Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006

 

Synopsis of the Armenian Message

John 20:1-18

“Tears… on Easter Morning?”

 

 

 

Mary stood outside the tomb crying.  As she wept, she bent over and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and one at the foot.  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.”  She turned away and she saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize it was Jesus.  “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying?  Who is it you are looking for?”  Thinking it was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary.”  She turned around and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).

 

Today is the most important day of the Christian faith.  And such a day begins with tears!  Mary Magdalene started that day in tears.  However, the tears of sorrow soon changed into tears of joy.  No one wants to weep on such a day.  Even the angels asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”  Jesus, too, asked her, “Why are you crying?”

 

The day of the Resurrection is a day of joy, proclamation, music, and festivities.  Why are there tears?

Tears are a wonderful phenomenon in our bodies.  We have tears at various occasions, experiences, or even when reading or watching an emotional story.  We weep when we meet old friends and family members after years of separation.

 

There were tears on Friday, too.  They were tears of suffering and pain.  The mother of Jesus and other women were weeping while watching Jesus suffer.  The disciples weeping in another way:  they were completely disappointed confused by what was happening.  Peter, too, was weeping as he faced the reality of his denial of the Lord.  How about the people whom Jesus had touched and healed?

 

Jesus wept, too.  He wept for Jerusalem and in Gethsemane.  I wonder how his eyes looked when he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

 

In The Passion of the Christ, there was a very effective scene.  After all the torture and suffering, Jesus dies on the cross.  Suddenly, at that moment, the music and sound effect stop.  There is a moment of complete silence.  A teardrop falls from heaven…

 

Today is a day of victory.  God has transformed all our tears into tears of joy!

 

To be continued in English…