Text: John 20:1-18                                                    *Íslensk þýðing niður

Happy Easter! Christ has risen, and He is not here in that tomb.

1.  
What is the resurrection of Jesus?

We can explain it or describe it in many different ways. Here is one: Jesus' resurrection is the beginning of the new world. It's the beginning of the recreated world.

You remember the creation story, how God created this world. He began work on Sunday, made light in the beginning, and then He finished the work on Friday. The next day, Saturday, God had a rest. Saturdays became Sabbath days because of that. People aren't supposed to work on the Sabbath; it's a day for praising God, praying to God, and meditating on His great works.

But in the first creation, Adam and Eve yielded to temptation. And sin came into the world, and we couldn't free ourselves from our sins. So God decided to send Jesus to the earth to make a door, an exit for us, so that we might be free from our sins. That was the new creation of the world, the re-creation of the world.

Jesus did this work. And just like God finished His work on Friday, Jesus finished His work on Friday too. In John chapter 19, Jesus's last words before He died were: "It is finished." He didn't say, "I'm dying," but "It is finished." His work to recreate the world was finished at that time. And just as God rested on Saturday, Jesus also rested on Saturday – in the tomb.

Then came the next morning – Sunday morning. The Bible says: "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance." (John 20:1)

So this first day of the week became the first day of the new world.

Just keep this in mind, because we'll come back to this point later.

2.  
So, today I want to talk about Mary Magdalene – specifically, how she acted compared to the other disciples right after Jesus was crucified.

Now, first of all, please remember that in Jewish society at that time, a woman's status was much lower than a man's. This wasn't just true for the Jewish community then – maybe it was similar in many places – but it was a fact of life there. Women and children often weren't included when they counted how many people were present. A woman's witness, her testimony, often wasn't considered valid in the same way a man's was. That's how things were back then, very different from today.

Now, there might be many stories about Mary Magdalene outside of the Bible, but today, we'll just focus on what the Bible itself tells us. She was from Magdala, a town near the Sea of Galilee. And the Bible says Jesus healed her. We don't know exactly what it meant, being haunted by seven demons, but we can guess she was in a terrible situation, both physically and mentally. But because of Jesus, she got her life back.

Because of that, Mary Magdalene had a very strong attachment to Jesus. She also seems to have been a person of some means, possibly wealthy, and she supported Jesus's ministry, following Him through Judea. She was deeply dedicated to Jesus.

When Jesus was put on the cross, Mary Magdalene was there too. From a distance, she watched the suffering of Jesus. And after Jesus died, she was part of the group that received His body and carried it to the temporary tomb.

And then, this morning we're talking about, Easter morning, she came alone to the tomb again, before sunrise. This really shows how much she cared about Jesus and was trying to do the very best for Him, even after His death.

3.  
Now, let's think about Peter. He was a leading disciple, and later, tradition holds, the first pope of the Church. While Jesus was being judged at the high priest's courtyard, Peter had also come into the courtyard. But someone recognized him and said something like, "Hey, you're one of Jesus's group!" And Peter was afraid of being identified. So he said, "I don't know the man!" And he actually denied knowing Jesus three times.

Then, during Jesus's crucifixion, Peter is nowhere to be found in the story. He wasn't among those watching Jesus on the cross, nor was he in the group that carried Jesus's body to the tomb. So where was Peter? We don't know.

Mary Magdalene came that morning and found Jesus's body wasn't in the tomb. She rushed to the disciples and made a report about that. And then one of the disciples, the one Jesus loved – that's John, by the way – he and Peter ran to the tomb and confirmed that Jesus's body was gone. And the two disciples went back to the place they were staying and then locked the doors.

And John 20, verse 19, right after the part about the empty tomb, says something like this: "On that first day of the week, the disciples were together, with the doors locked, for fear of the Jewish leaders..." This was actually how the disciples behaved after the crucifixion of Jesus.

