Sermon for Easter Day. 'Why has this terrible thing happened?’

1 Peter 1: 17 - 21

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

John 20: 1- 18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Early in the morning, just after sunrise, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome walked to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus.

What thoughts filled their hearts in that pale dawn light?

They were going to anoint the body of Jesus, an act of loving kindness after all the violence and hatred thrown against his body during the trial and crucifixion.

These women were his friends—they had shared meals with him, listened to his teachings, witnessed his miracles.

So what would they be thinking as they walked together to the tomb?

Did they ask themselves, ‘why has this terrible thing happen?’

Perhaps they simply felt the raw ache of loss, no clear questions yet, just the quiet solidarity of women tending to the aftermath of destructive male violence.

When loss strikes us—our own, or that of those we love—we too often ask, “Why has this happened?”

Religion often teaches that suffering is God’s punishment for the wicked, this is what the women heading to the tomb would have been taught, but Jesus lived an evidently good life, and he was an innocent man unjustly punished, so the standard religious answer didn’t apply.

The other possible response was to seek vengeance for the injustice, but they would have known that was not the way of Jesus.

He had taught them,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you...”

The usual religious answers did not apply with Jesus.

The accepted way to head off the wrath of God was to offer a sacrifice, this literally burned off God's anger. If you had done wrong, and you probably had, God could be appeased by offering a substitute for His wrath – a lamb for example.

Yet in a dispute with the religious authorities, Jesus had even challenged this, and he did so by referencing the very Old Testament that contained the instructions for ritual sacrifice. He quoted Psalm 40, which says of God, 'sacrifice and offering you do not desire.’ Jesus then adds, '‘If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.’

The system of sacrifice had grown corrupt, it had never been meant to appease God, what God wanted was repentance – that is for people to turn from their destructive ways and follow the way that leads to life.

The sacrifice did not enable God to forgive, it enabled the wrong doer to know they were forgiven. It is the nature of God to forgive.

Even before Jesus walked the earth there were those who understood this, for instance Psalm 86 says of God, ‘You are forgiving and good...abounding in love to all who call upon you.’

If anyone requires a sacrifice in order to forgive it is us, not God.

God desires mercy, not sacrifice. We desire a sacrifice, not mercy.

Jesus was willing to be that sacrificial lamb, he said, “...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Christians believe that Jesus was not just a good man, we believe in One God, Father Son and Holy Spirit – Jesus is God the Son.

At the crucifixion humanity judged and condemned God.

The flesh and blood image of God, was nailed him to the cross, and as those nails were driven in he prayed, “Father, forgive them because they don’t know what they are doing.”

The crucifixion reveals the both depth of God's love —and the depth of human guilt, our frantic need to deflect blame, to demand a victim so we can feel righteous.

We seek to cover the wrong we have done by looking for someone to blame.

Having been hurt by life we imagine hurting others will balance the scales.

Religion tells us that God is wrathful, our guilty feelings tell us that God is wrathful, self-righteous judgement tells us that God is wrathful, the bible, and the life of Jesus, tell us that God is love – love so amazing, so divine, He will accept as a lamb the punishment for our guilt.

God is angered by injustice, cruelty, and indifference, yes—because he loves both the oppressed and the oppressor. But His character is love, not anger.

As they went to the tomb early that morning, none of this would have made sense to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome.

Brought up to see human suffering as a divine punishment, they were about to have their religion and understanding turned upside down.

They knew as well as you or I that dead men stay dead, but the resurrection demonstrates that God is not bound by our expectations.

Easter confounds conventional religion, at Calvary God is judged and punished by humanity, at Calvary God offers us His holiness in exchange for our sinfulness, at Calvary God is the sacrificial lamb, He is the victim of our violence and hatred - and gloriously at the empty tomb we see that God has overcome violence and hatred.

In asking ourselves, 'why has this terrible thing happened?' Easter morn tell us that the answer is never that God is punishing us, sin brings its own destructive consequences, but 1 John 2 tells us,”... if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous... He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

If we follow the way of Jesus, God can bring us through all suffering, indeed He can even bring us through the grave, and on into new life.

Amen.