See and Be Seen

Delivered by Rev. Jonathan Oh on Sunday, April 20, 2025.

英語のテキストの後に日本語訳があります。こちらはChatGPTによる機械翻訳であり、文法的な誤りが含まれている可能性があります。基本的な正確さを確認しております。

Passages:

John 20:1-18 (NRSV)

The Resurrection of Jesus (Mt 28:1–10; Mk 16:1–8; Lk 24:1–12)

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.  

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Acts 10:34-43(NRSV)

Gentiles Hear the Good News

34 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Sermon Text:

1. Consider this: It’s been a couple of days since the One who saved you and healed you was nailed to the cross. That dark Friday was one that left you devastated. The One who saw you for who you are - was gone, out of sight, dead. Because Saturday was a holy day, not just the Sabbath but the Sabbath that came at the end of Passover, Jesus’ body had to be placed in the tomb, wrapped in linens, but not fully prepared for burial. So you wait. It’s now Sunday morning, the day after the Sabbath ended. The sun rises - but it’s still dark, and you go along with other women to the tomb with spices to prepare the body to be fully buried. The men who had followed Jesus and lived with Him for three years were nowhere to be seen. They had gone into hiding, afraid. The tears stream down your face as you think about having to see the body of the One you love… again. What happened to the idea that the Son of God was to bring Good News to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners? What about those who are mourning right now… where is the comfort, the garland instead of ashes, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit? This is likely how Mary Magdalene was on that Sunday morning.

2. Context: Mary Magdalene, the one whom the Lord had driven out from her seven demons, was with Jesus during His years of ministry, supporting His ministry financially and was there through it all… His crucifixion and His death. Maybe she understood why the apostles were hiding, but she wasn’t going to give up what she was going to do. She was going to honor the Lord, the One who had delivered her and given her a new life. Mary Magdalene was seen by Jesus, and she was to see Jesus one last time as she prepared to finish His burial by anointing His body.

3. The Unexpected: And yet, that isn’t what happened that morning. Mary Magdalene, and along with other women who were supporting Jesus’ ministry, showed up, and the stone that was the entrance to the tomb had been… rolled away! Like who would have done such a thing? And there… in the tomb… is no body anymore. The women run… because you gotta tell someone. Mary Magdalene runs… getting to Simon Peter and John and telling them that the body is gone. The two disciples run, see the linen wrappings, but there is no body. They see… what’s not there.

4. Where is He? Mary is back at the tomb, and she is crying. That morning, she thought that she could see Him just one last time. And now, she couldn’t even do that. Who would do such a thing? Oh sure, Jesus had talked about having to rise again from the dead, but even the disciples didn’t understand that, maybe didn’t even believe that. Other Gospel accounts talk about how the women were told by angels that Jesus had risen again, but how would they know? If you would have had an angel come and say a loved one is alive again, would you believe it? Mary cries again, maybe even blinded by her tears, when she hears a voice… “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” In her sadness, in being distraught, she tells whom she thinks is the gardener, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Because no, Jesus couldn’t be alive again. She knew who Jesus was, for she had seen Him, and He had seen her when He was alive.

5. Mary! “This voice. I know this voice. It is… ‘Rabbouni! Teacher!’” She probably jumped toward Him, wanting to embrace Him, wanting to cling unto the One who sees her. Jesus tells her not to cling unto Him but to go tell His brothers that He is returning to His Father - their Father, His God - their God. Mary Magdalene has seen the Lord, and she went again to the disciples, this time declaring, “I have seen the Lord.”

6. The story of Jesus’ resurrection is not just a story that we read about on Easter Sunday. Every Sunday, we declare Jesus’ resurrection, for His story of victory and triumph is our story of victory and triumph. As Jesus saw Mary, Jesus sees us. In our passage from Acts, Simon Peter, one of the disciples who ran to the tomb on that Easter morning, speaks to Cornelius, a Roman commander who had feared God and was one day in the middle of prayer told to send for Peter, for Cornelius had not yet known about Jesus. Peter comes, and he says - “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every people anyone who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him.” Peter then goes on to tell about Jesus, how Jesus told God’s story, showed God’s love, died, and rose again. In all this, God sees us, no matter where you are or where you have been, no matter what you have done or how you may doubt. God sees you. Jesus, by coming to this earth, showed us the love of God by living out His love. We know that God loves us because Jesus died and rose again, and that love is given to all those who desire to see God. Because people like Mary Magdalene and Peter and John and others saw Jesus on that Easter morning, we have confidence that Jesus is alive today, sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, inviting us to come into His presence.

