Insider Knowledge

Easter Sunday Worship March 31, 2024

Sermon Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024

John 20:1-18 (Insider Knowledge)

The stone has been rolled away, and Jesus is not there. Imagine you are in Mary Magdalene’s shoes, and you’ve come to the tomb for a moment of private grieving and to prepare the body for burial. She is taking the time to process the death of Jesus slowly, the absence of someone she loves so deeply. She arrives at the tomb to find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Mary’s reaction is reasonable - she is acting as a sane person. Her grief does not cloud her rational faculties. 

She’s at the tomb on the first day of the week, which is sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday. She sees the open tomb, and her first thought is that someone stole the body. This isn’t out of the realm of possibility, given the publicity surrounding Jesus and his death. Remember, Mary is not alone when she comes back to the tomb. She brings Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved (presumably John) back to show them what happened. The beloved disciple knows Jesus has overcome death, but doesn’t know the full story of the resurrection, like everyone else. 

Mary is the first to go to the tomb, the first to grasp the resurrection, and the first witness to the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. She goes into the tomb to see the linens neatly folded and laying on the slab where the body was. She sees two figures, angels, and they ask her why she is crying. It is like a “no duh” situation as to why she is crying–Jesus’ body is gone! 

She then hears another voice asking her why she is crying–it is Jesus, but Mary doesn’t know that. She supposes him to be the gardener and asks him if he took the body, where it is, so she can retrieve it and give it a proper burial. Just then, Jesus says her name, “Mary.” She instantly recognizes the voice and calls out to Jesus, saying “Rabbouni,” which is a familiar term for Teacher. This brings us back to the story Jesus tells earlier in John’s gospel about the Good Shepherd. In that story, Jesus says that the sheep will always recognize the voice of their shepherd, just like Mary recognizes Jesus’ voice when he calls out her name. 

In a Gospel that insists that Jesus knows every single one of us by name and that we, his flock, know his voice and recognize that voice, it is unsurprising that when he says, “Mary,” she “comes to” out of the fog of grief and sees the reality of the joy in front of her: the risen Jesus. Does she have some sort of insider knowledge about the resurrection, like the beloved disciple? 

Today we begin our new sermon series, “Belong, Behave, Believe.” The traditional pattern of behaving, believing, and belonging is upended, and you belong well before you even believe. There is a pattern to organized religion: you find a church, you decide you want to join, you attend a new members’ class to learn more about the denomination and pattern of worship, and you confess what you believe (which also means you’ve learned how to behave), then you joined the church officially. You behave, you believe, and then you belong.

You might be sitting here this Easter morning, and you aren’t exactly sure how you’re supposed to behave; if you’re not exactly sure you believe, hear this: you are in the exact right place. You are supposed to be here. You don’t need any special insider knowledge to sit in these pews and hear the story of the Resurrection. The people who were most in the know in the Bible didn’t even know what was going on, they weren’t even close to having it all figured out. Including Mary, Simon Peter, and the Beloved Disciple. 

We will never truly and fully understand the resurrection, which is okay. None of us will ever behave how we think we’re supposed to--I know that first-hand. John’s account of the resurrection, which we have read today, shows us Jesus’ resurrection appearance, and it links seeing and believing and calls for faith in the risen Lord. With the resurrection of Jesus, everything has changed: Jesus will not be with the disciples as he was before, because he has not returned to life as it was before. We know that when Jesus tells Mary not to hold onto him because he has not yet ascended–it is like he is a ghost. 

Mary demonstrates to us that it is okay to be in disbelief and not see what is right in front of us: Jesus. She was so close to Jesus and yet had no insider knowledge of what would happen. But when she learns about what happens, her faith is deepened. She is the first to witness the resurrection, and she goes out and shares that with the other disciples. In fact, none of the disciples had any clue about what was going to happen. But they belonged to a group that believed. 

How often do we approach faith with the wrong lens? How many of us try to chase after religious knowledge, and theological intricacies, hoping they will unlock the doors to understanding God? How many of us try to have insider knowledge and get frustrated when we feel unable to find the answers? 

Think about it. The disciples who saw the risen Christ were not theologians or biblical scholars. They were ordinary people, flawed and confused. Some of us might be able to identify with them. Yet, in their openness and vulnerability, they encountered the divine: Jesus. 

The truth is the resurrection is not about having insider information. It is about a transformed relationship; it is about experiencing Jesus, not just knowing about him, but truly understanding and having a deep relationship with him. The characters in our passage today, Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, and the Beloved Disciple, all represent different aspects of our faith and where we are on our own faith journeys. Mary, in her distress about Jesus’ body, symbolizes those of us who seek out Christ in our moments of confusion and despair. Simon Peter, in his impulsive actions, represents the boldness and zeal that many of us can relate to. The Beloved Disciple, who outruns Simon Peter when going to the tomb and waits outside the tomb, represents those of us who might possess deeper insight and understanding. 

But let us pause here and reflect on the concept of insider knowledge. The beloved disciple, often interpreted as John himself, had a unique understanding of Jesus' teachings and purpose. He was not just a passive observer but someone who had an intimate relationship with Christ, which granted him deeper insight. Similarly, in our faith journey, there are moments when we are granted insider knowledge - not because we are more worthy or righteous but because of our closeness to God.

What, then, is this insider knowledge? It is the understanding of God's love, grace, and mercy revealed to us through Jesus Christ. It is the assurance of His presence in our lives, even in the darkest of moments. It is the promise of resurrection and new life, not just in the world to come but here and now.

Friends, you don’t need to possess any kind of insider knowledge or special revelation to belong to this community. You don’t even need to behave or believe to belong. You belong no matter what. The story of Jesus’ resurrection and Mary witnessing the risen Christ is a story we all can relate to, and we can all find ourselves in at some point in the story. 

Jesus has risen friends. He beat death and showed himself to his disciples. He conquered the grave, and for that, we say hallelujah! Take that knowledge with you this week and remind yourselves that anything is possible and it does not require insider knowledge. Just faith. Take the good news of the resurrection out into the world like Mary Magdalene did and believe in the risen Christ. 

To God be the glory this day and always. Amen.