Alright, well, it's Resurrection Sunday.
We've been celebrating what happened long ago that day in song.
We heard the story read, and we want to take some time just to think about what this means for us this morning.
So if you have your Bible, you can open it up to Matthew 28, verse 1.
We're going to be looking at the story from Matthew's Gospel where we heard from earlier.
Matthew 28, verse 1.
And as we come to that wonderful Resurrection Sunday morning, we can't help but remember what's led up to this moment.
And yet, where do we even start?
This is all part of a greater story, the story of Jesus.
And that's even part of an even bigger story, the story of our world, the story of God.
But let's remember for a moment what happened just the week leading up to all this.
Jesus has come into Jerusalem.
Jesus, the great miracle worker.
Jesus, the healer.
Jesus, the one who has been teaching massive crowds and with such authority.
He's come riding into Jerusalem just a week before all this to shouts of Hosanna.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Blessed is the King of Israel.
It's been a week of excitement and anticipation.
Just over three years before all this, almost nobody knew who this man was.
And now here he comes riding into the capital city of Israel in the manner of a king.
With a massive crowd of people all around him.
And people have gathered from all over to mark the Passover celebration here in Jerusalem.
And the spotlight, the attention of everyone is on this man, Jesus.
Up until now, he's been a highly polarizing figure.
And it seems that every time Jesus has come up to Jerusalem for another festival in the years leading up to this,
all kinds of exciting things have been happening.
There's been healings.
He's done signs, miracles.
There's been heated debate between this rabbi who hails from Galilee and the Jewish religious leaders.
And for some time now, Jesus has come to be on the wanted list of the religious leaders.
And many in Jerusalem know it.
Many people believe that Jesus is the King, the Messiah, the Christ that God promised long ago.
And if not that, they believe he's a prophet.
Even some believe he's the ultimate prophet sent from God.
But at the same time, many do not believe this about Jesus.
Some think of him as a great trickster, a deceiver, or even a crazy person.
And all week long, Jesus has been going to the temple courts and teaching the people.
And the crowd there has been hanging on his every word.
The religious leaders have been doing everything that they can to challenge him,
to discredit him, to humiliate him, to trick him or trap him in his words.
But nothing has worked.
And then, eventually, finally, the evening of the Jewish Passover came.
And Jesus came to celebrate the Passover with his disciples.
That very night, under the cover of darkness,
Judas led a group of men out to where Jesus was.
And they arrested Jesus and his disciples scattered.
Jesus was put through a couple sham trials.
He was falsely accused.
He was beaten.
He was mocked.
He was handed over to Pilate, the Roman governor, the next day.
The religious leaders stirred up the people in Jerusalem to demand Jesus' execution,
even though he was found innocent by Pilate.
And Pilate wanted to calm the crowd.
So he handed Jesus over to be crucified.
Jesus was nailed to a cross and left to die.
After Jesus had been executed, a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Jewish council,
he went and got permission to take Jesus' body down from the cross and bury it.
So he prepared the body and he buried Jesus in his own new tomb.
He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance.
And then the chief priests and the Pharisees went and got permission from Pilate to secure the tomb.
They put a seal on it and they posted a guard at the entrance.
They wanted to ensure that Jesus' body remained undisturbed.
They remembered what Jesus had said while he was teaching,
that he would be killed and then be raised on the third day.
And they didn't want to take any chances, so they put a few extra measures in place.
Let's read what happened next from Matthew 28, 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.
These two women loved Jesus.
They were some of the many close followers of Jesus.
Why would they go back to his tomb?
We don't know their exact thoughts,
but we know that they loved Jesus deeply and that they believed in him.
Everything that had just happened to Jesus was probably very fresh in their minds,
playing over and over again like a horrific nightmare.
The shouts of the crowd,
Jesus' appearance after his beatings,
the cries of pain as the nails were pounded in,
the utter shame and humiliation of it all
as he hung there, dying in agony on the cross,
the taunts and the mocking of those who passed by and saw him,
and even his words which he spoke in those last hours and moments before he died.
Even though they had seen him buried,
these women were probably still going through the full range of emotions.
Grief,
shock,
anger,
deep loss.
They were mourning.
Mark tells us that they had bought some spices so that they might go and anoint Jesus' body.
Matthew here tells us simply that they went to see the tomb.
And they went early in the morning,
at dawn.
verse 2.
There was a violent earthquake,
for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven.
And going to the tomb,
he 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.
Can you imagine this moment for the women?
Their hearts must have been pounding.
Their eyes must have been wide as can be.
Matthew says there was a violent earthquake,
a great earthquake.
Not just a little rumble in the ground,
but a great earthquake.
And the cause of this earthquake was the angel.
For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven.
Or because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven.
This is where some of those superhero movies are so helpful to my imagination.
