Come and See! - Matthew 28:1-10 - March 31, 2013
Series: Easter Sunday
I’m going to read a few verses to you from the Gospel of Luke as we begin this morning, and as I read them, I invite you to simply listen to what is being said, and to try to grasp the impact that Jesus’ words would have had on His disciples. This is what we read … “Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” The disciples did not understand any of this.” (Luke 18:31–34, NIV84)
And we can’t really blame them for that, can we? It’s easy for us to see why they struggled to make sense of what Jesus was saying. On the one hand He was telling them things they didn’t want to hear. They didn’t want to hear that He was going to be mocked and abused and put to death. He was the Messiah! He was the one they had been waiting for – they were sure of it! They had plans for Him – there was so much for Him still to do. And there was – but they didn’t fully understand the nature of His work at this time.
So on the one hand they didn’t want to hear it, and then on the other, the things He was saying just didn’t make sense. What could He possibly mean by saying that He would, “rise again?” And so, though Jesus had told them plainly what was to come, the disciples put it out of their minds. Everything He had said to them seemed too impossible to be true. And some things are that way – they’re too good to be true.
Some years ago, the Pepsi company had an advertising slogan that said this, “Come alive with the Pepsi generation!” Now that sounded good here in North America, but it didn’t quite cut it when it was translated into different languages around the world. In fact in Taiwan, when the slogan was translated, it promised something that Pepsi couldn’t deliver either. Instead of, “Come alive with the Pepsi generation!” the translated slogan read as this, “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead!”
Now I don’t know if that increased, or decreased, their sales, but there is a world of difference between the two meanings, isn’t there? What their slogan promised was too impossible to be true. But the good news for us is this – what is impossible for man is not impossible for God. Jesus meant it when He said He would be ridiculed, abused and put to death. But He also meant it when He said that He would “rise again.”
I’m going to ask you to open your Bibles with me, please, to the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew, chapter 28, beginning in verse 1. And what’s happened so far is this. Jesus has been crucified. He’s truly dead – they’ve stuck a spear in His side, into where the heart would be, and water and blood have flowed forth. He’s been laid in the tomb and a stone has been rolled across the entrance way. The chief priests and the Pharisees have gone to Pilate and essentially said, “Hey, remember how this Jesus guy said that He would rise again on the 3rd day? Well we need to make sure no one messes with the body so let’s post a guard and seal the tomb.” And that’s what they did and we pick up the story the next day as we begin reading in verse 1 ...
“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”” (Matthew 28:1–10, NIV84)
Now “Every year thousands of people climb a mountain in the Italian Alps, passing the "stations of the cross" to stand at an outdoor crucifix. [And that’s where most of them stop – at the cross. Very few of them recognize that there is another trail that leads to the empty tomb. Instead, they stay at the cross. And perhaps we oughtn’t to be so surprised.] Far too many have gotten to the cross and have known the despair and heartbreak. Far too few have moved beyond the cross to find the real message of Easter -- the empty tomb.” (www.sermoncentral.com, Jesus the Resurrected King by Steven Simala Grant)
We need to understand today that the big news of Easter, really the heart of our Christian faith, is that the tomb is empty! Everything we believe, hinges on the reality of the empty tomb. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, then it changes everything. Paul said it well in his letter to the Corinthians … “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. …. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:14–19, NIV84)
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is one of those things that seems too good to be true. And the irony of the whole thing is that the disciples, those to whom Jesus had explicitly explained all that was to take place, including the resurrection, didn’t believe it, weren’t looking for it, and definitely weren’t expecting it, while the chief priests and Pharisees who had opposed Jesus at every turn, and denied that He was the Son of God, the Messiah for whom they had been waiting, remembered His words and pleaded with Pilate to seal the tomb and post the guards!
What is impossible for man, is made possible in God. They had sealed the tomb, they had posted the guards, but no power of man will thwart, nor deny, the hand of our God! An earthquake strikes, an angel of the Lord comes down from heaven, rolls back the stone. The guards are so terrified that they become like dead men, being able to neither speak, nor move, because of what had just taken place. They are petrified with fear.
Whenever I think of that it reminds me of a camping trip we took when my sister and I were children. The night was black, the air was still, and she was on her way to the tent to get ready for bed when a bat flew by her head. She’s terrified of bats – so am I but it didn’t fly by my head so I was o.k. – but she was petrified! In her terror she couldn’t speak, not even squeak, and she lost the ability to move anywhere. She was trying to – her little legs were pumping up and down – but she wasn’t getting anywhere – she was just running on the spot. I think that’s my favorite camping memory!
