Seeing Through Tears
John 20: 1 - 18
Intro: At the close of a college science class right before Easter, a young student asked her professor what he was going to do over the Easter break. He responded saying that Easter was a myth, there is no God, and there’s no way a person rises from the dead. The student responded that they not only believed in God; but, also in the resurrection. The professor went to the refrigerator and took out a raw egg and stood on his desk. He said, “I’m going to drop this egg on the floor. Science says gravity will pull it to the floor breaking it into many pieces. The student prayed, “Dear heavenly Father, I pray that when the egg drops you will prove you gave us science and make the egg break into hundreds of pieces. AND, Dear Lord, I also pray that when the egg breaks, my professor will have a massive heart attack and die.” Without a word, the professor put the egg back in the refrigerator.
I At Easter we Christians believe Christ Jesus is not only alive but also lives with each of us.
A What if I told you that I prayed before coming here this morning that during this sermon Jesus would stand behind you? I believe he is there right now!
B Did you turn around to look? If so, you are no better or no worse than the followers of Jesus who assumed that it was not possible.
C Others may have turned around for a quick peek. You wanted to believe what I said was true, or at least you were curious.
II VVS 1 – 10 tell us what the disciples saw and did that morning.
A Mary assumes the body has been stolen and taken away. She goes to tell the disciples.
B Peter and the other disciple run to the tomb. Peter peeks in and sees. The other disciple goes inside sees and “believes.” The word John uses here is episteusen. It means more that “acknowledge” or “give assent to” --- it means he is convinced.
C But look at VS. 10 “Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. If the disciple is so convinced, why did he go back home?
III Believing Jesus, KNOWING Jesus and seeing Jesus are three entirely different things.
A This story appears in all the gospels in one form or another. However, only in John does Mary weep. VS. 13 “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
B Mary sheds tears of hopelessness, despair, and frustration.
C Perhaps you have had a “MARY MOMENT” when the world around you seems to crumble. Maybe that’s how you feel now with our current situation of isolation.
Concl: VS. 16 – Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni”
The message of Easter is that God has come to us, to earth, to turn our tears of sadness to tears of joy. We may see but fail to believe because we want to see with our head and not our heart. Sadness, hopelessness, and despair are swallowed up in victory when we SEE Christ Jesus through our tears. Christ Jesus will be with us when we establish a personal relationship with Jesus by walking in HIS way, seeking HIS will, and showing HIS love. Only then, does Christ Jesus emerge victorious and our tears of sadness turn to tears of joy and we truly see HIM through our tears.
