EASTER DAY 2007
Matthew 28.1-10
I know some of that clip was a bit gruesome but let us be honest it was gruesome. There was nothing pleasant or sanitised about death on a cross. I wonder what you made of the depiction of the resurrection. We do not know how Christ was raised from the dead because Scripture tells us only that he was raised from the dead. Let me ask you a question: Does it really matter if the resurrection is true or not today?
In answering that let me read to you a verse from the apostle Paul – 1 Corinthians 15.17. The whole of the Christian faith stands or falls on this issue – the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Listen again to what Paul says – let me read the whole passage to you this morning – 1 Corinthians 15.12-19. For Paul there is no confusion – the resurrection is the key to the Christian faith. If Christ did not rise from the dead, as the Bible teaches, then we are to be pitied and we are people without hope.
Turn with me to Matthew 28 and the account that we read this morning of the first Easter morning. Each of the four gospels record for us the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Each of them record for us the resurrection appearances of Jesus to the women, the disciples and to many others. As Paul says at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 15 – He appeared to Peter, then the 12, then to 500, then to James and last of all to himself, Paul. There were many eyewitnesses around at the time of the writing of the gospels but I want you to listen closely as to whom Jesus first appeared – to two women – Mary Magdala and Mary. This morning we should not lose sight of the significance of that. At the time of Christ women were treated like possessions – they could be sold or traded by men. They were not allowed to be witnesses in court as their word was deemed unreliable. So the fact that Jesus reveals himself firstly to women and that Matthew and the other gospels record this is in fact a pointer towards the historical accuracy of the resurrection. You would never have chosen women to be your first witnesses to such a claim in the first century, if it were not true, because their testimony would be dismissed as unworthy and unreliable.
Turn with me to the text, and keep that fact about women in your mind.
Verses 1 – it is the first day of the week, the Sabbath rest has ended and the two women are making their way to the tomb of Christ. On the Friday evening they had taken his body down from the cross and hurriedly prepared it for burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. In keeping with Judaic custom of the day they return to the tomb to anoint the body of their beloved Jesus and to pay their last respects to him. No doubt their hearts are heavy with grief as they journey towards the tomb.
Verses 2-6 There are two things in verse two which testify to the intervention of God in raising Christ from the dead – the earthquake and the angel. The divine action elicits fear, trembling, awe and bewilderment from the guards outside the tomb. God has acted and he has revealed himself in the resurrection of Christ from the dead. The angel opens the tomb, not to let Christ out, but to let the women see that he is no longer inside. Let me repeat that for you so that you are clear on this point: The angel opens the tomb, not to let Christ out, but to let the women see that he is no longer inside.
Then in verses 5-7 the angel speaks to the women. The women receive words of comfort – “do not be afraid” and this is followed by words of understanding: “I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.” Then the angel speaks words of assurance to the troubled women: “Come and see the place where he lay.” He then commands them: “go and tell his disciples” and finally there are words of encouragement for them and the disciples: “he…is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see him.” These two verses are packed with meaning, significance and instruction for the women. Their fear is calmed and their questioning hearts addressed.
Verses 8-10 Matthew tells us that they immediately hurry to tell the disciples the news of the empty tomb and to bring the words of the angel to them. Note what Matthew says about them – “afraid and yet filled with joy.” Ever felt like that? Ever had that knowing in your soul that God has spoken to you and your heart is filled with fear and joy. When Gabriel spoke to Mary about the conception of Christ – fear and joy filled her heart. The shepherds on the hillside when the angel host announced the saviour’s birth – fear and joy filled their souls. The OT is full of such incidents of people encountering God’s message through an angel and being filled with fear and joy. Haven’t you been in that position also? You have heard in the singing of a song of praise, in the preaching of God’s word or in the touch of another the very voice of God speaking into your life and it has filled your heart with both fear and joy. That time when someone challenged you about where you stood with Christ and your heart trembled and yet joy came in as well. Or the time when you heard the voice of God call you to something and your heart was filled with fear and joy. You see it is the normal, biblical, reaction to hearing from God – fear and joy. These women obeyed the command they had received – despite the fear because the joy at the news of that Christ is risen from the dead conquered all fear – and the same is, and can be, true in our lives. They had approached the tomb with grief but their lives are now transformed by the resurrection news.
However, they do not travel far when Christ himself appears before them – verses 9-10. I want you stop there for a moment and listen again to the beginning of verse 9. “Suddenly Jesus met them…” They were being obedient to the command of the angel – to the Word of God – they were heading for the disciples when Jesus met them. Let me read a verse to you from John’s gospel, John 14.23. It is in the way of obedience that Christ comes and reveals Himself to them as he had promised. Matthew begins verse 9 in the Greek with the words ‘And behold…’ the NIV says ‘suddenly’ but it is much more than a surprise that Matthew wishes to convey here. ‘and behold’ = stop, look at this, this is no ordinary surprise or occurrence. In fact it is the same manner in which God the Father speaks of his Son at his baptism ‘behold’ – stop, look at this, linger here for a time and understand what is happening here. Jesus then speaks ‘greetings’ or ‘hail’ and immediately they fall down on their knees in worship before him. They recognise his voice, his sheep know his voice. Jesus repeats the instructions to Mary Magdala and Mary to go and tell the disciples all that they have seen – the risen Christ. Listen to what he says to them:
“Do not be afraid” – once again words of comfort and assurance to these troubled women.
“Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee” – once again words of instructions for the disciples.
“There they will see me” – words of promise. His resurrection appearance is not a one off occurrence and nor is it a delusion brought on by the immense grief of these women. His disciples, who at this very moment are locked in a room, frightened for their very lives need to hear such words of promise. His resurrection is not just for these two women but for the disciples and the world. He has kept his word that he would rise again from the dead and so they can be sure he will keep his word to reveal his risen self to the disciples in Galilee.
But let me ask you something this morning: “Does it matter?” Does it actually matter that Christ is risen from the dead? It is pretty clear that according to all four gospels, and other historical records, that Christ rose from the dead – at least that is what his followers said happened. But does it matter if it was just their grief that led to such an experience or if it is actually historically true that Christ rose from the dead on the third day?
I believe it does matter. First, because it is the very core, the very heart of the good news of the gospel. As I read at the start of this sermon, Paul says we are living a delusion, a lie and to be most pitied if Christ has not been raised from the dead. The gospel is nothing without the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Today if he is not raised to life there is no good news. Death is the end and it is the victor if he is not raised from the dead and the conqueror of the grave.
Secondly, the resurrection validates Christ’s claim to be the Son of God. It is significant that in both of the resurrection appearances recorded by Matthew that they both lead to Christ being worshipped. Matthew shows that the proper response to an encounter with the risen Christ is worship – Mary Magdala and the disciples both fell on their knees in worship before him. Why should we expect to do anything different when we encounter the same risen Christ today?
thirdly, the resurrection reveals that Christ’s power and presence are available today. Look at verse 18 of chapter 28 – Christ comes to them and claims all power and authority belongs to him. He promises to be with them on their worldwide mission wherever they go and until the end of time – verse 20.
Finally, the fact that Christ has been raised from the dead is the guarantee that we too, by faith and trust in him, will one day be raised from the dead also. That is the truth behind the great resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15. What a comfort and a hope in the face of death and in the face of the certainty of our own coming death. What amazing good news – we can know the hope of the resurrection to new life because we know the One who has risen from the dead, conquered death and the grave.
Do you know that hope this morning? Amen.
