The Appearance of Eternal Love and Goodness
 

- Easter Sunday-
Sermon by Manfred Schreyer

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(John 20:1-14 NIV) Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. {2} So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" {3} So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. {4} Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
 

 {5} He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. {6} Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, {7} as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. {8} Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. {9} (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) {10} Then the disciples went back to their homes, {11} but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb {12} and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. {13} They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." {14} At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

      What happened here before?

      Jesus had been crucified and now He was gone. The disciples who had followed him had left into all directions, with the exception of John ... all of the rest were scared of the possible Roman retribution.

      And of course there was Mary, Jesus' mother, who was at the bottom of the cross.

      Maybe the disciples had lost faith in their expectations of a  "King" for the Jews.

      But I guarantee you the story of the crucifixion got around quickly to them.

      We know from the Gospel that multitudes of people had listened to Jesus' preaching and healing . . . and many saw Jesus as their future for Israel.

      As Jesus was hanging on that cross, beaten and bruised, the governor (Pilate) hung a sign on top of 'His' cross which said:  "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Not only did he place it in Hebrew, but in Latin and Greek as well.

      It was to become clear "that this Jesus" was the symbol of the Jews. It was a payback by the governor Pilate against these people who he hated and despised.

      But as often in biblical stories and in our relationship with God that is NOT the whole story for us.

      This story for us is much deeper. And when we truly search for the real story we come to a close relationship with Christ . . . we find Jesus on the cross and we suffer with Him. We understand our own condition.

      As he appeared to the disciples later, Jesus told them: "Feed my sheep" Be with God's creation, love them, show them the love of God, follow the commandments by your heart, let the goodness of God show in us . . . His creation, realize the Kingdom on earth.

      The eternal struggle between Good and Evil can be won! The eternal struggle between Eve and the serpent, between Cain and Abel, between Jacob and Esau, etc. can be won!

      All Jesus said in his ministry on earth was:  "Learn to love your neighbor as God loves you." Even if the other person still despises you and commits wrong actions, love them and change the world into a better world.

      Jesus said to his disciples: I depend on you, you have choices to make . . . make the right choices on earth so that the Kingdom of God comes to God's people.

And old Indian story tells of two wolves fighting. An old Indian once told a story to his grandchild:  "I had two wolves fighting in my heart. One was the good wolf and the other was the bad wolf. They fought for a long time. And it was a very vicious fight"

"Who won the fight Grandpa?"  "The wolf I fed," the Grandfather answered.

      Every time Jesus was confronted with the bad, He fed the good. Even in the last minutes of his life he fed and fed and fed the  "Good."

      He gave hope to the one who was crucified with him, he cared about his mother Mary, He said the words:  "Father forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing"

      What more is there possibly to say?

      We as God's people have to recognize that  "we truly do not know what we are doing." We need forgiveness in our life, forgiveness for the things which we have no idea we have done. This world needs forgiveness as it is trying to run away from God. But you see . . . you can't run away, because as some point in our lives Jesus will come to us when we call upon Him. You just have to be willing to listen to the whole story.

General Wellington commanded forces at Waterloo. When the battle was over, he spelled out by code, "Wellington defeated...," yet fog set in, and people only saw news of "defeat." The fog cleared and the message continued. "Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo." People looked at the death of Christ and said "defeat."

      You see Jesus' death is not defeat! It is not the end of the story. The end of the story is that Jesus appeared to Mary and to the disciples and that He went back home to our father, our God. When there was resurrection, that was when the story was finished

       

      The message from God for us is this: If you believe the story of Jesus, you will have everlasting life with God. What story do I have to believe? You believe that you are lost and you believe that Jesus has the answers in His teachings for us. And when you acknowledged Jesus as your Savior, then you life will change.

      And here is my proof and here is God' s proof for you:

      None of the disciples recanted their story ever:

      Andrew (Peter's brother, also a fisherman) died on a cross at Patrae, in Achaia, a Grecian Colony.

      James (the elder son of Zebedee, brother of John) was beheaded at Jerusalem.

      James (one of Jesus' brothers, also called James the Less) was thrown from a pinnacle of the Temple, and then beaten to death with a club.

      John, the beloved disciple (elder son of Zebedee, brother of James, both James and John we also called "Sons of Thunder" or "Boanerges"), died of extreme old age in Ephesus.

      Thaddeus (one of Jesus' brothers, also called Jude) was shot to death with arrows.

      Matthew (also called Levi, a tax collector) -- Matthew was crucified in Alexandria.

      Nathanael (also called Bartholomew) was flayed alive and beheaded in Albanapolis, Armenia.

      Peter (also called Simon or Cephas, also called The Zealot) was crucified, head downward, on a cross in Persia (now Iran) during the persecution of Nero.

      Philip was hanged against a pillar at Heropolis (Abyssinia).

      Thomas (also called Didymous and the doubter) was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel, in the east Indies.

      Even in the face of death, they still proclaimed Jesus the Messiah. Would they all have died to preserve a lie? They were all afraid when Jesus was crucified. They ran away and hid. But after Jesus arose and came to them, they were different men. Changed. Not from without, but from within. They spread the Good News because they knew it was true. And what is the Good News? That the Lord came, not to condemn the world, but to save it. He is the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Him shall live even if he dies.

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