Jesus Is Our Light! (John 20:1,2,11-18)

Series: Names of Wondrous Love

The Resurrection of our Lord Easter Day

March 31, 2013

Dear friends in Christ.

While I was serving as a Pastor in South Dakota, I had the opportunity to ride on the George S. Mickelson trail.  Now, if you are not familiar with it, The George S. Mickelson Trail is a converted rail road route situated in the heart of the beautiful black hills.  It runs for 109 miles from Deadwood down to Edgemont and it contains more than 100 converted railroad bridges and 4 rock tunnels.  I can still remember what it was like to ride that day.  I can still remember the sound of the crushed limestone crackling under my tires as I rode.  I remember the smooth 4% grade that I climbed for a number of miles and then coasted for a number of other miles.  But the thing I remember the most was riding through the tunnel.  I remember the excitement as I approached the tunnel, a yawning black mouth in an otherwise impassible rock face.  I remember the way the darkness began to envelope me, as I moved deeper into the throat of the mountain.  The light from the outside quickly disappeared and my pace slowed as I removed my sunglasses so that I could better see in the new found darkness.  Though the darkness around me was never complete, it was very difficult to navigate until I reached the slight bend in the tunnel and could once again see the bright daylight pouring in, allowing me to navigate more confidently through the remainder of the tunnel.  Though the tunnel was only a few hundred feet long it wasn’t long until the darkness of the tunnel made it difficult to navigate.  However, when I made the bend and saw the light streaming in at the end of the tunnel I knew the darkness would soon come to an end and I would once again enjoy my journey riding in the full light of day.

Well, in many ways, the season of Lent is something like that tunnel experience.  The hours we’ve spent with Jesus in these past weeks have been rather somber, solemn, and serious.  Even as we’ve focused our attention on our Savior’s wondrous names of love, our attention has been on our sins and we’ve been reminded of God’s forceful anger over them.  We’ve traveled the path that Jesus took; the path that lead him to his death to pay for our sins; the path that made us deeply aware that of everything we deserved from a holy and righteous God, which is everything that Christ, our Savior, suffered in our place. 

However, as we worship this morning, everything is different. Our time spent traveling through the dark tunnel of Lent comes to an end as we emerge into the full and glorious light of another Easter.  We emerge into the joy and the comfort of our Savior’s resurrection from the dead, and we bask in the full light of our Savior’s love and forgiveness; our Savior who himself has assured us, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”" (John 8:12, NIV84)

Though today is truly a day of joy as we bask in the Light of Jesus, our Savior, for most of Jesus followers, that First Easter did not start off with joy and celebration.  Rather, it started out in darkness and confusion.  In fact, John tells us, “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!”" (John 20:1–2, NIV84)

In so many ways these words not only describe the condition of the early morning when Mary set out for the tomb, but in reality they describe the condition of her sorrow-filled heart as well.  Her heart must have been overflowing with grief, sorrow, and perhaps even despair because the light of Jesus’ life had been snuffed out in death.  Her Lord and Savior who had cast seven demons out of her (Luke 8:2) was lying in the tomb where he had been hastily buried before the Sabbath began.  The one whom she had followed, serving him with the full devotion of a heart filled with faith, trusting that he was truly the promised Savior from sin; he was dead and she would not have the opportunity to see him again.  For May, not only had the sky over Calvary been pitch black as she stood beneath his cross, so was her heart.  Not only was the tomb, in which they had hurriedly placed his lifeless body devoid of light, so was her spirit.  How her heart must have broken when the laid him in the tomb.  How her faith must have been shaken as she returned home for the Sabbath on that Friday afternoon. But how her heart must have simply burst when she saw the open tomb and come running to Peter and John crying out, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” (John 20:2, NIV84)

It was as if Mary was in a tunnel without any light, without even an exit, as she stood beside the open tomb, weeping.  Not only did she think that her Savior was dead, but it also seemed that someone had gone to great lengths to steal his body, thus dishonoring him all the more by taking away his right as an Israelite to receive a proper and honorable burial.  Yet in the same way that light does eventually begin to shine into a tunnel as one comes to the end of it, so also the Light of Jesus resurrection began to shine in Mary’s heart.  For not long after Peter and John had returned from the tomb, we find Mary back where everything had started that morning, as John tells us, “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. 15 “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her." (John 20:11–18, NIV84)

While it was still dark, Mary had seen the stone rolled away and run back to report her fears.  Later, in the daylight, she had returned to the tomb to weep and tell the angels the same story she told the disciples.  Then it happened!  As she wept, she turned and noticed a man standing behind her.  Through tear-dimmed eyes she didn’t recognize him. But when he said, “Mary,” her heart turned over.  “Master,” she cried out in amazement.  This was her lord.  She was not in error.  She had seen them lay his body in the grave, and she recognized him now.  With amazing suddenness her tears were dried for her and the weight was lifted from her heart.  All past sorrows were gone.  Darkness had vanished.  Now she knew that her Savior was living!  She had finally left the tunnel of sorrow and now stood in the bright light of Jesus Easter victory!