7. Invitation: Today, no matter if you are feeling lost, struggling with doubt, dragged down by sadness, let me tell you the Good News: Jesus extends His love to you. He suffered through whips, lashes, and a crown of thorns, scorned by the very ones He came to save. He was crucified, nailed to a cross, and died, forever taking on our brokenness and our sin. And on Easter morning, the tomb was found empty. Jesus rose again, and not only did people see Jesus, but He saw them, and loved them, and He sees you. Today, as we celebrate Jesus’ victorious resurrection, remember that His work was done for you - for new life, for a new communion.

8. Service: During our service today, we are going to have two sacraments - one is the observance of the Lord’s Supper, which is what Jesus told us to do in remembrance of Him. We also will have the sacrament of baptism, which is what Jesus commanded us to do after He rose again. As we partake in these sacraments, I pray that it will remind us all of our death in Jesus and our resurrection with Christ. For Christ deems you worthy to be seen. See our risen Lord - and believe. Amen.

日本語の翻訳：

考えてみてください。あなたを救い、癒してくださった方が十字架にかけられてから、数日が経ちました。あの暗い金曜日、あなたはひどく打ちのめされました。あなたを本当のあなたとして見てくれた方が、目の前から消え、死んでしまったのです。
土曜日は過越祭の終わりの安息日という特別な日だったため、イエス様の体は急いで墓に納められ、布で包まれたものの、完全な埋葬の準備はできませんでした。だから、あなたは待っていました。
そして今は日曜日の朝、安息日が終わった次の日。太陽は昇り始めていますが、まだ暗い中、あなたは他の女性たちと一緒に、香料を持ってイエス様の体をきちんと埋葬するために墓へ向かいます。
イエス様に3年間ついてきた男性たち、弟子たちの姿はありません。彼らは恐れて隠れてしまっていました。
あなたの目から涙がこぼれ落ちます。愛する方の亡骸を、また見なければならないかと思うとつらくてたまりません。
貧しい者に福音を伝え、心の傷ついた者をいやし、囚われた者に自由を告げ、捕らわれ人を解放すると言われた神の子の約束は、どうなってしまったのでしょう？
今、悲しんでいる者たちへの慰めは？ 灰の代わりに与えられる冠は？ 落ち込んだ心に与えられる賛美の衣は？
これが、あの日曜日の朝、マグダラのマリアが感じていたことだったでしょう。

マグダラのマリアは、イエス様に7つの悪霊を追い出してもらい、イエス様の宣教活動を支え続けた女性でした。
イエス様の十字架刑も死も、すべて見届けました。
マリアは弟子たちが隠れている理由を理解していたかもしれませんが、自分のやるべきことをあきらめませんでした。
彼女は、救いと新しい命を与えてくれた主を最後まで敬いたかったのです。
イエス様はマリアを見てくださった方でした。だからマリアも、最後にもう一度イエス様を見るつもりだったのです。埋葬の仕上げのために。

ところが、思いもよらないことが起こります。
マグダラのマリアと、他の女性たちが墓に着くと、墓の入り口にあった大きな石が…転がされていたのです！
そんなこと、誰がしたのでしょう？
そして、墓の中には…体がありませんでした。
女性たちは走り出します。誰かに知らせなければ、と。
マリアは走って、シモン・ペテロとヨハネのところへ行き、「主のお体がなくなった！」と伝えます。
二人の弟子も墓に走り、布だけが残されているのを見ます。
そこには、「誰もいない」という事実だけがありました。