You know those superheroes that fly,
and sometimes they just make their entrance,
they come shooting down from the sky,
and the ground beneath their feet crumbles,
and it sends a tremor out in all directions.
I imagine it may be something like that.
This meteorite streaking down from the heavens
and impacting the earth.
What an awesome thing it would have been to see.
They felt the ground shake,
and as they approach the tomb,
they find that the stone has been rolled away,
and they see this angel.
They describe his appearance as like lightning,
which probably means that he was nearly blinding in his appearance,
so bright that their eyes could barely take him in.
His clothes, white as snow,
purest white that they'd ever seen.
And the women weren't the only ones who saw the angel.
The guards witnessed all this too.
Matthew says in verse 4,
The guards were so afraid of him
that they shook or trembled
and became like dead men.
You can just imagine them
terrified, in shock,
their hands shaking,
utterly paralyzed with fear,
unable to move a muscle
in the presence of this awesome angelic being.
And then,
verse 5,
the angel speaks
to these women.
The angel said to the women,
Do not be afraid,
for I know that you are looking for Jesus
who was crucified.
The first thing he tells them is,
Do not be afraid.
Probably the women in that moment
felt a lot like the guards felt in that moment.
But the angel assures them,
You guys are in no danger.
And then the angel tells them
that he knows why they have come.
You're looking for Jesus.
You're looking for the one who is crucified.
You won't find him here,
says the angel.
He is not here.
He is risen.
We can only imagine
the shock of the women
as they try to process all of this.
Like,
What is,
what's happening here?
What are you saying?
What do you mean he's not here?
We saw him laid right there
in the tomb.
He is risen?
What do you mean he's risen?
Like,
risen to heaven,
or
risen back to life
and walking around?
I don't know what they were thinking.
But I know that if I had been there,
I would have had all kinds of questions
just swirling through my mind
in that moment.
My emotions would probably
just be all over the place,
looking for a place to land.
How do I respond to all this?
The angel says,
Come,
and see the place
where he lay.
Take a good look in here.
You'll see.
He's not here.
And then,
the angel gives them
an assignment.
Verse 7.
Says,
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.
At this point,
it becomes,
it should be clear
to the women
what kind of risen
the angel is talking about.
The angel says it right there.
Risen from the dead.
Kind of risen.
Like,
you and the disciples
are going to see him
walking around
bodily,
over in Galilee.
Kind of risen.
This isn't just
a spiritual resurrection.
This is a human body
back to life
kind of resurrection.
Go,
tell his disciples
that he's alive.
Verse 8.
So the women
hurried away
from the tomb,
afraid,
yet filled with joy,
and ran
to tell his disciples.
This translation
is probably
a little bit flat.
More literally.
And departing
quickly
from the tomb
with fear
and great joy,
they ran
to report
or announce
to his disciples.
Can you feel
the intensity
of this moment
for these women?
Matthew says
they ran.
And you have to know
that this wasn't
just your plain
Jane Joggers
run in the morning
kind of run.
No,
they ran,
it says,
with fear
and
great joy.
Probably the adrenaline
was still coursing
through their veins
from everything
that they just experienced
and just,
you know,
giving them
this explosive energy.
But it wasn't
all from fear.
It was also
from great joy.
Our Lord
is alive.
I can scarcely
imagine
what it must have
felt like.
But can you
imagine them
running?
There they are
running
excitedly
and then
verse 9.
Suddenly,
Jesus
met them.
Greetings,
he said.
This is a terrible
English translation.
In English,
the word greetings
is one of the most
formal greetings.
It's kind of a
subdued way
of saying hello.
It's like
the thing you would say
when you step up
to the podium
to make a speech.
in front of an audience.
No,
that's not right.
The word he uses
in even one of the
latest translations
of the Bible
puts it in there
right like this.
The word he uses
is actually,
literally,
rejoice.
And that
actually was
a common greeting
back then.
Not unlike
what we might mean
when we say
good morning to you,
a joyful day to you,
a happy day to you.
Rejoice.
But of course
we know that
in this moment,
this reunion
between Jesus
and these Marys,
Jesus probably
means this greeting
to the fullest
possible extent.
Rejoice.
This is a very
happy to see you
moment.
A reunion
of reunions.
Rejoice,
he said.
They came to him,
clasped his feet,
and worshipped him.
I love this.
They just
grab a hold
of his feet
and they won't
let go.
And they worshipped
him.
Very strong word.
They give him
praise
and glory.
Verse 10.
Then Jesus
said to them,
do not be afraid.
Go and tell
my brothers
to go to Galilee.
There
they will see me.
As I was
reflecting on
this week,
something in this
little phrase
just touched me
and it was the way
Jesus referred
to the other
disciples.
