EASTER SUNDAY PSALM 30:1-5,11-12
The Kingdom Of Heaven MATTHEW 27:57-28:10
“A NEW DAY HAS DAWNED!”
Matthew begins his resurrection account by informing us when it all went down: “Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary and Mary went to the tomb.” (Matthew 28:1)
The words give me pause. I'm not an early morning guy. If Jesus had been anything like me, and thank goodness he wasn't, the conversation between him and his father might've been:
“Alright, Jesus, my boy – time to rise and shine!”
“Aww - man! Just ten more minutes, Dad!” – “You resurrect this minute, young man!
I'm prone to insomnia so I rarely see the new day dawning. I remember one night in college my roommate nudging me and saying, “There's no easy way to say this, but longterm lack of sleep can cause a variety of health problems – even brain damage!”
I opened an eye and shot back: “You woke me up to tell me that?!”
Eventually I went in to see my doctor about it. You know what he told me? “Insomnia is very common. Try not to lose any sleep over it.” Thanks doc. “No problem. I do have something that should help, though. It's a gag. It may not help you but I'm sure your wife will sleep better.”
So reassuring. Actually, that's what the angel provides. It seems God sent him on a threefold assignment – to roll away the stone, to reassure the women and to deliver a message: “After there was a great earthquake, an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning...and the guards fainted in fear. Then he spoke to the women: Don't be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.” (Matthew 28:2-5)
The angel tells them that God understands. He knows what they're thinking, what they're doing, just as he does with each one of us. One of the things that moves me about the near-death experiences in John Burke's Imagine Heaven, is that these people talk about how God knew everything about them, and yet still loved them. The angel reassures them & us: God knows all about you and still loves you.
Some might wonder why Jesus didn't roll the stone away himself. Why did he need an angel to help him do that? Actually, he didn't. The gospels tell us that once risen Jesus was able to enter rooms behind locked doors and to appear and disappear at will. The angel didn't roll the stone away to let him out of the tomb, but rather to let his disciples in! To drive home the point, the angel sits atop the stone like a kid who's just won King of the Mountain, or like an usher, inviting them in!
So it is that God sent the angel to deliver a message – a five part message, starting with: Don't be afraid.! God knew that they were at risk of letting their fear get the best of them. After all, look how fear impacted Jesus' other friends. Filled with fear one of them denied knowing Jesus, another betrayed him into the hands of his enemies, and they all, without exception, abandoned him.
The women had even more to fear. They watched as the tomb was blocked with a huge stone, sealed with a Roman seal, and an armed guard posted. The only way they'd gain access would be by begging those who'd crucified Jesus to break that seal, an act that would've made them liable to severe discipline by their superiors. Not happening! What's more, the day started with an earthquake – an aftershock of the one so strong it ripped the temple curtain in two and opened tombs all over the city!
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A recent research report revealed that “Fear can interrupt processes in our brains that allow us to regulate emotions, read non-verbal cues and other information presented to us, inhibiting even our ability to act ethically and morally. This impacts our thinking and decision-making in negative ways, leaving us susceptible to intense emotions and impulsive reactions...”
(2023 U.S. News Report)
The women stand trembling outside the tomb,unsettled by earthquakes & Roman guards, facing the reality of death as they see and smell the open tomb, hearts quivering at the sight of this celestrial being whose persona is so terrifying that these trained, seasoned Roman guards simply pass out!
The angel's first message then is this: “Do not be afraid.” (Matthew 28:5) The women at the tomb will not be the last to struggle with giving in to fear. We all have our moments, whether that be due to a loss of income, property, security, health, or the loss of a loved one. Such moments are sure to come our way. The angel's five part message has lasting implications, not only for Jesus' first disciples, but for us today. The most repeated command in scripture, is articulated by the Easter angel, and then later repeated by Jesus himself: “Do not be afraid!” (Matthew 28:5, 10) “I got this!”
I read of two couples who went up in a hot air balloon. Fear gripped them as tightly as they gripped the human size basket they found themselves in. To calm their nerves the pastor asked the pilot how long he'd been taking people up. “Oh, you're the first dude.” 'Well, what were you doing before?' “I was a taxi driver but I crashed the car and lost my license.” The other passenger snapped: 'For God's sake, you're a preacher – Interveine! Do something religious!' So he did. He took an offering.
The angel's first message is a kind of intervention. Being fearful can blind our eyes to how God wants to use those challenging moments to grant us fresh vision. The angel's intervention is based on his second message, which is one of information. The women are informed of the reason why they need not fear. The angel tells them matter of factly: “He's not here!” (Matthew 28:6)
The angel is telling them, 'Your friend, Jesus, is somewhere out there, he just isn't here!' In short, you don't look for the Lord of the Dance in a cemetary, but on the dance floor!
He's not here in a tomb because no crypt can ever confine him! So let go of your fear and cling to him, knowing that not even death can undo what God has begun around and within you. And that's exactly what they do! When they ran from the tomb, “Jesus met them and greeted them, and they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshipped him!” (Matthew 28:9)
It's what we do. When we realize that all the good things in life give rise to praise, and all the hard things in life, when we're at a loss and feeling helpless, are puddy in Jesus' hands, it's at times like those that we experience the power of God, his heart to redeem and renew us, giving rise to more praise! The angel must've been beaming when he told them why they needn't fear: “He's not here!” (Matthew 28:6)
But he's not finished. He's just warming up, because the third part of his message comes in the form of an amazing and all too familiar invitation. Smiling with delight, he says: “Come and see!”
