Wipe Away the Tears
John 20
(Everyone got a small packet of Kleenex on their way in)
We have all seen it happen. A child gets separated from her parents. Soon the child panics and wails and weeps. Tears stream down her face. No one can console her. Nothing can stop her tears. Then her parents appear and the tears stop. She reaches out her arms and clasps mother or father tightly around the neck, still sobbing. Her mother says, “There, there now. It’s ok.” She gets out a tissue and says, “Let’s wipe away the tears.”
It didn’t happen quite like that on the first Easter morning, but the day started with sadness, grief, and tears. During this past week, Christians all over the world have observed Holy Week as Jesus completed his journey to the cross.
• Last Sunday children came down this aisle with Palm branches to remember the way Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time.
• On Thursday evening we commemorated the Last Supper by eating together, washing each others’ feet as Jesus commanded, and sharing in a communion service.
• Friday was a holiday for many of you, a holiday established to remember that Jesus died on the cross. His death was a shocking loss for his disciples, his mother, and friends, but the Bible says that he gave his life so that our sins might be forgiven. We can lift that cross high, because God has used it to bring salvation. The cross is not a symbol of defeat but a symbol of victory over sin.
• Today, on Easter Sunday, the high point of the Christian calendar, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is alive. (Repeat it with me.) The grave no longer has a hold on Him. We know that everything is OK now and we can wipe away the tears.
I’m sure that everyone of us has been touched by sadness in recent months. I’m not just talking about the war. That in itself is enough to make our world sad. But, in addition, some of you have lost loved ones. Some of you have lost relationships. Some have lost jobs. Some of you have lost your health. Some of you grieve over failures in school or in your personal lives. An elderly man facing difficult trials said this past week, “I don’t know how much longer I can take this.” Yesterday I spoke with my mother who was at my dad’s bedside in the hospital. I told her that I was going to talk today about wiping away the tears. She said, “Sometimes it’s hard to wipe all of them away.” We have all experienced it and we feel that all the tissues in town won’t wipe away the tears.
For a few moments, I want to take you back to that first Easter morning to see how God took Mary from sadness to joy, from brokenness to wholeness.
Mary knew what it was to weep. All her life she had looked for meaningful relationships and ended up as a prostitute, trying to please men who weren’t interested in her friendship. They only wanted to use her. Then, according to Luke 7, she came to Jesus, kneeling at his feet, weeping, and bathing his feet with her tears. Finally, she had found one in whom was real love. Jesus not only loved her; he forgave her sins. Jesus said she was one who loved much because she had been forgiven much. What a transformation of her life! Her tears of remorse were gone; joy flooded her soul.
It was this Mary who traveled with Jesus and his disciples during his time on earth. And when Jesus died on that cross she was heart broken. Mary, along with others, wanted to show her love to Jesus in whatever way she could, so she came to the tomb early that morning to complete the burial ritual of adding spices and perfumes. There she discovered that the tomb had been opened and the body was no longer there. She was certain that someone had come and added insult to injury by taking away the body of Jesus. And she stood weeping outside the tomb, not realizing that God was trying to help her.
Most of you have heard the story of the woman whose house was flooded after a huge rain. She kept looking for higher ground and eventually ended up on the roof. In her prayers, God had told her that he would save her. Someone offered to throw a rope to her, but she refused. “God will save me,” she said. A man came by in a boat and offered to take her along, but she said, “No. God will save me.” Finally, a helicopter came to pick her up and she refused. The water eventually covered her house and she lost her life. In heaven, she asked God, “Why didn’t you save me?” And God said, “I tried three times, but you refused.”
God tried to rescue Mary from her flood of tears four times, but it took her awhile to understand. And God is still offering those opportunities today.
1. Mary’s first opportunity was the empty tomb. Mary stood weeping outside that tomb, completely unaware that this empty space beside her held the key to her healing and hope. The grave was empty, not because someone took Jesus away, but because he got up and walked out. God had opened the door of that prison and freed Jesus from death. But because of her tears, Mary was unable to recognize the meaning of the empty tomb. It was a gift she was unable to receive at that time.