But going back to Mary Magdalene – she stayed at the tomb, crying. She wasn't thinking about hiding for her own safety. And after that – it's a longer story we don't have time for today – but she saw two angels, and then she met the resurrected Jesus.

This encounter is incredibly important, and there's so much we could say about it, but we can't go into detail now, or we'll be here all day! The key point is: Mary Magdalene was the one who met the resurrected Jesus there.

4.  
And Jesus said this to Mary: "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my father and your father, to my God and your God." (John 20:17)

Now, there are two very important things happening here. The first is the word Jesus used. He called his disciples "my brothers." And notice the phrasing: “...to my father and your father, to my God and your God." Jesus had never called his disciples "my brothers" until then.

And think about this: Jesus isn't accusing the disciples. He knew Peter had denied him three times. And he knew that all the disciples had scattered and run away when He was crucified. But He doesn't say anything like, "Why didn't you come to me? Why did you run away?" No, quite the opposite! This is the first time he calls them "my brothers."

So, in spite of their shameful behavior, their relationship with Jesus actually becomes more intimate after the resurrection, not less. They are getting closer. That's the first thing we need to see here. It's a snapshot of the new world Jesus is bringing – a world built on forgiveness. Jesus chose to forgive instead of accuse.

The second point to notice is who Jesus sends with this message: He sends Mary Magdalene to the disciples. As I mentioned earlier, Jewish society back then was very male-dominated. And even after the Church was formed, men generally held the more prominent roles compared to women. For example, the leading disciples eventually became known as apostles as the church grew. The title "apostle" often carried more authority than simply "disciple."

But the word "apostle" itself, in its original meaning, simply means "one who is sent" – specifically, "sent by God" or "sent by Jesus." That's the core meaning of "apostle."

So, think about it: Jesus sends Mary Magdalene to his disciples. She was sent by Jesus. Doesn't that, by definition, make her an apostle sent by Jesus?

Of course, this wasn't accepted in that way in the early church. Apostles were still only men. But that doesn't change what happened here. The Bible clearly states that Jesus sent Mary Magdalene to the disciples. By his own definition, that means he made her an apostle. This too is a snapshot of the new world.

5.  
And here we find a very quiet message in the Gospel of John. It might not be written in big bold letters, but we can still read this message between the lines. We can hear it loud and clear if we listen. And the message is this: A new world is coming.

And in this new world, for those who follow Jesus, forgiveness is given, and they are with God.

In the new world, for those who follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit works within us, helping us overcome our weaknesses.

In the new world, among those who follow Jesus, there's no difference in status between men and women; they are equal.

In the new world, among those who follow Jesus, there's no distinction between Jews and Gentiles – foreigners and insiders. They are all one.

That is the new world Jesus created through His death on the cross and His resurrection.

So now, we have a question to ask ourselves: Do we want to step into this new world? Or do we want to stay in the old world, where sin rules over our lives? If we want to step into the new world, we need to follow Jesus. And following Jesus is how we step into that new life.

Let's step into the new world today by believing in the resurrected Jesus.

Christ has risen! He is risen indeed.   -Amen.

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Texti: Jóhanes 20:1-18 

Gleðilega páska! Kristur er upprisinn og hann er ekki hér í þessari gröf.

1.         
Hvað er upprisa Jesú?

Við getum útskýrt hana eða lýst henni á marga mismunandi vegu. Hér er ein leið: Upprisa Jesú er upphaf hins nýja heims. Hún er upphaf hins endurskapaða heims.

Þið munið eftir sköpunarsögunni, hvernig Guð skapaði þennan heim. Hann hóf störf á sunnudegi, skapaði ljósið í upphafi, og lauk síðan verki sínu á föstudegi. Næsta dag, laugardag, hvíldist Guð. Laugardagar urðu því hvíldardagar. Fólk á ekki að vinna á hvíldardegi; sá dagur er ætlaður til að lofa Guð, biðja til Guðs og ígrunda stórvirki Hans.