What a day that had to be for Mary and the others, and what a day it is for you and me!  For as we have gathered in worship this morning, we, too, have left the dark tunnel of Lent and are basking in the light of Jesus, our Savior.  We are basking in the joy of Jesus resurrection.  For we know that because Jesus was delivered over to death and raised to life once again, we have been justified before our God!  We have been acquitted of all our sins!  We have been declared not guilty and are once again at peace with the Lord our God!  No longer can the guilt of our sins prevail against us, because Jesus’ resurrection assures us that his death has completely washed away even the guilt of our sins.  No longer can satan bedevil us, because Christ’s victory on Calvary has crushed the serpent’s head.  Not even death can hold us any longer because we know that just as Christ, our Savior, passed through death only to take back his own life and rise again, so also, Christ our Savior will lead us through death to our life forever by his side in our heavenly kingdom.

This is Jesus, who is the light of our Salvation.  This is Jesus, who is the Light of the World.  He is the one who gave his life and took it back again so that we might live in his light forever.  Though there may be times in this world when we pass through dark tunnels of sorrow and uncertainty, our Savior is always there, lighting our path with his presence.  Our Savior is there assuring us that by his resurrection we are at peace with God.  Our Savior is there, assuring us that no matter what we face in this life, he is with us and leading us on to his heavenly kingdom.  Even when we enter the dark tunnel of death, we will have nothing to fear.  We will have nothing to fear because we know that Jesus himself will lead us through that tunnel to the wondrous light of eternal life by his side, forever in heaven.  What a day that will be when we can join with Mary and all the others singing the praises of our Savior’s wondrous love for us.   

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

What is Jesus' Humiliation and Exaltation all about?

Series: Growing Together in God's Grace 

Fifth Sunday in Lent  

March 17, 2013

Dear friends in Christ.

It was back in 1881 when Mark Twain’s first attempt at historical fiction was published.  Published first in Canada in 1881 and then in the US in 1882, The Prince and the Pauper, was a story that Twain set wrote about two young boys who are identical in appearance.  One is a pauper, a very poor boy, who lives with and abusive father.  The other is Prince Edward, Son of King Henry VIII and heir to the throne of England.  In the course of the story the two boys meet and wind up trading clothes and changing places.  Thus the young pauper finds himself elevated to the status of prince, while the prince finds himself humiliated to the position of a peasant.

In many ways this is a picture of what Jesus, our Savior did for us.  It wasn’t that he traded places with someone who looked exactly like him.  Instead, he humbled himself and made himself just like we are so that he could free us from our sins.  He humbled himself to free us from our sins, and then when his work on earth was complete, he was once again exalted to the highest place in heaven by his heavenly Father.  But what does all of this mean?  What does the Bible tell us about Jesus humiliation and his exaltation? 

To answer that question, we need to start at the beginning.  We need to start with what the Bible has to tell us about Jesus humbling himself, which is what the Apostle Paul explains in his letter to the Philippians, where Paul writes, “Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; (grasped, NIV84) 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:6–8, NIV)

Essentially what Paul is telling us is that even though Jesus’ very nature is true God, he did not consider that he had to hang onto his equality with God the Father at all costs.  Instead, he willingly humbled himself; he took on human flesh and blood, and made himself just like one of us.  In doing this, Jesus set aside his divine authority and power and did not make full use of it while he was here on the earth.  Take for example Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He was there with his disciples and he knew everything that was going to happen that night so he went out and met the mob at the entrance.  When Jesus told them that he was the one they were looking for, they all fell over, backward.  But that was all he did.  Had he wanted to he could have had more than six legions of angels at his disposal, but all he did was knock the soldiers backward to show them that he was allowing them to arrest him.  Once they got back to their feet, he allowed them to take him as a prisoner to the High Priest, and in this way Jesus set in motion the events that would lead to our salvation, just as Paul tells us again in 2 Corinthians, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9, NIV84)

