Everyone had failed him. There was betrayal, denial, abandonment, and the results were catastrophic: Jesus had suffered an excruciating beating, He was forcibly driven through the city to a rock outcropping called, “The Skull” and left to die naked on a cross.
For days Jesus lay decaying in a borrowed tomb. There was no excuse that could rectify the situation. There was no explanation that could set things right. What was done, was done and an innocent man lay in a cold dark tomb, forsaken.
In their great shame, His followers slipped out of sight, ashamed to be seen. Maybe they cried, maybe they wept, maybe they sat alone in stunned silence. What could they say? They did the thing they never expected they would do, they did the thing they vowed to never do. Their failure had overwhelmed them, and now, there was nothing, absolutely nothing they could do to make things right – there was not a thing they could do to restore things the way they once were; And now they sat completely unprepared to deal with the consequences of their actions.
What would they give if they could do it all over again? How they wish things had turned out differently. These are a people in great need, but what can be done?
There, a woman sits in my office. She is in desperate need – her husband left her, walked out that very morning. An affair she ended months earlier has taken its toll, she thought they had worked things out on their own. She thought that they had moved on. Now, she is ready to go to the counselor she had refused for months, now she is ready, committed, steadfast. She thought that it was a matter of time, she thought that it was time that would heal, she thought, she thought….she thought. But now it was all out there in the table. What was done was done – and it could not be undone. No apology, no matter how heartfelt would change what she had done; No promise, no matter how solid, would change her actions; No vow, no matter how serious and true could change the fact that she had an affair.
Oh, if she could do it all over! But there it sits, right in front of her, and it won’t go away. She is a woman in deep need, but what can be done? What can be done?
Three woman awoke very early on the first day of the week and set out to anoint the body of Jesus. Understand that these are three very devote people. In the climate of Jerusalem, Jesus’ body would have decayed quite substantially after three days, the odor would have been unbearable. Yet, they are so devoted to Jesus that they will bear the horror of the corpse to give Jesus one last honor they felt He deserved, to be anointed.
They would have intended to pour fragrant oil on Jesus’ head filling the tomb with a sweet fragrance that would cover the smell of death. Remember, Jesus was anointed by Mary earlier? Remember, she broke that costly perfume over Jesus’ head, the rich aroma filling the room – How grateful Jesus was, He said it was a beautiful thing that she had done for him. And now, one last time, these woman intend to give Jesus, one last beautiful act; One last act of piety to cover the injustice done three days earlier.
It is clear that they have no idea that the tomb has been sealed and that the tomb is guarded. Somehow they had not heard, maybe because they were laying low like all the others. It is clear that they have no idea about the seal and the guards as they discuss who will roll away the stone. A stone used to cover the entrance of a tomb would have been quite large and very heavy, so heavy that there would be no way three woman alone could even budge the stone. Yet they walk.
4 “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.” Problem solved, no more worries about the stone – and so they walk into the tomb.
I want to stop right here and point out the first thing we see in our Scripture this morning: These woman, they cannot change the past, what’s done is done – but you have to give it to them, they are seeking Jesus. They cannot change the situation, it is out of their hands – but they step out in faith, they walk down that path that no on else wants to walk down, and they have no idea what is at the end of the path, except they expect it to not be good.
And then God does this thing for them, if you have your bibles open take a look at verse 4. God does this thing for them, He moves the obstacle to their faith, do you see that? Look. These women honestly seek Jesus, and the thing, the one thing that stands in their way of getting to Jesus, is removed. They could never have moved it, but God, in his mercy, He moves it for them.
Understand, the stone was not removed to let anyone out, it was not moved to let Jesus walk out, He is God, physical material is no barrier to him. The stone was not moved to let Jesus out, the stone was moved to let the women in. The women are let in the tomb specifically so that they could have a life altering experience – something that would scare the pants off of them, but at the same time bring them face to face with the spiritual world they had so long been oblivious too.
God does this thing for them, and He will do this thing for you. See, there is always something that stands in the way of our faith. It is like this huge stone, massive, impossible to get around, and try as we like, we are unable to move it, why, we are unable to even get it to budge. Have you been there? Trying to work up your self confidence, trying to work up your courage, trying to work up your faith. But try as you might, there is no real fulfillment, is there? Tiring isn’t it?
Been there. Done that. I worry about, how am I going to do this? How am I going to get there – I mean others might think I have a strong faith, but deep down, I know, I’m shallow and weak. And I walk down the path wondering how in the world…..and look, the stone is moved. Why? Because, if you honestly seek God, if you, with your heart, pursue God, He will remove the barrier that is holding you back.
The great preacher Spurgeon once said, “Faith sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, touches the intangible and does the impossible”
Now they enter the tomb and receive the fright of their lives, for there sitting in the tomb is man dressed in white. Verse 5, doesn’t come through very well in our English, for in the original Greek it is very clear that this is an angel – something the three woman figured out right off. They are spooked! Imagine, we hear about angels, we talk about angels, we hang angels on the Christmas tree; We are very familiar with the concept of angels – but to stand face to face with, arms length away, in the presence of a spiritual being…..It is the meeting of our world with the next, a surreal experience. You bet they are stunned.
