Isaiah 25:6-9, Psalms 118:1-2, Psalms 118:14-24, Acts 10:34-43, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, John 20:1-18, Mark 16:1-8
(A) THE EASTER APOCALYPSE.
Isaiah 25:6-9.
This small passage lies at the heart of the so-called ‘Isaiah Apocalypse’ of chapters 24-27 and brings hope into an otherwise dismal prospect.
Chapter 25 itself begins with praise for God’s ‘plans formed of old, faithful and sure’ (Isaiah 25:1) - which include His acts of judgment as well as of deliverance.
Our present section invites us to a banquet (Isaiah 25:6); casts away a shroud, pronounces death vanquished, wipes away tears, and takes away disgrace (Isaiah 25:7-8); and leaves us with the hope of salvation (Isaiah 25:9).
1. An Invitation to a Banquet (Isaiah 25:6).
“In this mountain” speaks of Mount Zion, Jerusalem (cf. Isaiah 24:23). The junction between heaven and earth. The place where the LORD meets with man. Here the LORD Himself is setting a table for a mighty feast. It is “a feast of fat things, of well-aged wines, of marrow with the fat, of well-aged wines well refined” (I believe it sounds almost as poetic in English as it does in the Hebrew). And “all people” are invited.
It appears that Jesus used this passage as the basis for His parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24).
The first people to be invited did not even have the courtesy to reply to the invitation: but when the Master still graciously sent His servant to bring them when the feast was ready, ‘They all with one accord made excuses’ (Luke 14:18). For example, one had just bought some real estate and must needs go to inspect it; one had just bought five teams of oxen and must needs go and prove them; and one had just got married, and therefore had other priorities.
All these excuses disqualified them from ever attending the Messianic banquet, ‘for I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste of my supper,’ said Jesus (Luke 14:24). Hearers of the Gospel must not be like the people in Jesus’ parable. ‘Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith in the earth?’ (Luke 18:8).
2. A Shroud Cast Away (Isaiah 25:7-8).
It is here in this mountain, at this feast, that the LORD promises to cast away a shroud.
First, there is the shroud in which Jesus was wrapped at His death.
In the death of Jesus, God “destroyed” what the shroud represents (i.e., Death), and “swallowed up” Death forever. It is, first and foremost, in the Resurrection of Jesus that ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:54).
Second, the veil over the hearts of “all people” is removed (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:15-16).
Thirdly, the veil of mourning is removed. “The LORD God will wipe away the tears from all faces” (cf. Revelation 7:17; Revelation 21:4).
And fourthly, “reproach” - i.e., ‘condemnation’ - is removed (cf. Romans 8:1).
Paul also builds on this passage in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, adding in the taunt song of Hosea 13:14. Because of the death of Death in the death of Christ, Death has lost its sting for all who believe. Because He has indeed risen, we too shall rise and go to be ‘forever with the Lord’ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
3. The Hope of Salvation (Isaiah 25:9).
Now this all leaves us with the hope of our salvation. On one hand, the death of and resurrection of Christ, and their consequences - the forgiveness of sin, and a right relationship with God (cf. Romans 4:25; 2 Corinthians 5:21) - are already realised in the life of the Christian. We are already ‘seated in the heavenly places in Christ’ (Ephesians 2:6).
On the other hand, we have not yet ‘shuffled off this mortal coil’ and must live yet in this body. The text calls us to “wait” for the fulness of our salvation (Romans 8:23), which will be fully manifested when Jesus returns (Titus 2:13).
This short passage ends with praise. When the feast is spread, we shall say, “This is our God, we have waited for Him… We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
Christ has risen - and if we are His, we will be there!
(B) A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION.
Psalm 118:1-2; Psalm 118:14-24.
The Orthodox Celebrant passes in and out amongst his congregation, repeating his announcement in the indigenous language of each people group: ‘The Lord is Risen!’ Each ethnic group answers in their own native tongue: ‘He is risen indeed!’ The appropriate response to the Easter message is, first and foremost, celebration (Psalm 118:1-2).
Psalm 118:14-24 has long been used by the Christian Church as a part of the Easter message. These verses are included in the lectionary readings for Easter Sunday, in all years. The same verses are often sung in seasons of Communion in non-liturgical churches.
This is not without Biblical precedent. The Psalm itself is the last of the processional Psalms which were sung by pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem for the great Jewish feasts. There are echoes of the Passover, and anticipations of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Psalm 118:14 takes us back to the Song of Moses (Exodus 15:2). The more exact translation in both instances is: “The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.” These are the words of the Psalmist who had been undergoing some measure of persecution (e.g. Psalm 118:13).
They could also be the words of Jesus, who had found ‘all nations’ encompassing him with malice (Psalm 118:10-12). They are also words of praise for individual believers out of the midst of their own trials (cf. Isaiah 12:1-2).
The celebrating pilgrims hear the sound of rejoicing from within the City, represented as “the tents of the righteous” (Psalm 118:15). Hosannas (cf. Matthew 21:9) echo from the stones (cf. Luke 19:40). Voice answers to voice, both within and outside the Temple, with a triple reference to “The right hand of the Lord” (Psalm 118:15-16).
A lone voice rises above them all: “I shall not die but live” (Psalm 118:17). Are these the words of the Psalmist in his affliction, now being uttered by the leader of the procession on behalf of the pilgrim party; or are they words put into the mouth of the individual sufferer? Ultimately, they are the words of Jesus who, having been dead, yet lives to “declare the works of the LORD.”
Jesus has faced death, gone through death, and conquered death on behalf of us all (Psalm 118:18). Jesus was ‘crucified in weakness, but He lives in God’s power’ (2 Corinthians 13:4). We also live in the power of His resurrection – not only in the hereafter, but in the ‘now’ of our experience.
The leader of the pilgrims cries out to the gateman of the Temple: “Open to me the gates of righteousness…” (Psalm 118:19). Jesus is the forerunner, gone into heaven on our behalf (cf. Hebrews 6:20). We too may “enter the gates of righteousness and give thanks (praise) to the LORD.”
The reply comes from within: “This is the gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter” (Psalm 118:20). The righteous are those who have been rescued by the LORD: those who have been made ‘right with God through the Lord Jesus Christ’ (cf. Romans 5:1). It is Jesus who has ascended into heaven (Ephesians 4:8), and we in Him (Ephesians 2:6).
The lone voice is heard once more (Psalm 118:21). In effect - “Thank you, LORD, for hearing and answering my prayer: it is you who have saved me.” The sufferer acknowledges his deliverance; Jesus acknowledges the Father’s hand in overcoming death; and the repenting sinner embraces the full free salvation which is ours in Christ Jesus.
The use of this Psalm in Christian worship, and the association of these words with Jesus, is firmly underlined in Psalm 118:22-23, which is quoted extensively in the New Testament. The irony is that the One who was cast aside and left for dead, is the very One who holds the whole building together (Ephesians 2:20). “The stone which the builders rejected” who is made “head stone of the corner” is Jesus.
Jesus uses these words of Himself (Matthew 21:42). Peter argued for the resurrection from this text (Acts 4:10-12). It is the touchstone (no pun intended) which marks out the difference between those who believe, and the disobedient (1 Peter 2:6-8).
The morning I wrote this, I was meditating on Psalm 118:24. Afterwards I went out for a walk, and thought I heard someone say, ‘What a beautiful day’ – after which they added the words, “Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” If the day is beautiful, it is the Lord who has made it so.
If there ever was a moment when the Sabbath shifted from what we call Saturday to what we call Sunday, it was on what we call Easter Sunday. We are living in a new day: not just for 24 hours, but ever hereafter. Truly, this is cause for celebration.
(C) A WORD TO THE GOD-FEARING.
Acts 10:34-43.
Whilst meditating on a rooftop in Joppa, the Apostle Peter received a vision in which he was warned ‘not to call anything impure which God has cleansed’ (Acts 10:15). Meanwhile, in Herod’s seaport of Caesarea, a God-fearing Roman Centurion named Cornelius had received a vision in which God instructed him to send for the Apostle Peter, and ‘he shall tell you what it behoves you to do’ (Acts 10:6). When the Centurion’s messengers arrived, Peter, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, went with them (Acts 10:19-20).
This was a momentous moment in the life of the fledgling church, who in the person of one of their acknowledged leaders and his companions broke Jewish protocol, and went to the home of this Gentile, and openly received non-Jews into the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. The newly enlightened Peter was happy to accept the challenge of Cornelius, his family and friends, who were all gathered ‘before God to hear all things which you have been ordered by God’ (Acts 10:33).
Peter began, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons..." (Acts 10:34). In other words, God is without partiality: God accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right (Acts 10:35). Whatever your background, whatever your nationality, the gospel is for you.
God’s plan all along has been to gather from all nations, beginning with Abraham (cf. Genesis 12:3), ‘such as are being saved’ (cf. Acts 2:47). You know already, Peter told his God-fearing listeners, “the word which God sent to the children of Israel” (Acts 10:36-37). [‘These things did not happen in a corner,’ as the Apostle Paul would later add (cf. Acts 26:26).]
The content of the word, in general, was: -
(i) “preaching peace by Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36).
‘Peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ’ (cf. Romans 5:1) is of the essence of the gospel, as is the breaking down of the walls of partition between Jew and Gentile (cf. Ephesians 2:14). Reconciliation with God leads to reconciliation with one another (cf. Ephesians 2:16).
(ii) “He is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36) - not just of Israel.