During the past weeks of this season of Lent, we have been reminding ourselves of how Jesus did, indeed, become poor for us so that we might become rich by his poverty.  We have been reminding ourselves of how Jesus did, indeed, humble himself so that he might save us from our sins.  But when it comes right down to it, Jesus’ humiliation is not something we save only for the season of Lent.  Rather it is something that we remember each time we confess our faith.  In fact, in just a few minutes, as we take time to confess our faith together according to the Apostle’s Creed, we will confess the very steps of Jesus humiliation here on earth.  We will confess how Jesus humbled himself by being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary.  He humbled himself by being born in the same way that babies have been born since the beginning of time.  There was nothing special or miraculous about his birth  Though it was miraculous that this baby was true God, born as the Savior of the world, he was also born true man—a helpless baby born in a very lowly way—born in a stable and laid in a manger.  Though we don’t confess it in the creed, we also know about Jesus humble life, how he was tempted in every way that we are, but was without sin.  We know how he suffered under Pontius Pilate where he was mocked and whipped and ridiculed and beaten.  He was crucified like a criminal.  He died!  Our true God, who cannot die, humbled himself and became obedient even to death on the cross so that he could free us from our sins.  Then, when he had died, he was buried in the ground.  Just as we bury those who have died, so also Jesus was buried, just like we will all be buried, one day.

It was in this way that Jesus humbled himself for us.  He came to earth lived as a human being.  He proclaimed the Word of God, taking the message of salvation wherever he went.  He moved purposefully, moving always forward, moving ever closer to the moment of giving his life on the cross.  Yet, while on earth he never made full use of his divine glory, power, or authority.  It was not until after his death that he was exalted once again, and began making full use of his heavenly power and glory.  As the writer to the Hebrews tells us, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." (Hebrews 2:9, NIV84) Or as Paul tells us, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9–11, NIV84)  Or as Peter tells us, “But [David] was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear… 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”" (Acts 2:30–36, NIV84)  And again Peter tells us, “God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel." (Acts 5:31, NIV84)

In Twain’s story of The Prince and the Pauper, the prince became a pauper only for a time.  After that he went back to being a prince again.  Now, if you’ve ever read the story it took a bit of doing for the prince to finally return to his rightful position of leadership as the heir to the throne of England.  However, for Jesus it didn’t take all that to do.  Rather, when the time came Jesus began making full use of his divine power and authority, just as we confess in the Apostle’s Creed, “He descended into hell  The third day he rose again from the dead.  He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.  From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I was younger I thought Jesus descended into hell to suffer there for our sins.  But that is not the case because as we learn from Colossians, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:13–15, NIV84)

In other words, it was on the cross where Jesus removed our sins and destroyed the power of the devil.  When he cried out, “It is Finished,” we knew his work of salvation had been completed.  Though Jesus died and his body was placed in the grave, the Lord did not allow his body to see decay.  Then, on the third day, Jesus was raised to life by the power of God the Father, and, as Peter tells us, “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." (1 Peter 3:15–22, NIV84)

This was Jesus victory parade!  In the same way that we throw victory parades for Super Bowl champions, World Series winners, and so many others, so also the Bible pictures Jesus’ descent into hell as his victory parade.  He had won the victory over the devil and his evil angels, and now he marched right down the “main street” of hell, so to speak, proclaiming his victory over the devil and all who refused to believe in him.  This, together with the fact that Jesus was raised to life by the power of the Holy Spirit, was the beginning of his exaltation.  This was the beginning of Jesus once again making full use of his divine power and authority. This is our assurance that our Jesus has freed us from our sins. This is our assurance that our salvation is complete in him.  This is our assurance that just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so also will Jesus raise us from the dead, as Paul reminds us, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him." (1 Corinthians 15:22–23, NIV84)

What a comfort it is to know that Jesus our Savior who willingly humbled himself to free us from our sins, has now been exalted to the highest place that heaven offers and has been given the name that is above every name.  What a comfort it is for us to know that Jesus, the God-man is exalted forever in his heavenly kingdom where he once again is making full use of his divine authority and power so that he might work in our lives as he leads us on our journey home to heaven.  What a comfort it is to know that in the same way the prince in The Prince and the Pauper did regain his rightful place as King of England, so also our Savior has returned to his throne of Glory.  Though he willingly humbled himself, he did it to redeem us.  When his work of redemption was completed, he was once again exalted to his former glory, demonstrating that he fulfilled his work and that we have salvation through faith in him.  This is what Jesus humiliation and exaltation are all about.  Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN