This Easter is unlike any that I’ve ever experienced and I’m guessing that I’m not alone in feeling that way. This is a rather strange Easter morning. The church is empty. Your normal family gatherings have likely been cancelled or postponed. You likely watching this worship service by yourself, with your family and certainly with less than 10 people. It’s just strange? But as I thought about what Easter was going to be like this year, it also made me think that maybe THIS Easter is actually more reflective of what that first Easter Sunday must have been like, nearly 2000 year ago, especially for Jesus’ followers. Just think about it!
Jesus’ followers were isolated, hiding behind locked doors in fear. How could they not be after seeing what had happened to Jesus just three days earlier when he was executed by crucifixion. Life had certainly not gone at they had planned. Just once week ago when they entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Jesus was being hailed as a king and the people couldn’t seem to get enough of him. Where were the crowd now? Where was Jesus? He was dead. That first Easter morning was initially one of isolation, confusion, sadness and fear – disciples of Jesus who probably felt a little defeated.
Maybe you feel somewhat of the same way this Easter morning. Things certainly have not gone as we planned. You might feel isolated not able to spend this day with family members and friends, wondering when you will next get to see, no less touch them. The death count continues to climb and the thoughts of when or if we’ll see an outbreak in our community continue to linger. What the next week or next month is going to bring is anyone’s guess. Yes, we too might feel like those disciples on that first Easter morning confused, afraid, uncertain – a little bit defeated.
But as the sun rose on that first Easter Sunday, there was breaking news. If the disciples had cell phones, they would have been blowing up! Some of the women who were at Jesus’ crucifixion on Friday had returned to the cemetery where they saw Jesus’ lifeless body placed. But when they got to Jesus’ tomb, it was open. And not only was it open, it was empty! That’s when an angel calmly explained, “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” (Matthew 28:5,6). Understandably, the news was a bit overwhelming. Mary Magdalene starts sobbing and is comforted by the living Jesus. The other women immediately head back to tell the disciples and are also met by the living Jesus. Throughout the day Jesus makes multiple appearances to his disciples, and confirms that he really is alive. Jesus had defeated death!
Now you might be thinking, “Good for Jesus! He came back to life! Good for his followers, they got back their teacher and their friend. They could see him again! But I’ve never met Jesus, and while I’m sure he was a nice guy, whether he’s dead alive, what does that really have to do with me?” It has everything to do with you! In fact, it is ONLY BECAUSE OF YOU that Jesus died and rose from the dead! That’s what the section from 1 Corinthians 15 that you heard read just a few moments ago reminds us of. These verses show us the direct connection between Jesus rising from the dead and you.
To see that connection let’s begin by looking at verse 56 where we read, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56). It might help to work our way backwards through this verse: “the power of sin is the law.” What does that mean? We might naturally feel bad about doing certain things like breaking a promise, or losing our temper, or taking something that does not belong to us. But as we read through the Bible it shows us that we sin a whole lot more than what were first aware of. We see that God holds us accountable not only for the words we say or the actions we commit, but also for our thoughts and our attitudes. The Bible shows us that we are far from perfect with the mountain of sin growing ever larger daily. But not only does the Bible show us the quantity of sin, it also shows us the price of sin.
You might think of it like going to the store. You see something that you want to buy, but it doesn’t have a price tag on it. You know it isn’t free, that you’re going to have to pay something for it, so you find one of those scanner things or you ask one of the checkout people for the price. You see the price and if its’ more than you want to or can pay, what do you do? You put the item back on the shelf and walk away. Here’s the problem with sin: you can’t put it back on the shelf. Once you’ve sinned, you’ve sinned. You can’t take back the words, undo the actions, rewind the thoughts. And the price for sin is high. The Bible tells us, “The one who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:20). Death is the result of sin and at death payment for sin is collected. When your life comes to an end, either you possess what is required to live with God, or you don’t have what is required and you will be separated from him for eternity. That’s the problem. The Bible tells us, “The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough” (Psalm 49:8). Ouch! That stings! How do we get rid of that sting? Remember what this verse says, “The sting of death is sin.” We need to get rid of our sin. Again, we run into a problem because there is not a single one of us that is without sin!
There is only one solution. One who can take away your sin. That’s what verse 57 points us to, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). You see, this is where Jesus becomes personal to each of us. Jesus rose from the dead to show you that he has the power to pay what you could not, to remove sin from you. How could Jesus do that? As full God Jesus lived a perfect life in your place, never sinning even once. Jesus paid what you owed for your sin by going to the cross and suffering hell for you and sacrificing his perfect life in your place. And on Easter morning, when he rose from the dead, he proved that his ONE perfect life and his ONE death on the cross were enough to pay for your sins and the sins of all people. Jesus has taken away your sin and paid for you to live with him for eternity. Jesus has turned physical death it into the way that he gives eternal life to all those who depend on him to pay for their sin.
You might think of it like getting a vaccination shot. I don’t care what anyone says, it hurts when you get a shot – sometimes more than others, it stings. But what is the result of that sting? You’re not going to get sick with that disease because your body will have the antibodies to fight that disease.
Physical death still stings, certainly much more than a momentary prick of a needle. Even the thought of a lost one may still bring sadness, an empty recliner or place at the table still causes pain, the conversations that can no longer be had may bring some tears. Yes, the separation from a person that death has caused is real and it is hard, and not to be denied or taken lightly. But for the Christian who dies, what does their death bring? Through death, Jesus gives a life that is forever immune from death, difficulties, disease, disappointments, suffering and sadness. That is the life that Jesus rising from the dead assures you is yours. Jesus looked ahead to Easter and wanted you to know, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).
Hardly a day goes by where we do not hear about the ongoing research for a vaccine to stem the spread of the COVID 19 virus. I am grateful for those who are trying to find that vaccine as we naturally want to protect and preserve God’s gift of human life. But the fact remains that even when a vaccine is found, it will not prevent the end of life. It may delay, but it will not defeat death.
There is only one who can truly defeat death, and that is the one who has already been victorious over it – the Lord Jesus Christ. That victory of Jesus over death is celebrated IN PART every time a Christian dies and immediately begins to spend eternal life in heaven. But one day, that victory will be celebrated IN FULL when Jesus puts an end to death once-and-for-all when he returns at the end of the world. On that day Jesus will call lifeless bodies to life and instantly transform them into bodies that will never die. For Christians, body and soul will be together for eternity with God. On that day, with Jesus by our side and surround by Christians of all time, we will be able to say, “Death has been swallowed up in victory! Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). It’s gone! Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the dead has permanently removed the sting of sin by paying for our sins, and defeating death not merely for himself, but for you. His empty tomb is your victory.
There a number of people that I’ve talked to who hoped that we might be back at church to celebrate Easter. And so maybe there some disappointment today. I can understand that. But could it be that the Lord knew that was going to be exactly what we needed at this time? That we needed Easter. Could it be that the Lord has used this to remove so many of the distractions that normally accompany a day like this, that he has used this to get our attention? At a time when many people might feel like those disciples on that first Easter morning, confused, isolated and defeated, the Lord Jesus knew that we needed Easter to remind us that in all things, even death itself, Jesus still wins. Yes, Easter is different this year, but no matter where you, no matter who you are with, or how you may feel, Easter has and never will change, “Christ has risen! He has risen indeed!” Alleluia.