マリアはまた墓に戻り、泣いていました。
その朝、せめて最後にもう一度イエス様を見たいと思っていたのに、それすら叶わなかったのです。
誰がこんなひどいことをしたのでしょう？
イエス様が復活するとは、確かに語られていました。でも弟子たちですら、それを理解していなかったか、信じられなかったのです。
他の福音書には、女性たちに天使が現れて「イエス様はよみがえられた」と告げた話もありますが、実際そんなこと、簡単に信じられるでしょうか？
あなたの愛する人が生き返ったと天使に言われたとして、すぐに信じられるでしょうか？

マリアは涙にくれていました。そんな時、彼女は声を聞きます。
「女の方、なぜ泣いているのですか？ 誰を探しているのですか？」
悲しみで目が見えず、マリアはその声の主を園丁だと思い、「もしあなたが運び去ったのなら、どこに置いたか教えてください。私が引き取ります」と言います。
まさかイエス様が生きているなんて、思いもしなかったのです。
彼女はイエス様を知っていました。イエス様も、彼女を見ていてくださったのですから。

「マリア！」
その声を聞いた瞬間、マリアは気づきます。
「この声は…ラボニ（先生）！」
きっとマリアは飛びついて抱きしめようとしたでしょう。
でもイエス様は、「わたしにすがりついてはいけない。わたしはまだ父のもとに上っていない。兄弟たちに伝えなさい」と言われます。
マリアは、今度は喜びにあふれて弟子たちのもとへ行き、「私は主を見ました！」と宣言します。

イエス様の復活の物語は、イースターの日だけに読む話ではありません。
毎週日曜日、私たちはイエス様の復活を喜び、祝っています。
イエス様の勝利の物語は、私たち自身の勝利の物語でもあります。
イエス様がマリアを見てくださったように、イエス様は私たち一人一人を見てくださっています。

使徒言行録の中で、あの日墓へ走った弟子ペテロが、コルネリオというローマの百人隊長に語った場面があります。
コルネリオは神を恐れていましたが、イエス様のことはまだ知りませんでした。
ペテロは言います。「確かに私は悟りました。神は人を分け隔てなさらず、どの国の人でも、神を恐れ正しく行う者を受け入れてくださるのです」と。
そしてペテロは、イエス様が神の愛を語り、示し、死に、復活されたことを伝えます。

神は、あなたがどこにいても、どんな過去があっても、どんな疑いを抱いていても、あなたを見ていてくださいます。
イエス様は、この地上に来られ、生きた愛を私たちに見せてくださいました。
イエス様が死に、復活されたからこそ、私たちは神の愛を知ることができるのです。
マグダラのマリア、ペテロ、ヨハネ、そして他の弟子たちがイースターの朝にイエス様を見たからこそ、私たちも今、イエス様が生きていると信じることができます。
イエス様は今も生きておられ、父なる神の右に座して、私たちを招いておられます。

【招き】
もし今、あなたが道に迷い、不安で、悲しみに押しつぶされそうになっているなら、今日、良い知らせを伝えます。
イエス様はあなたを愛しておられます。
イエス様は、鞭打たれ、茨の冠をかぶせられ、侮辱され、十字架につけられ、死なれました。
それは私たちの罪と痛みをすべて背負うためでした。
そしてイースターの朝、墓は空っぽでした。
イエス様はよみがえられたのです。
イエス様は人々を見て、愛してくださったように、今もあなたを見て、愛しておられます。
今日、イエス様の勝利の復活を祝いながら、覚えてください。
このすべては、あなたのために成し遂げられたのです。
新しい命、新しい交わりのために。

【礼拝について】
今日の礼拝では、二つの聖礼典を行います。
一つは「主の晩餐」、イエス様が私たちに「これを行って私を覚えなさい」と命じられたもの。
もう一つは「洗礼式」、イエス様が復活の後に命じられたものです。
これらの聖礼典を通して、私たちはキリストにあって死に、キリストとともに生きることを思い出します。
キリストは、あなたに「見られるにふさわしい存在だ」と言ってくださっています。
よみがえられた主を見上げ、信じましょう。アーメン。