This word was published throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee (cf. Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:15), after the baptism John preached (Acts 10:37). The author of Acts has already mentioned the baptism of Jesus in his Gospel (cf. Luke 3:21).
From here, Peter’s sermon is a retelling of the gospel story, of which Peter and his companions were witnesses “both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem” (Acts 10:39). It sounds almost like the recitation of a Creed: -
1. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the power of the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:38; cf. Luke 3:22).
2. Jesus went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil: for God was with Him (Acts 10:38).
3. Him they slew and hanged on a “tree” (Acts 10:39). Thereby He took upon Himself the curse which we deserve (cf. Galatians 3:13).
4. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly (Acts 10:40).
5. He was shown, alive after He had been dead, not to everyone, but to witnesses chosen before by God. Peter could also add, “we ate and drank with Him” (Acts 10:41). This was a proof that He was indeed alive.
6. “He commanded us also to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained to be judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42).
7. “To Him all the prophets gave witness” (Acts 10:43; cf. Luke 24:26-27; Luke 24:44-45).
8. “Through His name whoever believes on Him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).
While Peter yet spoke, the Holy Ghost fell upon his hearers (Acts 10:44). They spoke in tongues (Acts 10:46) - symbolising thereby the eradication of the language barriers which could so easily hinder the spread of the Gospel to the nations. Having received the Holy Spirit, there was nothing to prevent them from being baptised (Acts 10:47-48).
Peter went back to Jerusalem with his report, and was accused of eating with Gentiles (Acts 11:3). This was of course true. However, once Peter had explained his actions to the brethren, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, ‘Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life’ (Acts 11:18).
This was the Gentile Pentecost.
(D) A PROCLAMATION TO BE BELIEVED.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11.
Sometimes it is necessary for Christian people to get back to the basics of their faith, to remind themselves what they are about. Here in 1 Corinthians, Paul is not teaching his readers something new, but reviewing that which he taught them from the very beginning (1 Corinthians 15:1). Perhaps now, as much as at any other time, the Church needs to remind herself of the fundamental truths of the gospel.
Paul does not deny that the majority of the congregation are still standing in the truth (1 Corinthians 15:1), but he still exhorts them to “hold fast” (1 Corinthians 15:2). We need to reiterate, from time to time: “This is the faith of the Church. This is our faith, and so we believe and trust.”
The gospel which Paul preached was no different from that of the other Apostles, nor was it any different from that which the Church had received. The good news is that Christ has died (1 Corinthians 15:3), Christ is risen (1 Corinthians 15:4), and that Christ will come again (1 Corinthians 15:23). All this was in fulfilment of the Scriptures.
The death of Jesus is foreseen in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. His resurrection is foretold in Psalm 16:10, and in the typological accounts of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22), and Jonah and the big fish. Our resurrection upon the Lord's return is anticipated in Job 19:25-27.
The evidence in favour of Jesus' resurrection is overwhelming. He was seen by Peter and “the twelve”; by five hundred of His followers at once (most of whom were still living when Paul wrote, and others who had “fallen asleep” and were no doubt awaiting their own resurrection); by James the brother of Jesus (who no doubt needed some convincing); then by the apostles again; and then by Paul himself “as one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). In any court of law a matter is established by two or three witnesses, but some of these people had not even believed it themselves, but now were willing to suffer for the truth of it (1 Corinthians 15:30).
The testimony is unanimous. Whether the other Apostles proclaimed it, or Paul himself, so they preached, and so the Church believed (1 Corinthians 15:11).
(E) THE EMPTY TOMB.
John 20:1-18.
While Jesus’ enemies had been busying themselves setting a watch over His tomb, the disciples had been sitting quietly at home, keeping the Sabbath. At first dawn Mary Magdalene - and some other women - came to the sepulchre, and found the stone had been rolled away (John 20:1)! Jumping to an immediate conclusion, Mary left the other women to make their own discoveries. She ran immediately to tell Simon Peter (who had run away while she kept vigil at the Cross); and John (who had been there to the bitter end, and with whom Mary the mother of Jesus now resided).
“They have taken away the Lord!” she exclaimed. (She does not say who she thinks “they” are.) “And we (plural) don’t know where they have laid Him” (John 20:2)! (Notice she is still talking about “the Lord” and “Him” - not ‘the body’ or ‘it’).
The boys set off on a footrace (John 20:3-4), leaving Mary to return to the tomb at her own pace. The Lord’s mother probably remained still in the house.
Arriving first at the sepulchre, John looked into the tomb and saw the linen clothes lying (John 20:4-5) - but he did not enter. Peter arrived and immediately went into the sepulchre, and noted the arrangement of the clothes (John 20:6-7). Then John went in, and “seeing he believed” (John 20:8) - although just what he was believing at this stage he was not so sure (John 20:9).