En í hinni fyrri sköpun féllu Adam og Eva fyrir freistninni. Og syndin kom inn í heiminn, og við gátum ekki leyst okkur frá syndum okkar. Þess vegna ákvað Guð að senda Jesú til jarðar til að opna okkur dyr, útgönguleið, svo að við mættum losna undan syndum okkar. Þetta var hin nýja sköpun heimsins, endursköpun heimsins.

Jesús vann þetta verk. Og rétt eins og Guð lauk verki sínu á föstudegi, lauk Jesús líka sínu verki á föstudegi. Í 19. kafla Jóhannesarguðspjalls voru síðustu orð Jesú áður en hann dó: „Það er fullkomnað.“ Hann sagði ekki: „Ég er að deyja,“ heldur „Það er fullkomnað.“ Verki Hans að endurskapa heiminn var lokið á þeirri stundu. Og eins og Guð hvíldist á laugardegi, þá hvíldist Jesús líka á laugardegi – í gröfinni.

Síðan rann upp næsti morgunn – sunnudagsmorgunn. Biblían segir: „Árla hinn fyrsta dag vikunnar, meðan enn var myrkt, kom María Magdalena til grafarinnar og sá að steinninn var tekinn frá grafarmunnanum.“ (Jóh 20:1)

Þannig varð þessi fyrsti dagur vikunnar að fyrsta degi hins nýja heims.

Höfum þetta einfaldlega í huga, því við munum koma aftur að þessu síðar.

2.
Í dag ætla ég því að ræða um Maríu Magdalenu – sérstaklega hvernig hún brást við samanborið við hina lærisveinana rétt eftir að Jesús var krossfestur.

Fyrst af öllu skulum við hafa í huga að í samfélagi Gyðinga á þeim tíma var staða kvenna mun lægri en karla. Þetta átti ekki aðeins við um samfélag Gyðinga þá – ef til vill var þetta svipað víða annars staðar – en þetta voru staðreyndir lífsins þar. Konur og börn voru oft ekki talin með þegar fólk var talið. Vitnisburður konu var oft ekki talinn jafn gildur og vitnisburður karls. Þannig var þetta á þeim tíma, mjög ólíkt því sem er í dag.

Nú kunna að vera til margar sögur af Maríu Magdalenu utan Biblíunnar, en í dag munum við einbeita okkur að því sem Biblían sjálf segir okkur. Hún var frá Magdölu, bæ nálægt Galíleuvatni. Og Biblían segir að Jesús hafi læknað hana. Við vitum ekki nákvæmlega hvað það þýddi að vera haldin sjö illum öndum, en við getum ímyndað okkur að hún hafi verið í hræðilegu ástandi, bæði líkamlega og andlega. En vegna Jesú endurheimti hún líf sitt.

Af þeim sökum bar María Magdalena mikla tryggð til Jesú. Svo virðist sem hún hafi verið vel stæð kona, jafnvel auðug, og hún studdi starf Jesú og fylgdi Honum um Júdeu. Hún var Jesú af heilum hug trúföst.

Þegar Jesús var krossfestur, var María Magdalena þar líka. Úr fjarlægð horfði hún á þjáningar Jesú. Og eftir að Jesús dó var hún í hópnum sem tók við líkama Hans og bar hann í bráðabirgðagröf.

Og síðan, þennan morgun sem við erum að tala um, páskamorguninn, kom hún aftur ein til grafarinnar, fyrir sólarupprás. Þetta sýnir svo sannarlega hversu vænt henni þótti um Jesú og að hún reyndi að gera sitt besta fyrir Hann, jafnvel eftir dauða Hans.

3.         

