Our Scripture Reading
John 20:1-18 (The Message)
1-2 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, gasping for breath. “They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve put him.”
3-10 Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.
11-13 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”
13-14 “They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.
15 Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”
She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Sir, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”
16 Jesus said, “Mary.”
Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”
17 Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.
Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen
Let us pray….
The Message Recognizing the Gardener
On the first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene went to the cemetery. Imagine joining her there….it is cold….it is cloudy….it is wet…it is dreary…it is uncomfortable.
She went there to sit by the grave of Jesus and mourn…to weep…to pray….to be near the body of the person she loved.
But, when she arrived in the cemetery, in the garden, something was wrong. The grave stood open. Imagine if we had just buried a loved one and two days later we found the grave uncovered…. it would be horrible…. it would be shocking… it would be terrifying.
We would assume that someone had broken into the grave… Mary Magdalene assumed someone had broken into the grave….and stolen Jesus’ body.
So, she rushed to tell her friends…to get help.
Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple came back to the cemetery to help Mary…or to at least see for themselves that the body was missing…to witness what Mary saw.
And, they climbed into the tomb. They saw that the body was not there. They witnessed. They saw the folded up grave clothes.
And, then the men went back home.
Mary was not consoled.
Mary stayed in the garden. She weeped. She worried about retrieving the body. She didn’t understand where it was.
And, a man came and stood next to her. She didn’t look at him…not closely…she was so upset.
And, he said her name.
Mary recognized Jesus’ voice. She recognized him. She saw him.
And, she knew it was our Lord. He was resurrected.
We love it when people know our names. We want to be seen. We want to be recognized. We want to know that we matter.
There is a reason why car salesmen frequently say our names when we look at new vehicles. And, so do real estate agents when we look at houses. They know we crave recognition….they know we are more likely to buy something when we feel like we are friends with the person selling it. They know we love to be seen.
But, there is nothing more powerful than hearing our name said by someone who truly knows us. Jesus truly knew Mary. And, Jesus truly knows us, as individuals. Jesus knows our names.
In the Tenth chapter of the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus’ teaching about the Good Shepherd and his sheep. Both the New and the Old Testaments are full of illustrations about God being like a caring, loving shepherd to us, God’s sheep. The Ancient Near Eastern culture was dependent on sheep for food, milk and clothing, so people knew about sheep and shepherding.
In John Chapter 10, Jesus said that the sheep respond to the voice of their shepherds…and they run away from people whose voices they don’t recognize. Jesus tells us: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus knows us. Jesus knows our names. Jesus knows our stories. Jesus knows everything about us. And, Jesus knows what is in our hearts.
This is important – no matter what we are going through in our lives…if we are surrounded by people or all alone….if we are having things go well or if we are struggling…if we are healthy and happy or sad and full of health struggles – Jesus is with us. Jesus sees us. Jesus supports us. Jesus loves us.
So, on this Easter morning, as we prepare for the busy day ahead, as we prepare for our busy lives, remember – Jesus knows our names. Jesus knows our struggles. Jesus knows us. And, Jesus loves us.
Let us respond to that love by generously serving Jesus and by doing all we can to share God’s love with the world.
Amen.
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