After the boys had gone home (John 20:10), we catch up with Mary again outside the tomb, weeping - and then peeping inside (John 20:11). Mary saw two angels, and how they were arranged - one where Jesus’ head had been, and one where His feet had been (John 20:12). Mary, in her grief, saw no significance in this.
After their tender enquiry concerning her tears, Mary repeated the conclusion she had drawn, but now speaks possessively and singularly of “my Lord” and “I” (John 20:13).
Something made her turn back (John 20:14)! Was it the demeanour of the angels - a change in posture, or a look of recognition as the Lord (whom she sought) came up behind her? Or perhaps a shadow, or a sound? We do not know.
Or did she perhaps sense His Presence? Not perhaps as the Friend she had known, but as a servant to her single obsession: that of finding her Lord. I wonder how many times the Lord draws near to us, and we do not know it - and rather than serving Him, we want to manipulate Him into our service!
Jesus repeated the question that the angels had asked, adding, “Whom do you seek?” She presumed He was the gardener, and questioned Him accordingly, fully intending to take charge of the body herself (John 20:15). Yet still, for her, the body was “Him.”
Then Jesus pronounced her name: “Mary” (John 20:16). ‘He calls His own by name, and they know His voice’ (John 10:3-4). At last she recognised His voice.
Again we are told she “turned” - perhaps adjusting her position in relation to Him. The greatest turning, the greatest adjustment for any of us comes with the recognition of His call - not His death, not the empty tomb, not encountering Him as a stranger - but recognising Him, as Mary now began to do, as our very own ‘Teacher!’
“Touch me not,” said Jesus (John 20:17). Or rather, ‘Do not keep on holding on to me’ - as if my bodily Presence was all - “for I am not yet ascended to my Father.” Now - “go and tell my brethren” (the same brethren who all but one abandoned Him!)
The message which Mary was commissioned to share was that of Jesus’ soon-coming ascension - to “my Father,” He told her to tell the disciples, and “your Father.” (Same Father, but His by eternal generation, and theirs by regeneration.)
“My God, and your God” has echoes of Ruth 1:16, which is well worth reading again at this point. The disciples might eventually remember that Jesus was ‘going to prepare a place for’ them (John 14:2-3).
Mary obeyed her commission, and “went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord” (John 20:18), and what He had said to her. For John, for the purposes of this part of his account, three witnesses are enough. The beloved disciple is content to record the varying reactions to the empty tomb of one of the women, himself, and one other man.
(F) HE IS RISEN!
Mark 16:1-8.
There was a touching scene in Bethany, at the house of Simon the Leper, when an un-named woman broke open an alabaster box of precious ointment, and poured it over Jesus’ head. The living Lord Jesus recognised this beautiful extravagance as an anointing prior to His burial (Mark 14:8).
It fell to other women to anoint His body after His burial – or so they thought (Mark 16:1).
Most of Jesus’ disciples had fled. Mark is thought to have been amongst them - if he was indeed the ‘young man’ who ran away, stripped of his faith and all (Mark 14:51-52).
This particular word for “young man” is used again in this Gospel to describe the messenger from God who was sitting, clothed, on the right side of the empty tomb (Mark 16:5).
This account is very much about the women. In the first scene, they were “afar off” (Mark 15:40), attentive to all that was happening; in the second scene they take centre stage (Mark 16:1).
Yet the main character remains – Jesus:
(1) His body, His corpse (Mark 15:45). Jesus was surely dead, and certified so by the authorities.
(2) His risen body, as evidenced by the empty “place where they laid Him” (Mark 16:6) - “they” being not only Joseph, but also Nicodemus, who had also proclaimed his faith by his actions at this time (John 19:39).
The women remained faithful throughout, despite their fear (Mark 16:5; Mark 16:8).
They were perhaps on auto-pilot when they set out for the tomb early on Sunday morning: only to be suddenly struck by the fact that there had been a great stone rolled over the mouth of the sepulchre (Mark 15:46).
Who was going to move it for them (Mark 16:3)? However, faith persisted - and they did not turn back.
How about our faith? Fear will raise its ugly head, but perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Can we perform our duty to God faithfully, in love for Him, regardless of the obstacles that we may or may not encounter?
The young man spoke as angels do: “fear not” (Mark 16:6).
Then he presented the visible evidence of the resurrection, before giving the women a message to convey to the disciples – and to Peter (Mark 16:7), who had so horribly blotted his copy-book.
All during His ministry, or so it seemed until near the end, Jesus had counselled caution in the proclamation of what He was doing. So, on their way to deliver their message, the women said nothing to anyone (Mark 16:8).
The sequel, in all four Gospels, indicates that such momentous news as the resurrection cannot be held secret for long.
The Word of the day is, “He is risen” (Mark 16:6).
Now is the time to proclaim it, to the ends of the earth: ‘He is risen indeed!’