But the truth is a lot of us are running on the spot in our own way because of our fear too. We have been scared to come to the cross and to see the Son of God pouring out His life’s blood. We’ve been scared to come to the tomb and to see the stone rolled away because of what it might mean for us. And so we choose to stay in our sin, and our shame, and the darkness, because we’re scared to come into the light and find healing. It sounds crazy! But we fear the cost to us will be too high, and so we turn our backs on God’s grace, and we continue as we always have. We hear the word of God as we come to church, we go through the motions of worship, and we go home the same people that we arrived as, because in our fear we’ve not allowed God to transform us, to heal us, to awaken in us, true life. And yet we continue to come, because deep within, we’re longing for something more, we’re longing to see Jesus.
And if that’s you today, then I invite you to hear the words the angel spoke to the two Marys. “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.” Friends, if we come to God, looking for Jesus, we have nothing to fear. The Bible teaches us that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He has come, that those looking for Him, might find Him and do life together with Him. He invites us to come and He welcomes our coming to Him. Listen to what He says … “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30, NIV84)
What is there to fear in those words? Do you know where our fear of approaching God originates? It originates in our awareness of our own sin. We fear to approach God because we fear He will reject us, that He could not, would not, should not, love us, nor care for us. We fear His rejection, because if He will not receive us, we know that we have nowhere else to turn, for the very testimony of Scripture, is that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, NIV84)
The same Scriptures which tell us “Do not be afraid,” also tell us this: that “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:16–21, NIV84)
Friends, fear drives out love, but love can drive out fear, as well. Fear keeps us from coming to God and coming into the light. But God has loved us in our sin. He has loved us even when we have feared He will not. God sent Jesus into a world filled with sin, overrun with sinners, if you will, to save the world. And if you will be condemned in your sin it’s because you will not believe upon Jesus who gave His life’s blood as a sacrifice for sin, so that you and I, and all peoples, could receive forgiveness and be reconciled to God.
“Do not fear,” is what the angel speaks to the two Marys and then he invites them to “Come and see.” “Come and see that the tomb is empty. Come and see that Jesus has risen from the dead. Come and see that God has accomplished the very thing He said He would do. Come and see the truth of what I’m telling you. Come and experience the reality of the resurrection for yourself.” And the chances are good that there are some here today who need to come and see for themselves. Your fear has kept you back from the very thing you are longing for. As the psalmist says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8, NIV84)
As I was preparing this message I thought of the testimony that Stephen shared with us awhile back. Some of you will remember that Stephen stood here and he very candidly shared about the sin that had been such a part of his life. He shared his brokenness, his wrestling with God and the shame and the darkness he felt. As he became aware of his sin it became to him an incredibly heavy burden of guilt that threatened to crush him. It had already destroyed his joy and stolen his peace. But then he heard the word of God. He heard God’s invitation to him to come and see. And he did - he confessed his sin, repented of it, and received God’s forgiveness as he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. And he shared with us how in that moment of brokenness that that burden of sin and shame and guilt, was lifted from him by the hand of God, and how, as he surrendered everything he was, and had, and ever hoped to be, he received, and experienced, new life and peace through Christ Jesus.
What had happened? He came and saw, he tasted that the Lord was good, and found himself blessed as he took refuge in the Lord. And he’s not alone. Many of you here today can say the same thing. You’ve come and you’ve seen, you’ve tasted, you’ve experienced the goodness of God in Christ Jesus our Lord! Your life is not the same as it once was. You’re not the same as you once were – you’ve been transformed in some vital way. You are no longer dead in your sins and your transgressions but have been given new life in Jesus. This is God’s work in you – a work that He has promised He will carry through to completion. And it’s made possible because the tomb is empty and Jesus is risen!
And some of you still need to come and see. You think you’re alive but you’re really dead in your sins – spiritually dead that is. You’re still trying to do it on your own, to earn forgiveness, to merit salvation, to deserve the kingdom of heaven. You’re not going to be able to do it. Scripture tells us that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; that that sin makes us enemies of God, transgressors deserving the punishment our sins demand. God’s wrath will one day be poured out against all wickedness and none will stand that day but those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb – the Lamb, Christ Jesus who offered Himself the perfect sacrifice for our sins, that God’s justice could be satisfied, His wrath fulfilled, and His grace poured out. And the fact that God raised Jesus to new life, is proof that that sacrifice was satisfactory, that it was complete, that it would stand for all time, and that it’s power would be for us even today.
