 |
seaster05
The
Reign of Death Was Ended Serials FlySim
Text:
John 20:1-18
Date: The Resurrection of Our Lord 
3/27/05
Martin
Luther's Easter hymn, “Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands”
[LW 123], tells of the meaning of the spiritual battle waged in
the Passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In
the second stanza of his hymn he peers behind the scene at Calvary
and unveils the real battle going on there. For it wasn't an accident
of history, an unfortunate and avoidable conflict resulting from
some misunderstandings. Behind the bloodthirsty taunts of the Pharisees
and scribes, the circus-like atmosphere of the crowds wagging their
heads, the mocking of the soldiers was, as Luther put it, “a strange
and dreadful strife” between nothing less than death and life. On
that Friday, amid all the darkness and gloom, the violence and blood,
it appeared that death won out. He who said he came to bring light
and life to the world was held fast to the cross by bloodstained
nails. When he had breathed his last, a spear in his side confirmed
his death. Then some of his disciples got permission to take his
body down from the cross for burial. There in the tomb it wasn't
the wrapping of his body with a linen shroud that held him silent
and still but the strong bands of death. Death is final and always
has the last hideous laugh.
The
strange and dreadful strife began already in the Garden of God's
original creation, the tempter beguiling Eve and then Adam with
the exotic demonic promise of being like God knowing “good” and
“evil.” Instead of being like God, however, they discovered death,
the wages of sin. God gives life. Sin gives death.
From
that very dreadful beginning, however, God fought to win his creation
back promising a Savior from sin. Through the ages prophetic voice
gave clues and signs so that we could identify this Savior when
he would finally come on the scene. He would be the offspring of
Abraham, of the house and lineage of the great king David, born
of a virgin in Bethlehem of Judea. He would proclaim the kingdom
of God and defeat death, sin and the devil and bring salvation to
all nations. But he wouldn't fit the image of a king or a mighty
warrior developed by a Hollywood production staff, for Isaiah said
he would be a suffering servant. He would bear our sins and iniquities
in his own body. He was destined to die in our place and be raised
again from death. All who hoped in this promised Messiah of God
would be saved, like Abraham, by their faith in God's promise alone.
I
guess he was just “too human” for people to believe that he was
also God (although today it seems he is presented as “too divine”
for people to believe that is also human!) Though when he performed
his miraculous signs of healing many became excited at the prospect
that he “might” be the Christ, there were other things he said or
didn't say and did or didn't do that caused people to doubt his
claims. Increasingly it seemed he didn't fit the bill of our expectations
of glory.
The
most important words in St. John's report of the resurrection of
Jesus are his own confession that “he saw and believed.” What did
John and Peter see? Mary Magdalene and the other women with her
come to the tomb, but when she sees that the stone, the huge stone
had been removed from the entrance to the tomb, she made a quick
and terrified U-turn and ran back to where Peter and John were,
telling them of the tragic turn of events. “They” (assuming Jesus'
enemies) “took away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know
where they put him.”
Peter
and John start out to check out the scene for themselves; slowly
at first, maybe a few words back and forth, then, the wonder growing,
their steps turned into a trot, then a jog, then a full-out run—the
younger, John, obviously outrunning the older Simon Peter. John
arrives first but doesn't enter the tomb. He peeks in and sees the
linen bands lying there, but no body. Peter then arrives and walks
right in and sees the same thing. What did they see? Two pieces
of evidence, signs of the resurrection!
First
they saw the linen shroud lying flat just as it was wound around
Jesus' body, but no body within! Surely, if somebody would have
stolen his body they would have taken it shroud and all; or if the
shroud were removed it would have been thrown aside to lay in a
heap. The first sign was the body of Jesus gone but the shroud undisturbed.
The second sign was the face or head cloth not lying where it was,
not removed and thrown on the floor but neatly folded or rolled
up and placed in a place by itself. Who would have been able to
remove Jesus body from the shroud without disturbing it and yet
would have taken the time to neatly fold or roll the head cloth
and place it in a place by itself?
It
is here that John says, “he saw and believed.” What did he believe?
| |
