YES! He Lives! Jesus Has Risen!
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God through which the Holy Spirit kindles Easter joy in our hearts is the account of Jesus’ resurrection recorded in Mark 16
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said, “you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ’He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” (Mark 16:1-8 NIV).
This is the the word of our Lord.
Dear friends who celebrate our Savior’s return to life,
As I watched the news coverage of the war in Iraq unfold three and half weeks ago, it was like riding an emotional roller coaster. Sometimes the news seemed good; sometimes pessimism filled the report. From moment to moment our perception of the situation changed. I can’t even imagine the roller coaster ridden by those who had loved ones on the front lines. Now as hostilities quiet down, we can look back at the war with calmer emotions.
Sometimes, I think, the same thing happens with Easter. We were not personally there for the events that enfolded nearly 2000 years ago. It’s tempting to look back on those events with our emotions disengaged. Although that can be good when evaluating a war, it is not good to evaluate Easter simply from an intellectual point of view. Our faith in the risen Jesus involves our heart and soul as well as our mind.
So walk with those woman on the first Easter morning, put yourself on their roller coaster. Your Savior is dead. Your hopes and dreams shattered. You have nothing left but to care for his dead body one last time before it decays. But the grave is open. He is not there. An angels says, “He has risen!” Could it be true? Bewilderment and fear overcome them. It’s too shocking and amazing to be true. But it is true. Yes! He lives. Jesus has risen!
That’s the truth which rings in our hearts today and sets our emotions ablaze. Yes! He lives! Jesus has risen! That’s the theme today: Yes! He lives! Jesus has risen! Why does that set our hearts ringing? Because he has conquered death and we, too, our conquerors through him.
1) Jesus has conquered death
Jesus certainly had died. Think of the events of that first Good Friday. We have the testimony of Scripture that says, “he gave up his spirit” (Matthew 27:50). The Roman soldiers, who knew what death looked like, made sure he was dead, piercing his side with a spear. An eyewitness testifies that blood and water flowed it, clearly showing his death (John 19:35). No doubt about. Jesus of Nazareth had certainly died.
But this same Jesus of Nazareth, the same Jesus that was crucified, the same Jesus who had died, is alive. He has risen. A holy angel (and remember that angel means “messenger;” an angel is a messenger from God), a holy angel announces God’s message. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!” Yes! He lives. He has risen.
Since Jesus truly did die and since he really has reason, we can draw only one conclusion: Jesus has conquered death.
How did that come about? To answer that, we need to see the connection between death and sin. Just as a stinger makes a bee dangerous and fearful. Our sin gives death its power to hurt and destroy. The service on Good Friday drove home just how deadly our sin is as we saw our Savior suffering and dying because of what we’ve done.
The only way for us to rightly understand and truly believe what Easter is all about is if we first of all see how serious and deadly each and every one of our sins is. Take amount to reflect on your sins this past week. Your neglect of God’s Word or laziness in prayer. Your worries that questioned God’s promises. Your doubts that led you to make choices and decision centered around what seemed best for you instead of being focused on glorify Jesus. Our sins give death the power to take us to hell where we suffer God’s anger for eternity.
In his suffering Jesus carried the hellish punishment of our sins. With his blood Jesus washed away the stain of our sins. By his death Jesus took away all our sins. You might say, he removed the stinger from the bee, by letting the bee sting him instead of us.
With the stinger of sin gone, death is powerless. Jesus, by rising from the dead, showed how powerless death is. Jesus has conquered death by paying for all sins. We can say with the Apostle Paul, “’Death has been swallowed up in victory’ ’Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57 NIV) Jesus has conquered death. Remember how Isaiah pictured it in the First Lesson today (Isaiah 25:6-9)? Jesus destroyed the shroud of death that enfolds all people. He has swallowed up death forever.
Believe it. Let this Good News resound in your hearts. It’s not biased reporting; it’s not government propaganda. It is the truth. God himself tells us in his Word. His holy messengers, the angels, announce it. Hundred’s of eye witness see the risen Jesus. His disciples touch him and talk to him. Yes! He lives! He has risen. He has conquered death.
2) Through Jesus, we, too, are conquerors
Through Jesus, we, too, are conquerors. For all who believe in Jesus as their risen Savior who has freely and fully paid for all their sins, death no longer brings them to the suffering of hell. Rather for Jesus’ believers death is now the doorway into the victory banquet of heaven.
And yet so often, I think, we fail to appreciate the great victory over death that Jesus has won for us. Our hearts fail to fire up with joy at this great victory that is our through faith, because we fail to realize what a great enemy death is.
So often today, we are insulated from death of any kind. Years ago death was much more a part of daily life. Many died at a younger age. Sometimes visitations were held in homes. Or just think of the daily life on the farm, when animals were killed and butchered right there.
In our modern times where people usually die in nursing homes or hospital, where funeral are handled by professionals and become a celebration of someone’s life, it’s easier for us to ignore the reality of death. But that does not change what death is. That does not change what a great victory Jesus won for you. Through faith in him, you, too, are conquerors. For you, who believe in the risen Jesus, you will not die, even though your body may die, you will live with Jesus forever, and your body will be raised and glorified to live with Jesus when he comes again on the Last Day.
The more you and I can see our victory over death in Christ Jesus, the more we can see that through Jesus we are conqueror in whatever other problems we face.
On that first Easter, those woman were concerned about the problem of rolling away the stone. Jesus resurrection solved that minor problem, didn’t it? What the stones that need to be rolled away in your life. Do you have problems at school or or with friends or in relationships? Do you have family tensions or financial difficulties? Do you face health worries or personal problems that make it hard for you to be be happy. Whatever stone or problem seems to be blocking your way, Jesus’ resurrection removes it. For since the risen Jesus can and has taken care of our greatest problem, eternal death in hell, he can certainly take care of all the other problems you and I face.
“But how, Pastor, I just don’t see what Jesus rising from the dead has to do with my day to day problems?” I understand that question. I struggle with it too. Without my glasses, I’m near-sighted. I can’t clearly see anything farther than half-a-foot away. All too often I look at my problems without my glasses. I can’t see how Jesus can help.
Does that mean that Jesus has failed? Not at all! That only means that I have failed to fully value all that my risen Savior has done for me. I need to put on the glasses of God’s Word. I need to dig more deeply into his Word. I need to wrestle with him in prayer. I need to regularly read and hear that Word. Then as the Holy Spirit waters my faith through the Word, I will grow more and more to see how the risen Jesus truly is the answer to all my problems. Keep your faith well-watered with God’s Word, so that you too continue to grow to see that the risen Jesus is the answer to all your problems as well. Through him, you, too, are a conqueror.
Think about how the risen Jesus is the answer to all our problems as we sing the hymn “I Know that My Redeemer Lives,” in a little while. That hymns reminds us of many ways our problems are solved because he lives.
Easter is often a highpoint on the roller coaster of the Christian’s life. The festive music and the cheerful news stirs our emotions and causes our hearts to ring with joy. And rightly so. But all too often, in the weeks after Easter, the roller coaster takes a steep dive. That should not be. For you see Jesus is risen not just for a day, but forever. He is our ever-living head. Each Sunday is a celebration of our risen Savior. Keep the Easter Good News ringing in your hearts and shining in your lives. Yes! He lives! He has risen!
