, over-the-shoulder adventure, or map-based real-time strategy. Similarly, Greek verbs can carry first-person point of view, broader scope over-the-shoulder, or large-scale map view.

What we have here in the verb for "saw" in the Greek is the first-person point of view. Here is the idea: Mary turned and saw Jesus face to face. The idea here is that He was her focus, and this was an intimate face-to-face encounter, not just merely a passing awareness.

Everything about the encounter here is supposed to remind us that Jesus was really, truly present. Jesus was there for Mary's sorrow. I don't think we can emphasize this enough: Mary does not realize Jesus is there, but He is there. Jesus is present in our pain. Jesus is present in our sorrow. We must absolutely understand that even when we feel all alone, Jesus is there.

In fact, Jesus calls Mary by name, demonstrating the personal power of the resurrection.

In verse 15, we see a repeat of the conversation with the angel as now Jesus asks Mary, "Why are you crying?" But here Jesus goes even a step further by asking Mary, "Who is it you are looking for?" Remember back in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had asked the guards, "Who are you looking for?" There is something about this question that I think is important. In seeking Jesus, I think Jesus wants us to make sure we are truly seeking Him.

Let me expand a bit. There are a lot of people who will tell you they are seeking Jesus. In fact, the numbers don't lie; the majority of Americans still claim to be Christian. However, the statistics show that the number of people who are born-again Christians who actively seek Jesus as their Lord and Savior is less than 20%. We shouldn't be surprised.

Image: The Jews sought their own version of Messiah.

Throughout the Gospels, one common theme is that Jesus is not who everyone wanted Him to be. The Jews wanted a conquering king who would overthrow the Roman overlords. They wanted a leader who would demand that people keep their rituals and submit to their power. The Jews were looking for their Messiah, but the key word in that statement is "their." The Jews wanted a Messiah who looked like what they expected.

When we look at verse 15, I think we need to see that Jesus is asking Mary to declare who Jesus is.

It is striking that Mary does not say who Jesus is but rather commits herself to Jesus. Mary responds by stating she just wants to know where He is so that she can serve Him. Mary is committed to Jesus in life and in death, and the response of Jesus in calling her name tells us that is enough. I see here an important reality: you do not need to have a fully developed Christology, but you do need to have a fully developed commitment.

Let me say that another way: you may not fully understand Jesus, but you need to be committed to Jesus regardless. Not a Jesus of your own creation, but the Jesus of Scripture!

The beauty I see in verse 16 is that Jesus responds by simply calling Mary's name. Look at John 10:3: "The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." Upon hearing the master say her name, Mary immediately knows.

Then John tells us something interesting: Mary responds in Aramaic. It is not interesting that Mary used Aramaic; that would have been the language. It is interesting that John chooses to tell us this. I think the idea here is that we should recognize we have been invited to see an authentic response to the real Jesus.

This leads me to my action step.

MTR: Make sure that it really is Jesus you are seeking.

What does this look like? I am convinced you don't need to have a full Christology; you need to have a fully developed commitment. I am also convinced that you need to authentically seek Jesus and not something of your own creation. Seek the Jesus who loves you unconditionally but so much that He demands you change too. Seek the Jesus who desires to see you love others. Seek the Jesus who cares less about your theological muscles and more about your commitment to Him.

Go with Glory — At the end of the day, it is Jesus who brings help to our and everyone else's hurts (17-18).

Consider how Jesus' instruction to Mary to go and tell the disciples marks the change from private grief to public testimony. Her announcement, "I have seen the Lord," is an act of sharing in the glory of the resurrection. This sermon point could inspire believers to transition from mourning privately to proclaiming the hope they have found in Christ, reinforcing that our transformation is meant to impact others.

The work of Jesus did not end at the crucifixion or even the resurrection.

Verse 17 is a hard verse to make a lot of sense of. What exactly was happening, and why did Jesus not want Mary to touch Him? This complication is further exacerbated when we consider John 20:27: "Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe,'" where Jesus explicitly calls on Thomas to touch Him. So what we need to do is make sense of this command from Jesus. Here, I think context helps.

Throughout this passage, Mary has had a deep preoccupation with the physical body of Jesus. This preoccupation is not entirely unwarranted. Mary had probably spent around three years physically with Jesus. However, the ministry of Jesus has changed. In fact, this was exactly what Jesus had told the disciples in John 14:1-4: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

The prohibition that Mary is under is not intended to be a general, eternal prohibition against physical contact with Jesus. We see this in Thomas just a few verses later. The prohibition signifies a general change in the way in which Mary and all disciples will interact with Jesus.

You see, for three years, Jesus was the teacher who had taught the disciples about God, but now, as in John 14:26: "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you," the Holy Spirit is the teacher, and Jesus is the mediator, as in Romans 8:34: "Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."

I think that what Jesus is saying here is that Mary needs to understand how the roles have shifted, and while her inclination is to desire to have the same physical closeness to Jesus she enjoyed before, she now needs to embrace the mission that Jesus has given her: to proclaim His resurrection.

Image: Desiring the physical touch

My brothers and I all have very close relationships and talk multiple times a week. However, there is something special about all being together, and I think you could especially ask my mom about that. She loves to have us physically present, to be able to physically embrace. But if you talk with my mom, she will also tell you that God has placed each of us in specific work He has appointed for us, and there is nothing she wants more than to have us doing the work of God.

I think this is an appropriate way we should view our relationship with Jesus. I am convinced that the moment my faith becomes sight, I will repent from sin and never sin again. Oh, how I long for that day! Yet, right now, that is not what God has for me, and so, just like Jesus told Mary not to cling to Him, I must not wait until my faith is made sight but instead do the work that has been appointed for me now while Jesus does the work that has been appointed to Him, advocating before the Father on my behalf.

The resurrection has bought us a position as nothing short of children of God.

I like John 15:15: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." The idea that Jesus is my friend is incredible, but now look at John 17:20: more than a friend, we are brothers and sisters of Christ. Nothing can compare to the only begotten, or really unique, Son of God, but at the same time, we enter into a truly special relationship with Jesus and God the Father.

Check all the descriptors:

• My brothers — we are the personal kin of Jesus.

• Your Father - we are personally children of God.

• Your God - we are invited into a deep relationship with the God of the universe.

The resurrection of Jesus is the answer to our hurts, doubts, and fears.

I want you to notice in verse 18 the radical transformation that has taken place in Mary. Mary went from tears to excitedly proclaiming, "I have seen the Lord!"

Here is the thing: there is not a ton of real deep theology that Jesus has told Mary. In fact, His message is pretty simple: I am alive, I am your kin, God is your Father, God is your God. That is it, and all is possible because of the resurrection, and that is all we really need to know in order to live with joy instead of sorrow.

I don't know what is causing you pain right now, and I cannot solve your pain; it would be inappropriate for me to pretend anything different. Here is what I know: Jesus is alive and offers you an eternal relationship with the Creator, God of the Universe. Honestly, that is the greatest news, and nothing I can say or do can compare with that reality. Jesus is alive and is offering you life.

MTR: Take your hurts, doubts, and fears to Jesus.

1. ↑ Chad Brand et al., eds., "Sorrow," in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 1521.