Many people today are so focused on the pain in their lives, and the sin that they bear, that they fail to see that God has placed opportunities in their pathway to remind them that God wants to wipe away their tears. How many times do people pass by houses of worship like this one which to them seem like empty buildings that have nothing to do with their problems, when in reality these places are God’s gift to them. They can be an oasis in a dry desert.
I’m always amazed when we knock on doors in the neighborhood and an adult says, “Which church?” “Where?” They drive past it every day but don’t see it as a place of comfort and refuge. But I’m also amazed that when the going gets tough, many people do find us. They have heard from someone that this church is willing to help. Not long ago, one such person came for a Sunday service. He was in trouble with the law and his finances were a mess. He didn’t ask for money. But he seemed overjoyed that we were willing to listen to him and to pray with him.
God has placed the church in this city as a witness to his love, just as the empty tomb was there to witness to God’s power. Maybe you haven’t given the church a second thought, but God has put it here for a reason and he wants to get your attention. He wants to wipe away your tears.
2. Mary’s second opportunity was the two angels. Mary stooped to look in and there she saw two messengers of God. When they asked why she was weeping, all she could say was that someone had taken Jesus’ body away. These angels could have provided her with the answer to her dilemma, but she turned away from them.
God sends people into our lives to let us know that he cares. He may bring someone alongside you at work. He may prompt someone to call you. We may not always make the connection, but God tries to get our attention through people who knock on our doors or come into our lives. Some of you have seen angels like that. Others of you have been angels like that. God provides such messengers. He wants to wipe away the tears.
3. Mary’s third opportunity was Jesus himself. Mary turned to the outside and saw someone standing there but she didn’t recognize him. She was so overtaken with her grief and her tears that she could not see clearly who it was. It was only when he spoke her name that she realized it was Jesus. Then she reacted like the little child who clings to the neck of his parent. Mary wanted to reach out to him, to grab hold of him.
Did you know that Jesus knows your name? The Bible says he knows each one of us by name. Jesus said, “I know my own and my own know me.” And he knows your tears. The old spiritual says, (sing) “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. Nobody knows but Jesus. Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. Glory. Hallelujah.” Sometimes it takes awhile for people to recognize that Jesus is calling their name. Let me remind you that Jesus is not dead. He is alive and he wants to wipe away the tears, if you will let him.
4. Mary’s last opportunity was the disciples. After she met Jesus, Mary went to the disciples with the message Jesus gave her. Remember that these men had also been to the tomb, and by now they were talking about what had happened. Peter and John had seen the empty tomb, too. The Bible says that John saw and believed. And now with Mary in their circle, the loop was closed. They had all moved from doubt to belief and they experienced the fellowship of joy.
God doesn’t expect you to be alone with your pain or your joy. That is why Jesus chose disciples. That is why Jesus established the church and continues his work today through it. We inspire hope in one another when we gather around God’s word and work together at carrying out his mission and changing people’s lives.
Chuck Colson tells of the change that came over hundreds of men in a prison in Newton, Iowa. He went there to establish a Bible study group two years ago. Two months later, he went back to visit and he found a bunch of excited men. They swarmed around him with their Bibles. He signed over a hundred of them and listened to their testimonies. When he finished speaking, instead of politely applauding, these men jumped to their feet and chanted “This is my Bible.” “It is a lamp to my feet.”
He asked “How could this have happened?” At least half of these men had been unbelievers, yet the whole prison had been transformed. The staff explained that these Christians told newcomers about their faith and invited them to Bible studies. This is happening all over and the rate of return to prison is dropping. (“Storming the Gates of Hell,” BreakPoint with Charles Colson, April 18, 2003)
If it can happen in prison, it can happen here.
Jesus said that where people gather together, even 2 or 3, he is there with them. I believe that the church is where Jesus is and that he expects us not just to be polite to each other or just to fill the pews. That isn’t much of a commitment. I believe he died and rose again so that we can carry out his work with all the energy he inspires within us.
And together we wipe away the tears.
Conclusion
Yes, in this imperfect world, we live with pain, sorrow, and sadness. God comes to us again and again to let us know that he wants to wipe away the tears. So look through your tears. Look at the empty tomb. Watch for his angels. Listen for the voice of Jesus. And find your place with his group of followers. In the book of Revelation, God says that there will come a day when he will wipe away every tear from our eyes. I’m looking forward to that day. Are you?
