The Resurrection Is Here to Stay

Easter Sunday


John 20:11-16

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 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. 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.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 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.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!”

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If you could feel what I could feel
Well then you'd know His love is real
If you could hear what I could hear
Well then you'd know the King is near

The resurrection is here to stay
And He's coming back again
The resurrection is here to stay
And He's coming back again
To reclaim all His souls and set us free
The resurrection is here to say
That He's coming back again

"The Resurrection" by Lenny Kravitz

Mary was beside herself. She was the first at the tomb to take care of the body of her Lord. She left before sunrise, and considering the Romans didn't want any more trouble you can bet they would arrest anyone who they caught making a move on the tomb. It could be assumed whoever came to the tomb would be his friends and the accessories to his crimes. To be out out before sunrise just made this point.

But the tomb was empty. Mary didn't go in, but she was sure she would have been able to see his body. She didn't, so she went to where the disciples were staying to share the news.

Peter and the Beloved Disciple went to the tomb and Mary followed. When the disciples saw nothing but the linen he was wrapped in, they left. They went home. The Lord is gone. He's so gone. The last thing they wanted was to be found by the Romans as grave robbers. Especially when there is a political reason to steal the body, to fake the resurrection.

The resurrection is here to stay
And He's coming back again

Mary doesn't care about earthly things. Robbery, politics, these things are not her concern. She loves her Lord and she is beside herself with sorrow and grief. If there's a time to go with the beatitude that those who mourn will be comforted, this is it. She loves her Lord and his body is gone.

This is when the man asks Mary “Why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Mary doesn't know who asks this question. She figures he's the gardener, and begs him to tell her where the body of her Lord is so she can go get it.

The everlasting body of her Lord is standing right in front of her, but she doesn't recognize him until he says her name. What a wonderful truth, when the Lord calls us by our name, we recognize him.

Lenny Kravitz' father was agent Sal Kravitz and his mother was Roxie Roker. His mother was Christian and his father Jewish. Lenny was raised in a very spiritual home as a Christian and this shows in many of his lyrics. For anyone who says that Lenny doesn't always behave like a Christian (as if any of us do). I say we all live in the fall-Lenny's is kind of loud and kind of public sometimes. It's the late 20th Century equivalent of Dean Martin talking about Sinatra saying "It's Frank's world, we just live in it." It's Lenny's fall, regardless, Lenny knows and Lenny sings:

The resurrection is here to stay
And He's coming back again
To reclaim all His souls and set us free

Mary knows this from the teaching she has heard. She is overjoyed, or again as Lenny sings:

If you could feel what I could feel
Well then you'd know His love is real
If you could hear what I could hear
Well then you'd know the King is near

Mary now knows this from what she has seen. Mary then shares this word with the other disciples. Together they share the word with the world: He is risen; he is risen indeed. He's come back to reclaim all His souls and set us free.

Yes, the resurrection is here to stay.