You Are Brothers and Sisters of Jesus!

John 20:1-18

This text starts off, oh, so dreary. Very early in the morning, still dark, heading out to the tomb. To do what? Well, they think they’re going to go out to the tomb to finish the burial process. Jesus had died at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. They had to get messages back and forth to Pilate. He had to give the order that he could be taken down from the cross. They had to get him down from the cross, get him into the grave, and they had to be home all within the course of about three hours. So that had to be a real hustle, get it done as fast as possible, kind of a slipshod job. So these ladies think they’re going to be doing one last act of love for the dead Jesus. Don’t know about you, but I can’t think of much that would be less pleasant to do than that. But when they get there, oh my. The stones rolled away. And apparently what happens is Mary Magdalene immediately reacts to it. She goes sprinting off to find Peter and John, just assuming that there’s been a grave robbery, assuming that the authorities have done something with Jesus. Interestingly, she doesn’t come to the conclusion, oh wow, he rose just like he said. Somehow that didn’t happen. Ah, something horrible happened. Off she goes. The other women go into the tomb and the angels announce he’s risen. The other gospels tell us that. They hustle off to find the rest of the disciples. Meanwhile, Peter and John come running back. And apparently Mary is trying to catch up, maybe gets there a little after them. Peter and John check things out. They see grave clothes. They go away. Mary looks into the tomb. There’s an angel sitting at the head spot in the grave and another sitting at Jesus’ foot spot in the grave. Even that doesn’t break through the fog. Something’s going on here. Woman, why are you crying? I’ve taken my lord away. I don’t know where he is. And then she hears the voice behind her. Why are you crying? If you’ve taken him away, tell me where he is and I’ll go get him. What, like she would have the ability to move this body on her own? Mary. It’s Jesus. Riboni, my teacher. And then Jesus says to her something amazing. Don’t grab hold of me. I’ve got to ascend to my father, to your father, to my God, to your God. Catch the relationship thing going on there? Very cool. But then Jesus says to her, go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. There you’ll see me. Here’s a little bit of very interesting and informative Bible, not trivia, but detail. Jesus never refers to the disciples as brothers until after the resurrection. Now, is it possible that he called them brothers and it’s just never recorded in the gospels? It’s possible. But God doesn’t do things by accident. And so I think it’s incredibly significant to see that God for the first time refers to the disciples as brothers. After his resurrection. Why? Because Jesus’ death and resurrection is what binds you and me to Jesus. It’s Jesus’ death and resurrection that makes us to be family members, with Jesus. It’s Jesus’ resurrection that allows him to look at you and to look at me and say, my brother, my sister. Could there be any better family relationship than that? Of course not. And because of Easter, that is the family relationship that you enjoy. You are a sibling to Jesus himself. Jesus himself is your brother who loves you dearly. What does that say about my identity? Oh my. Is it fair to say, brothers and sisters, that we live in a world in which the whole concept of identity is one that most people really struggle with? Is it fair to say that most people struggle with feelings of worthlessness? Hopelessness? I think that’s very fair. What does God say to you? God says you are not a slave. You are free. God says you may not look like much to the world. But you’re glorious. What does God say? Your family on this side of eternity may be a hot mess. But you are a part of the greatest family ever. Because you are family members to Jesus. Oh, do those things change the way you think about yourself, the way you feel about yourself? Absolutely they do. And where do those things come from? Those things come from God through his word. On this Easter Sunday, may I encourage you gently, but also urgently, to stay connected to Jesus through his word. God wants you to have glorious things. And the more that you and I are connected to his word, the more he can give those glorious things to us. My brothers and sisters, you’re free. You’re glorious. You are brothers and sisters to Jesus himself. That is the real you. Amen? Amen.