Here is the second thing we learn from our passage this morning. Do you think it was by pure chance that the angel was sitting there, do you think that the odds were just right and that the women happened to be in the right place at the right time? Come on. God sent the angel for the distinct purpose of dealing with these women. The angel was there waiting just for these women, his purpose was for these three alone. See, they sought out Jesus. They walked down the path having no idea what they would encounter at the end. God, who sees into our hearts, saw the desire of their heart, and so not only does He remove the barrier to their faith, but He encounters them. God honors them for seeking Him. Does the angel turn them away? Does he give them a riddle to solve? No, the angel gives them exactly what they need – he gives them the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
They receive redemption.
The women, they arrive with certain expectations…you know, they cannot change the past, they cannot fix things, they cannot turn back the clock – and they do not need to. See, Jesus has the power to make all things new. Despite the failures of my past, despite what sin is found in me, despite my brokenness, despite my inability to make things right, despite this and despite that…..God moves aside the stone and I step inside to hear the good news: “Peter, you don’t have to do this on your own anymore. Peter, look around, do you see your sin? Your sin is not here? Where are your failures? Where are your short comings? Where is your brokenness? Where are those things that haunt you? Brother, they are not here in the tomb of Jesus, for Jesus Christ, He has risen, He is not here, and neither is your sin.”
You may ask yourself, well, how will I believe? How can I believe not only the improbable but also, the impossible? Well look, what do the women in the story do? They run for their lives (verse 8) “They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” What do the disciples do? Verse 11 and verse 13…. “they did not believe it.” Why couldn’t they believe? Because redemption is not an easy thing for us.
Redemption. it goes against our human nature. Someone strikes out at me, I strike back. Someone betrays me, I walk away. Someone ridicules me, I seek revenge, I will make them pay. Look, all of us I this room have been hurt, and some of us have been hurt severely, and the truth is, what has been done to us, has been done, and nothing can be said or and nothing can be done to change what has been done to us. Now, others of us have hurt others – whatever the circumstances, and nothing can be said and nothing can be done to change what we have done to others – nothing. And this thing, this thing in our life sits there in front of us, we know we will never get away from it.
Mary was prominent dealer of southwestern art in San Antonio. She was a very powerful woman. Her word on an exhibit could make or break an artist – and many an artist she broke and ground to dust. She had hurt so many people over her life time that when I was approached to do her funeral I was told straight out, “You can’t say anything nice about Mary – if you do, everyone will know you are lying”
We the living, stood at the graveside, people with bitterness on their faces, and contempt on their lips. I hate to say it, but several there told me they came just to make sure the old blankity blank was placed six feet under. Here I was, in the middle of a sea of resentment, here I was, in the middle of a crowd of victims…what could be done?
I realized that afternoon, that unless I wanted to end up like Mary, or the crowd of bitter people who stood over her grave, I needed to walk down that path, the path that no one wants to walk down, and I need to step inside the empty tomb – I needed to meet my redemption.
Redemption is not an easy thing for us. It means we have to face the fact that we cannot do it on our own. It means walking down a path of unfamiliar territory. It means I have to venture out into the unknown. But even though the first step is so difficult, it really is what we seek, it really is the thing we need. You can’t tell me that all those who stood at Mary’s graveside wouldn’t have been better off had they walked away healed and whole from their encounters with Mary, instead of walking away with resentment.
See, we need a heart that carries us through the pain, we need a heart that holds together when the walls around us start to collapse; We need a heart that never ceases to follow – that never ceases to believe, despite the betrayals against us, despite the lies we’ve told, despite the loss of so much in our lives, despite our exhausted fragile souls.
All those people standing around Mary’s grave walked away bitter, resentful people. They walked back to lives filled with sorrow, they walked back to lives filled with pain, they walked back to a way of life that was the exact same when they left it that morning.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. True, what’s done is done, and we cannot erase the past. But who says we have to? Did you notice that in the whole chapter we read this morning, Jesus didn’t blame anyone for his death? Jesus didn’t seek revenge against those who had betrayed him, those who had abandoned him, those who did nothing to help him, did He? No, what does Jesus do? He removes the stone that hinders their faith, meets them in the tomb – and offers redemption.
See, redemption turns away from revenge, it turns away from resentment, it turns away from bitterness and offers a new way to live, a way that is full of life, wholeness, forgiveness, and glory be to Jesus – grace; That in spite of myself, I can move past all the hurt and pain I have caused, I can move past all the things that have been done to me, because the resurrection of Jesus covers all those things past, present and future.
So, what can be done? We can’t change the past, no matter how hard we wish it away. Yet, though that may be true, though what is done is done, we can start again. We can turn away from our sin and through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ – Rise. Rise up, rise up and live again. That thing that sits in front of you, that thing that will be there no matter what you do, that thing that weighs you down….this morning, this very day, rise up, and turn away from it. Turn your back on it and turn your heart toward Jesus Christ. You cannot make that thing go away, you know you cannot make it go away – but Jesus Christ, He can take that thing and make it insignificant. His love, His grace and His forgiveness are so overwhelming, that this thing that is looming over your life and appears so large to you, through Jesus, it will diminish and fade to the point where it becomes inconsequential.
See, we can make a choice: We can stand at the grave of bitterness, resentment and revenge, and walk back to a life that never changes; Or we can stand in the empty tomb and receive the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can you hear the angel telling you - “You don’t have to do this on your own anymore. Look around, do you see your sin? Your sin is not here? Where are your failures? Where are your short comings? Where is your brokenness? Where are those things that haunt you? My friend, they are not here in the tomb of Jesus, for Jesus Christ, for He has risen, He is not here, and neither is your sin.”
Redemption. All we have to do is reach out and take hold of it. In the holy name of Jesus.
Alter Call.
Prayer
