A while back, I was picking up some shampoo from the store and ran into a friend of mine. She had just lost her job and her home. Her husband was out of work. Her car had broken down, and she was waiting in line to pick up medication that meant they were going to have a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. “How could God let this happen?” she asked. Sometimes that’s the cry of our hearts, too. We lose our job, someone we love, something important to us. Just when we think we have struggled enough, life takes a turn for the even worse. We cry out, “God, how could You let this happen?”
Certainly, it was the cry of Jesus’ friends on Good Friday. For three years, they had been with Jesus—walked, talked, told stories around the fire, and seen amazing things happen. They were convinced Jesus was the Messiah, the One who could overthrow the might of the Roman Empire and bring real justice to the earth…and then he was murdered—a victim of betrayal and the cruelest method of execution that the most brutal people of the time could devise. On that Friday, all the disciples’ dreams came crashing down and lay, broken and shattered at the foot of the cross.
So the real story of Jesus is not for people whose lives have always gone just great, thank you very much. No, the real story of Jesus can only be understood by people who have experienced pain in their lives, felt loneliness like an ache, known darkness thick enough to breathe, and loss that numbs the heart. We cannot understand Easter Sunday unless we have been through Good Friday. How can it be that those who are persecuted, who struggle and hurt can be blessed? How does Jesus rising from the tomb help us in our challenging times?
First, Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope for the future. When I was in 8th grade, I hiked down the Grand Canyon with some guys from my school. At that time in my life, I played basketball for a couple hours every day. I thought I was in pretty good shape…until about halfway down the Canyon! By the time the sun went down, I was still what seemed like forever from our camping spot. I remember being almost falling-down tired, as I lugged my heavy pack through the night over the last mile or so of rock. What kept me going was the knowledge that there would be a campfire, and food and all my friends waiting for me. Somehow, knowing they were there, that there was a way, and that some of my friends had walked it already—these gave me the hope I needed to keep going. In the same way, somehow knowing that Jesus has already tasted death and beat it, gives us hope. Though we may face challenges and get falling-down tired, we know that the darkness will give way—not just to a warm campfire, but to the brilliant future God has in mind for each of us. Because Jesus faced and endured the darkness and cruelty of the cross, somehow the challenges we face seem easier to endure. Do you feel like it’s Good Friday in your life right now? Hang on! Even when we cannot see the way through, Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope.
Second, Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope for the present. Why? The most obvious reason is that because Jesus isn’t in the tomb, He can be with us. No matter how dark the night might be, how cold the winter, how painful the hurt—we not only have hope that someday this will pass, we have the promise that all we need to do is reach out our hand, and we will find Jesus there with us. Somehow knowing we are not alone means the world. But even better, we are promised that when we do what God wants, the strength of God will pour into us to accomplish that will. So even when we are not sure how we will keep going, Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope—Jesus is beside us in this very moment to strengthen us.
So here we are. We have come to this beach today, through all our Good Fridays of this week—whatever the darkness, whatever the loss, whatever the pain, whatever the challenge. We have come today through all our broken and silent Saturdays—where is God? how could God let this happen? why do I feel so alone? Like Mary in our passage for today, we might wonder if it’s a trick. Has someone misplaced the Jesus we had hoped to find lying dead? Then Jesus comes, asks us why we are crying, and calls us by name. Have you had reason to cry this week? Have you wandered in the darkness, waiting for the dawn? If Jesus were here, what would you say to Him about it? He stands among us today, in the middle of our sorrows and hopes. He is calling your name, for He has chosen you from the beginning of time, and even now, joy is sneaking up on you to catch you by glorious surprise. The tomb is empty, but its door is open to you. Out through the door of the empty tomb came Jesus of Nazareth, before Whom even the darkest death had to give way to God’s loving purpose. We may have tough times for awhile, but they cannot hold us back from going with God. Before the power and love of our Risen Lord, death and evil tremble. By God’s grace and Jesus’ Presence, we can walk confidently into the dawning of our new day. Rejoice and be glad…for He is risen! He is risen indeed!