(Matthew 28:6)
The women look at each other. That's exactly what Jesus said when he invited his first disciples to join him on the adventure of a life time. When they asked him, “'Teacher, where are you staying?', he answered them, 'Come and see!'” (John 1:38-39) And where is he staying now? Not here, that's for sure! Come in and see for yourself. “Come and see where his body was lying!” (Matthew 28:6)
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Come and see the burial cloths lying empty and the burial cloth that had covered his head, lying folded to the side and let your fear and grief morph into an unbridaled joy. Come and see!
The invitation has been passed down through the ages now to you. Some find the evidence in Scripture, as it comes alive and the truth grabs hold of them. Some find evidence in the testimony of those whose lives have come alive out of the ashes of their fallen past. And some find the evidence as they are healed, or filled with the Holy Spirit themselves. As the Apostle Paul gives witness: “The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you; and just as God raised Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living in you!” (Romans 8:11)
One of the most moving elements of Matthew's account is how the women's fear abruptly turns to great joy. “They were frightened but also filled with great joy as they rushed to give the disciples the angel's message.” (Matthew 28:8) It echoes the promise we heard articulated in David's psalm: “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning. You have turned my grief into joyful dancing...that I might sing praises to you and not be silent!” (Psalm 30:5,11-12)
The two Mary's make me think of two Jills. Jill Reuther exhibits such joy even though life continues to be a roller coaster for her. Even in the passing of her son, God gave her supernatural peace, which became the source of even greater joy. And then there's Jill who has recently returned to us, whose eyes absolutely shine with joy during worship and whenever she shares her faith!
Could you use a little more joy in your life? Would you like to taste and see that God is good in fresh and fun ways with others seeking the same? Care for a little soul refreshment and the opportunity to explore anew the reality of the resurrection? Join us for our new, eight-week course, “Living Your Faith Joyfully!”, starting two weeks from tomorrow, Monday, May 5th, at 6:45 pm.
But the angel at the tomb is'n't finished. Once the women have looked in and discovered for themselves the reality of Jesus' resurrection the angel delivers Jesus' commission to all those who have come to see and embrace the Good News. He tells them: “Go quickly and tell the others...!”
(Matthew 28:7)
They're privy to the breaking news of the millienium – and it's hot off the press! Two things about this grabbed my attention. One: They're sent first to Jesus' disciples, a group of men you'd think would leap into action at the news. But the gospels inform us that only Peter and John respond by getting up early out of their comfy beds and heading to investigate for themselves. Only 18 % of those the women tell initially respond with any curiosity or enthusiasm. That, strangely enough, should serve as encouragement to us. The testimony of those reticent ones would one day change the world!
And two, note the angel's urgency. The angel tells them to go quickly. They're not to waste any time. The urgency was impressed anew upon us this past year. We were heading down # 101 to cele-brate our anniversary when we the came upon a long line of cars. There had been a fatal accident caused when someone pulled out from a hidden side road on to the highway. Minutes earlier I'd hit the brakes when someone pulled out in front of us also from a hidden driveway. That could've been us!
The experience reminded me of the urgency of our calling. Not just of our lives, but of those around us who either don't know and trust in Jesus as their savior or are living as though they've got all the time in the world. But they don't, any more than we do. No wonder the angel told Mary and Mary to go quickly. The clock is ticking. And they got it. They ran so fast they almost ran over Jesus....!
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No doubt their sense of urgency made their witness and invitation all the more compelling. So vital was their being sent to tell the others that Jesus repeats it once he's dusted himself off: “Don't be afraid! Go tell my siblings....that they will see me (too)!” (Matt 28:10) There's no time to waste! I think of Ann Louise and Marsi, and of their encounters with Jesus thru his Spirit, that gave them a sense of urgency...., and renewed purpose. Eventually, time ran out to share....as it will for all of us.
The angel's fifth part of his message is that of recollection. He tells the women: “Remember what I have told you.” (Matthew 28:7) Now why do you suppose he told them that?
I think it's because we're all prone to spiritual amnesia. Though we may have come to believe in Jesus' divinity we're prone to forget his focus on community, that God himself is community as Father, Son and Holy Spirit and as such relates to us in community. We're prone to forget that Jesus has called us to love one another, to love even those who are opposed to us, or we them. We're prone to forget that Jesus came not for those who think they're righteous but who know they're sinners and desperately lost without him. We're prone to forget the power within us as bearers of his Spirit.
And so we're urged to remember what we've been shown and taught. No wonder Jesus left us with a gift by which to remember the power of the cross to redeem us, saying in effect, “Every time you eat of this bread and drink from this cup, do this to remember me, and all I've shown you!”
(1 Corinthians 11:24-25)
A new day is dawning! Jesus resurrection changes everything! We need no longer fear death, God's power is visible in resurrected lves – past, present and futuree! God, who knows us, is giving our lives new meaning and purpose! This shakees the old world to the core, the world of might makes right falters in the face of Jesus' heavenly kingdom where God's love and grace make things right!
“Don't be afraid; He isn't (in a tomb)!”, but has broken out to heal those broken within! He invites you to “Come and see” for yourself how real and truly alive he is, and then to “Go quickly and tell the others”, to pass on the invitation..., “and Remember” what he has taught and shown you!
Because Jesus lives, you can live joyfully, lovingly as never before! A new day is dawning! Jesus has risen from the dead!