The Very Stones Would Cry Out

The Easter Morning Homily:

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The story is told, and I know that many of you have heard this before, of the three folks who died and arrived at the pearly gates of Heaven. St. Peter tells them that they can enter the gates if they can answer one simple question. So he asks the first person, "What is Easter?" The fellow replies, "Oh, that's easy! It's the holiday in November when everyone gets together, eats turkey, and are thankful..." "Wrong!," St. Peter replies with annoyance, and proceeds to ask the second man the same question, "What is Easter?" The second one replies, "Easter is the holiday in December when we put up a nice tree, exchange presents, and celebrate the birth of Jesus." St. Peter looks at the second man, shakes his head in deeper frustration and peers over his glasses at the third man and asks, "What is Easter?" The third man smiles confidently and looks St. Peter in the eyes, "I know what Easter is." "Oh?" says St. Peter, incredulously. "Easter is the Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover. Jesus and his disciples were eating at the last supper and Jesus was later deceived and turned over to the Romans by one of his disciples. "The Romans took him to be crucified and he was stabbed in the side, made to wear a crown of thorns, and was hung on a cross with nails through his hands. He was buried in a nearby cave which was sealed off by a large boulder." St. Peter smiles broadly with delight. Then he continues, "Every year the boulder is moved aside so that Jesus can come out...and, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter."

The man from the anecdote was certainly so close to hitting the nail on the head, as to what Easter is all about. He was right about how Jesus had dinner with His friends, and was deceived and handed over to be crucified. He was right about He suffered and died on the Cross. He was right about how His body was laid in a tomb and sealed with a heavy stone. The rest of course leaves a bit to be desired.

However, he is not alone in his confusion, as Peter and John in this morning’s Gospel seemingly got just as far in the Easter story before they too reached a bit of a mix up. You see, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb in the morning, and finds it open, empty, and in a state of disarray. So she runs and tells the Disciples, and Peter and John race to the tomb to see for themselves. The author even takes the liberty of pointing out that the other Disciple ran faster then Peter. Two men who were scolded on Thursday evening for falling asleep while Jesus prayed in the Garden, were now far from sleep, and are totally energized. Something inside them has ignited a fire that has launched them into motion.

They aren’t motivated by the Resurrection, as Scripture says they did not yet understand that He had risen from the dead. They were running in such a panic because Jesus’ body was missing. It’s that natural, human, impulsive response. What good would this race to the grave do? It wouldn’t bring the body back. It wasn’t going to answer any questions. It was the only response they could think of – to run, and see for themselves.

My dear friends on this Easter morning we do the very same thing. We come to Church today, and run to see for ourselves the empty tomb. We may not understand what has happened completely, we may not be able to explain it to a non believer. We may not be able to wrap our minds around the mystery of how this has been accomplished…but we know it’s worth running. We know it’s a day that we come to Church. We know it’s a day that we dress up. We know it’s a day that we gather for a meal with loved ones, and wish others a good day with the greeting of “Happy Easter”. If we do not fully understand the mystery of the Resurrection then how do we know all these things? It’s Natural. . . we have been waiting for it in the depth of our souls.

Previously in the Gospels, in Luke’s to be precise, Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday the Disciples join the crowds in hailing Jesus as King. The Pharisee’s ask Jesus why He doesn’t silence them, and He responds, “if I told them to be silent, the very stones would cry out.”

All of creation, even the very stones, have waited since it’s fall in the Garden of Eden for this day to come. Every person, plant, rock, and speck of dust has waited with a collective eagerness for the day when the eternal God would complete the work of Redemption. Now it has been accomplished, and even the stones cry out.

What stone cried the loudest? I would say the one that first saw His glory. The boulder that sealed the entrance to the Tomb; in a moment where the ultimate climax of the power of God was made manifest, it rolled aside like a marble across the floor. As the man talking to Saint Peter at the pearly gates said, it has moved so that Jesus can come out…not to check for His shadow…but rather to find us looking for Him. He comes out to find Peter, the other Disciple, and you and I; who have run from our everyday lives, from our usual stress and aggravation, to see what has happened.

What has happened is victory.

That’s the message of the stones that cry out; that no stone is too big, no obstacle too great, to stop the love of our God for us…because that’s what Easter is…it’s the victory of love. It’s the victory of the power of God’s love over the power of the world. It’s the victory of God’s love over the boulder that blocked the entrance to Paradise. It’s the victory of God’s love over every single boulder that rolls across our way.

The broken body hanging on the Cross, which yielded such broken hearts, has now risen triumphantly; leaving behind a broken tomb. May Alleluia’s ring from each and every one of our hearts, and may our very souls swell with the eternal glory that is now ours to share forever!