How many of us have ever tried to imagine ourselves, being amongst those in that upper room so many centuries ago. Have you ever tried to imagine, what was going through the minds of the disciples? The emotion in that room must have been incredible. Mary Magdalene has already shared that Jesus’ body is missing from the tomb. Now on top of that Mary has returned with this pronouncement, "I have seen the Lord!”
Would you believe it? Would you shout praises of joy? Would you dismiss her, or question her sanity? We know the disciples questioned her. For one the story she had for them was too incredible to believe, and secondly her status as a woman made her less than reliable as a witness.
It is hard to say how you would react, for today we have the hindsight of that moment in time. We can see past the fears and doubts to the true story. We know the full reason for Jesus’ execution and the power He had over death. However would we have been no different then those frightened men so many centuries ago?
Last week, I asked you the congregation to think upon your own “Jesus experience” and to recall a time when you would have been able to say, “I have seen the Lord!” When you first thought upon this experience, and whether, or not share it. Would you say that you might have felt that those who would hear your testimony would receive it as the disciples in that room received Mary Magdalene’s testimony? Did you feel it would meet with resistance, doubt, and ridicule rather than shouts of joy and acclamation?
If so, then you were probably feeling what Mary Magdalene felt when she returned to the disciples. I am sure that her heart was racing and rejoicing at the realization that her Lord and Savior was alive. She had seen Jesus beaten and bruised in the streets of Jerusalem. She had seen him carry his cross down that road. She had seen him hanging on that cross, and she had watched him die. So for her to see Jesus with her own eyes after witnessing the horrific events of the past week was nothing short of the awesome power of our God. However, when she reached that room and shared with them the event that she had just witnessed, they were not as receptive. Listen to the words from the Gospel according to Luke chapter 24:9-11
Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. (Luke 24:9-11 NKJV)
I am sure that Mary Magdalene feared that the disciples would not believe her. That the tale she had to tell was even too wild yet for her to comprehend. However, she understood that it was far more important to announce her encounter with Jesus than to let her fears get in the way. Speaking of fears, we read in the John 20 verse 19 that it was fear that caused the disciples to lock themselves in the house where they were. They were afraid of what the Jews might do to them if they were found. You see, they could not comprehend the fact that Jesus Christ was not dead. He had not forsaken them. In fact, Jesus Christ, in one triumphant moment, had just fulfilled the prophecies of old. He had just released the hold that sin and death had over mankind. He had just laid down the very foundation on which our faith is built and most importantly, he had just secured the salvation of every man, woman and child who has ever or will ever believe in Him since that day.
Many times, it is our fear of ridicule that gets in the way of bringing the message that God has brought to us. We live in a world that looks on experiences with God as events belonging to the mentally unstable, or tricks of the mind. We live in a world that often considers the supernatural to be superstition rather than true heartfelt experiences with God.
Today we celebrate the event that defines the very heart of the Christian faith. The resurrection of Jesus Christ IS the very heart of Christianity. Today we express the fact that Jesus Christ defeated death and gave us salvation from our sins.
You see without the central belief that Jesus Christ physically resurrected himself, then Christianity is a lie. Every thing we come to church for, everything we live our lives as is a lie. This is the very point Paul made in 1 Corinthians chapter 15:
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ cannot have been raised either,
and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is without substance, and so is your faith. . What is more, we have proved to be false witnesses to God, for testifying against God that he raised Christ to life when he did not raise him, if it is true that the dead are not raised. For, if the dead are not raised, neither is Christ; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is pointless and you have not, after all, been released from your sins. In addition, those who have fallen asleep in Christ are utterly lost. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are of all people the most pitiable. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19 NJB)
Moreover, without the resurrection of Jesus, all the sins and wrongdoings of our past are still there. We have not been forgiven and we will perish on Judgment Day. This is the consequences of there not having been a resurrection or in the denial of the actual Resurrection of Jesus.
The truth of the matter is there was a physical Resurrection of Jesus, and like Mary Magdalene, we are to announce it wherever we go. If we truly have faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we should not be afraid or fearful that we may make someone uncomfortable. Why should we be ashamed to tell someone that Christ loves them so much that he laid down his live and took it up again so that they might have life everlasting?
Those moments that put people ill at ease should be moments of dialogue and times to share ones own faith. Listening to each other’s spiritual walk or testimonies in faith is a good way to bridge the gaps. In other words sharing what Christ has done in our lives could and should become our central purpose in life.
The hope to be found in Jesus’ defeat of death makes it possible for all of us to have a new beginning each and everyday of our lives. As the hymn “To God be the Glory” states, even the foulest offender, he or she too can be made clean and anew in Christ.
His resurrection makes it possible for each one of us to say, “I have seen the Lord”. Not only to just say it, but truly mean it with heart felt conviction, because Jesus Christ is alive today. Early Christian preacher and evangelist John Chrysostom in his famous Easter Sermon from around 400 AD said it this way about our celebration of the resurrection.
First and last alike receive your reward; rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day! You that have kept the fast, and you that have not, rejoice today for the Table is richly laden! (John Chrysostom’s Easter Sermon)
In other words, celebrate this day; make joyful noises of praise and worship. Shout from the rooftops and the street corners, “I Have SEEN THE LORD!!” He is Risen. Because of your faith in Christ Jesus, you will be rewarded far above your wildest dreams. There is a poem I found which I would like to share with you today. It was written by Darlene Anderson entitled, The Silent One.
I was there for His trial and His scourging,
when they accused Him of crimes He’d not done;
But I spoke not a word in His defense,
I was "The Silent One."
I was there as He struggled up Calvary,
as dark clouds covered the sun;
And when they nailed His torn flesh to the cross,
I was "The Silent One."
I was there when they cast lots for His garment,
As they jeered and heckled in fun;
And when the spear was thrust deep in His side,
I was "The Silent One."
I saw Him die for all mankind,
And when it was "finished" and done;
He raised Himself up as He promised,
yet-I was "The Silent One."
And now, everyday I encounter,
lost souls sent my way by God’s Son;
Still I act as though I don’t know Him,
I am "The Silent One."
Dear Lord, when at last I’m before you,
when my race on earth is run;
Will you speak up for me to the Father?
Or will YOU be "The Silent One?"
As you leave here today, I would like you to take up an ancient custom whose roots are from the middle east. As you prepare to gather around the table for your Easter dinner, set a place for a stranger, for you never know who might be in your midst.
You may find your self face to face with Jesus. It may be well into the meal before He reveals Himself to you by calling out to you. Just like He did to Mary Magdalene at the tomb so many centuries ago. Then you too can go to your friends and neighbors and say, “I have seen the Lord!” Amen.