How can that be your experience? First you need an awareness of sin. Not just the reality of it, but an awareness of the reality that you yourself, are a sinner, that your very nature has been corrupted by sin and that it is beyond your ability to atone for that sin before a Holy God. That awareness awakens the heart to cry out for a Savior who can do for us that which we cannot do ourselves. Secondly, you need to repent. When Jesus began His public ministry He began it by calling the people to repentance saying “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!” To repent is more than just feeling remorse for something. To repent means to go a step further and to “turn away.” Scripture says this: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10, NIV84) And then you need to believe. To believe upon Jesus, what has been done on the cross, and what the empty tomb really means. It’s a belief that goes far beyond mere intellectual assent. It’s a belief that informs your choices, influences your decisions and determines your priorities. It’s a belief by which your life is transformed as the Spirit of God comes and dwells within you and begins a work both in you, and through you, to the glory of God! Friends come and see, and taste, that the Lord is good!
Fear not, come and see, and then, having seen, go and tell the world! That’s the heart of what the angel tells the two Marys. “Do not be afraid. Come and see the truth. Jesus is not here. He has risen from the dead and you will see Him again. Now go and tell others the good news!” Those two women had a story to tell. It was unique. Jesus – the risen Jesus – had touched their lives. Where there was despair, there is now hope. Where there was death, there is now life. Where there was fear, now there is a belief that will move them to action! They encountered the risen Jesus and suddenly everything was transformed! If you’ve received Jesus, if you’ve done business with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, you have a story to tell as well. And maybe you’re thinking, “Yeah, but my story isn’t flashy, Pastor. I wasn’t saved from a life of prostitution, or drugs, or alcoholism. I wasn’t living on the streets or running from the mob.” Maybe not, in fact, probably not, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a story to share. If God has touched your life, if your sins have been forgiven and you’re walking in faith, you have a story that someone else needs to hear. You need to go and tell so that they can come and see. Listen to the risen Lord’s words “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18–20, NIV84)
Do not fear, come and see, go and tell. That’s the word of the Lord for us this morning and it’s all made possible because of the empty tomb and the resurrection. In a moment we will share the Lord’s Supper together, but before we do let me share with you this poem by Phillip Brooks:
“Tomb, You shall not hold Him longer,
Death is strong, but life is stronger
Stronger than the dark, the light;
Stronger than the wrong, the right;
Faith and hope triumphant say; Christ will rise on Easter Day.
While the patient earth lies waiting
Till the morning shall be breaking
Shuddering beneath the burden dread
Of her Master, cold and dead,
Hark! she hears the angels say; Christ will rise on Easter Day.
And when sunrise smites the mountains
Pouring light from heavenly fountains
Then the earth blooms out to greet
Once again the blessed feet;
And her countless voices say; Christ has risen on Easter Day.”
(Author: Phillips Brooks)
Amen and Amen!
I’ll ask the servers to come forward at this point please. In a few moments the bread and the cup will be passed to you. We invite you to share these elements with us if you’ve come and seen and tasted that the Lord is good and received forgiveness for your sins through faith in Christ Jesus. If you’re not in that place yet, or not sure what it’s all about, then just pass the elements on to the person next to you and feel free to come and speak to me after the service if you have questions, or if you’re here with a friend or family member you can speak to them as well, but if God has been speaking to you today, do not deny His voice.
The Bible tells us that sin requires a sacrifice. And that’s what we remember in the Lord’s Supper. When Jesus died on the cross, He became the sacrifice for our sin. It was the greatest act of love the world will ever know. And the word of God tells us that as we eat the bread, and drink the cup, that we proclaim the Lord’s death and the reality of God’s love for us.
But it also tells us that we proclaim His death until He comes again and He can only come again if the tomb is empty and He is risen today! What we do together now expresses our belief that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life by the power of God the Father and that He is one day coming again to judge the living and the dead. We, who are in Him do not fear His coming for perfect love drives out fear. He is Lord. He is Savior. And He is risen!
Amen? Amen!
Pass out bread and cup …
Before we eat and drink I am going to say “He is Risen!” and you can respond “He is Risen indeed!”
“He is Risen!”
“He is Risen indeed!”
Eat and Drink
Closing prayer …