Lítum nú á Pétur. Hann var einn af fremstu lærisveinunum og síðar, að því er hefðin segir, fyrsti páfi kirkjunnar. Meðan réttað var yfir Jesú í forgarði æðsta prestsins hafði Pétur einnig komist þangað inn. En einhver þar bar kennsl á hann og sagði eitthvað á þessa leið: „Heyrðu, ert þú ekki úr hópi Jesú!“ Og Pétur óttaðist að upp um sig kæmist. Því sagði hann: „Ég þekki ekki manninn!“ Og hann neitaði því reyndar þrisvar sinnum að hann þekkti Jesú.

Síðan, meðan á krossfestingu Jesú stóð, er Péturs hvergi getið í frásögninni. Hann var ekki meðal þeirra sem fylgdust með Jesú á krossinum, né var hann í hópnum sem bar líkama Jesú til grafar. Svo hvar var Pétur? Við vitum það ekki.

María Magdalena kom þennan morgun og sá að líkami Jesú var ekki í gröfinni. Hún hraðaði sér til lærisveinanna og sagði þeim tíðindin. Og þá hljóp einn lærisveinanna, sá sem Jesús elskaði – það er Jóhannes, svo það sé nefnt – ásamt Pétri til grafarinnar og þeir sannreyndu að líkami Jesú var horfinn. Og lærisveinarnir tveir fóru aftur þangað sem þeir dvöldu og læstu síðan dyrunum.

Og í Jóhannesarguðspjalli 20, versi 19, rétt á eftir frásögninni af tómu gröfinni, stendur eitthvað á þessa leið: „Um kvöldið þennan fyrsta dag vikunnar voru lærisveinarnir saman og höfðu læst dyrum af ótta við Gyðinga...“ Þannig var hátterni lærisveinanna í raun eftir krossfestingu Jesú.

En snúum okkur aftur að Maríu Magdalenu – hún var kyrr við gröfina, grátandi. Hún var ekki að hugsa um að fela sig til að tryggja eigið öryggi. Og eftir það – það er lengri saga sem við höfum ekki tíma fyrir í dag – sá hún tvo engla og þá mætti hún hinum upprisna Jesú.

Sá fundur er afar mikilvægur og það væri margt hægt að segja um hann, en við getum ekki farið út í smáatriði núna, það tæki of mikinn tíma. Aðalatriðið er: Það var María Magdalena sem hitti hinn upprisna Jesú þar.

5.         

Og hér finnum við mjög lágværan boðskap í Jóhannesarguðspjalli. Hann er kannski ekki skrifaður með stórum stöfum, en við getum samt lesið þennan boðskap milli línanna. Við getum heyrt hann hátt og skýrt ef við leggjum við hlustir. Og boðskapurinn er þessi: Nýr heimur er í vændum.

Og í þessum nýja heimi er þeim sem fylgja Jesú veitt fyrirgefning, og þau eru með Guði.

Í nýja heiminum starfar heilagur andi innra með þeim sem fylgja Jesú og hjálpar okkur að sigrast á veikleika okkar.

Í nýja heiminum, meðal þeirra sem fylgja Jesú, er enginn munur á stöðu karla og kvenna; þau eru jöfn.

Í nýja heiminum, meðal þeirra sem fylgja Jesú, er enginn greinarmunur gerður á Gyðingum og heiðingjum. Þau eru öll eitt.

Þetta er hinn nýi heimur sem Jesús skapaði með dauða sínum á krossi og upprisu sinni.

Þannig að nú stöndum við frammi fyrir spurningu: Viljum við stíga inn í þennan nýja heim? Eða viljum við vera kyrr í gamla heiminum, þar sem syndin drottnar yfir lífi okkar? Ef við viljum stíga inn í nýja heiminn, þurfum við að fylgja Jesú. Og að fylgja Jesú er leiðin inn í það nýja líf.

Stígum inn í nýja heiminn í dag með því að trúa á hinn upprisna Jesú.

Kristur er upprisinn! Hann er sannarlega upprisinn! -Amen.

*Þýdd af Gemini Advanced 2.5 Experimental