Easter Sunday April 12, 2020
Why Are You Crying?
Ps. 118 1 -2, 14 – 24; John 21 : 1 – 18.
Ezekiel Ette
In the 2000 years of Christianity, there are only two recorded occasions where the church was officially closed around the world. The first was during the Spanish Flu which occurred between 1918 and ended in 1920. The COVID – 19 this year will be the second time this has happened. Wars and persecution did not close the church in the past and many gave their lives for what they believed in. It is interesting to note that swords did not stop worship but the two incidences just mentioned, both from invisible enemies did.
The church is closed and like those who lived 100 years ago during the Spanish Flu, we are asked to worship from home. Easter is a special time in the church calendar, but this year the gatherings and the rituals we cherish have become public danger and if we must survive, life as we know it must be arrested and put on hold. Pope Francis laments our present predicament when he noted that “thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void”. Yet all is not lost and we will rise from all these and the church will become strong again.
This Easter morning, it is easy to dwell on our present predicament in our fear and angst and forget the message of Easter and the promise of hope that it brings to all believers, and so I want us to reflect on the story of the Resurrection as the Evangelist John recalled the story. Turn with me to the Gospel According to St John 21 : 1 – 18. I want us to look at the question that was posed to Mary, first by the angels and then by our Lord himself: “Why are you crying?” This seems to be a rather simple question but it is a spiritual as well as an existential question that seeks meaning about Mary’s action and emotions. Let us quickly summarize the story to help us understand this question and why it was asked.
Mary rushed to the tomb in her grief on the first day of the week, St John reports. It was not even daylight yet. To her astonishment, the stone that was supposed to cover the entrance of the tomb was rolled away. Obviously, that was a sign that there was an intruder and that someone had tampered with the tomb. Notice that she quickly made two assumptions on seeing what she thought was a vandalized tomb as she reported what she saw to the disciples. First, the body was removed; second, the whereabout was unknown. The disciples hurried to the cemetery and went a little further than Mary: they looked inside the tomb only to find the wrappings of the body, but not the body. Simon Peter later went much further and entered the tomb which gave others the courage to join him inside. (v. 8). Not finding answers, the disciples left the scene and returned to their homes (v. 10). Mary refused to leave the tomb but this time alone she stooped and looked inside. That is when she discovered two people sitting opposite each other who turned out to be angels sitting where the body was. They asked her the question which formed out text today. “Woman, why are you crying?? (v. 13). Notice her response to the question all resting on her prior assumptions: “they have taken my Lord away and I do not know where they have laid the body”. It was then that she turned around and saw Jesus, but she did not recognize him. Jesus then asked the same question that the angels asked: “Woman why are you crying?” She now makes the third assumption, blaming who she thought was the cemetery keeper Just show me where you kept the body, she accused him. It was not until the Lord called her by her name that her eyes opened and she realized that she was talking to the great teacher (v. 16). Notice again Jesus’ reply : stop clinging to me for I have not yet ascended to the father”. Mary did what we all do she ran back to the disciples to tell the good news.
The good news to all of us is that Good Friday is always followed by Easter Sunday. When the pain of the cross is passed we rejoice and celebrate the Resurrection. The pain of the quarantine, the isolation, the fear of this invisible enemy will pass and we will rise to the joys of reclaiming our lives back. Given this reality the question that was asked of Mary is asked of us this Easter morning “Why are you crying?’
This story reveals why we in our uncertainty and fear become anxious and panic.
1. Like Mary we see dimly and fail to think about other possibilities. She left when it was still dark and did not see well. All what she saw was the stone rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. When we consider only one possibility and fail to think about others, it is possible to be anxious and to live in fear. We worry about the what- ifs and see our shortcomings rather than the possibilities.
2. We make wrong assumptions on very little information. Mary simply assumed that the tomb was vandalized and that the body was moved by those who hated our Lord and the movement he led. At the beginning of this pandemic, some people did not believe it was real and some still do think it is not a big deal. We cry and we live with anxiety when we fail to learn about our situation and make wrong assumptions. There is the human tendency to look at the worst case scenario, but it takes accurate knowledge to make the right decisions.
3. We listen to others who may have as little information as we do. The disciples who ran to the tomb, took Mary’s assumption and then just looked into the tomb without going in. When Peter arrived, he went in looked around and then they all left. They believed what Mary assumed and never even thought about the scripture that had prophesied about his resurrection.
4. We cry when we see our own situation as forming the beginnings of our ruin rather than rely on God. We cry when we fail to do all we can to find answers to our own problem. It was when Mary stooped to see the tomb and investigate the empty tomb that she discovered that there were two angels in the tomb. Sometimes we fail to find answers to our own problems because we are not doing enough on our own. Someone says that there are no vacancies and we give up rather than persist on finding out why. Someone tells us that the situation is very difficult and we believe without finding out if our own story can be different.
5. Taking a break from our troubles and looking around can serve us better sometimes than just merely looking up. It was when she stood up from looking down and when she looked around that she found out that Jesus was just standing beside her. Sometimes the help we seek can simply be right there with us if we can stop mourning and clear our eyes so we can see well. It was when Jesus called her name that she returned to reality and God opened her eyes to see that the Lord she was seeking was right behind her.
6. Finally, looking for Jesus is not about clinging to the lord in buildings and attending prayer and fasting services, but in working with our brothers and sisters in the world. When hands are open to serve others, one writer wrote, God is happy than when it is closed in prayer. We cannot be Christians if we do not serve God’s people. Mary was trying to hold on to the risen Lord in the garden, but the message from the Lord himself is to go to God’s people and share the message of the kingdom.
In this Easter, in the days of the pandemic, we do not need to cry and we do not need to be anxious. The pandemic will be over, life will return to normal and the message of Easter given to Mary and to the disciples long ago and to the people of God is that Easter is a time for us to stop mourning and to rest upon God’s word.
I want to leave you this Easter Morning with the story of the Rev. William B. Collyer. He was just a youngster when he began studying for the ministry. The only surviving child of his parents at a time when child mortality was high, he grew up seeing the sorrow of his parents. When he was assigned to a little church, he too saw the sorrow and suffering of members of his church and so on Easter Sunday he wrote a song that we still sing in church today.
Morning breaks upon the tomb;
Jesus scatters all its gloom.
Day of triumph through the skies;
See the glorious Savior rise.
Ye who are of death afraid
Triumph in the scattered shade.
Drive your anxious cares away;
See the place where Jesus lay.
Christians, dry your flowing tears
Chase your unbelieving fears;
Look on His deserted grave,
Doubt no more His power to save.
Easter is a call for all of us to dry our tears and change our ways. With that, we too like Mary can look at the deserted grave and banish our doubts that Jesus is alive to save.
Thanks be to God and Happy Easter.