My brothers,
go and tell
my brothers.
this is Jesus
here,
the resurrected
king,
the Messiah,
the son of God,
God in human
flesh,
and the women
know their
rightful place
is at his feet
worshipping.
And yet,
how does he
refer to his
disciples?
My brothers.
I love that.
If I were
Peter
or any of the
other disciples
who had deserted
him that night,
I'm thinking,
I'm not worthy
to be called
your brother.
I'm not worthy
to be treated
as a brother,
as family.
You're our king.
You're the son
of God.
How can you
call me a
brother?
Yet,
that's what Jesus
refers to them
as,
my brothers.
And he doesn't
overstate the
truth of their
relationship.
What a joyful
and happy day
this was.
Jesus.
And this
that we've
just read
is just
the beginning
of the story.
Luke has
more to say.
John has
more to say
about all
that Jesus
did and
said after
he was raised
from the dead
up until the
time that he
was taken
into heaven.
This is the
story of
Resurrection
Sunday.
today.
Now,
what does
it mean
for us?
Well,
there's so
much to
say here
and I
don't think
I'm overstating
it to say
that Jesus
being raised
from the
dead means
everything
for us.
Where do we
even start?
The Apostle
Paul told the
Corinthians that
Jesus being
raised from
the dead is
so crucial.
It's so
critical that
if he hadn't
been raised
from the dead
we'd all be
lost.
we'd be
utterly hopeless.
We'd still
have our
guilt and
we'd be
stuck in
it forever.
We'd be
facing the
final judgment
of God
for our
sins with
no hope,
no pardon.
That Christ
was raised
from the
dead is
God's
declaration
that the
sacrifice
Jesus
offered was
accepted.
Mission
accomplished.
You and
I,
can be
forgiven,
were
forgiven.
Paul says
it like
this to
the church
at Rome.
Jesus
was delivered
over to
death for
our sins.
This is
Romans 4.25
and was
raised to
life for
our
justification.
In other
words,
he was
raised to
life to
secure our
right standing
with God
in the
courts of
heaven.
That's what
his
resurrection
brings about
for us.
Jesus'
resurrection
means
everything
for us.
It means
that Jesus
was not
a false
prophet.
He predicted
his death
and his
resurrection
three days
later,
and exactly
what he
said
came true.
More than
that,
it means
that everything
Jesus said
was true.
Jesus
claimed to
be from
heaven.
He claimed
to be sent
from God.
God.
He claimed
to speak
to the
people
God's
very
words.
And so
the
resurrection
is the
ultimate
proof.
It's
God's
stamp
of
approval
that
yes,
he does
speak for
me.
He is
my
son.
He is
the
Christ.
He is
the king
that I
have
chosen
and
appointed.
He is
the way
and the
truth
and the
life.
So many
of the
promises
of Jesus
rest on
the
resurrection
of Jesus.
Think
back to
some of
the things
that Jesus
said that
we've been
looking at
in the
gospel of
John.
John 5
24,
very truly
I tell
you,
whoever
hears my
word and
believes
him who
sent me
has
eternal
life and
will not
be judged
but is
crossed
over from
death to
life.
Can
Jesus
give us
eternal
life if
he's still
in the
tomb?
No.
Jesus
goes on
in that
particular
conversation.
He talks
about how
it's been
given to
him to
judge all
people at
the final
judgment.
How can
he do
that if
he's still
in the
tomb?
He
can't.
he said
to them
that same
day that
there will
come a
day when
he will
call all
people out
of their
graves to
that moment
of judgment.
How can
he do
that if
he's still
in the
tomb?
None of
this can
be true
if Jesus
stayed
dead.
You
might
remember
Jesus'
conversation
with
Martha
after
Lazarus
had
died.
He said
to her,
I am
the
resurrection
and the
life.
The one
who believes
in me
will live
even though
they die.
These are
totally empty
words if
Jesus himself
was not
even raised
from the
dead.
I am
the
resurrection
and the
life.
Paul
doesn't
overstate
things when
he says
that if
Jesus
hadn't been
raised from
the dead,
then our
faith is
futile.
It's good
for nothing.
But Jesus
was raised
from the
dead,
just as
we heard.
And as
Paul makes
clear, if
Jesus has
been raised
from the
dead, then
we know
that the
way has
been opened
for us
to be
raised from
the dead
too.
For us
to have
the eternal
life that
Jesus promised
to everyone
who believes
in his
name.
And this
is wonderful.
This is
great news.
It means
that our
greatest
enemy,
death,
will not
prevail over
us at
the end.
Neither
will the
guilt that
we have
for our
sins.
Paul
traces this
out in
his letter
to the
Corinthians.
We won't
go into
all of
that,
but I
love how
he says
it.
He basically
says,
because of
Christ's
own victory
over death,
all of us
who are in
him can
take up a
taunt against
death itself.
Like,
na-na-na-boo-boo,
where,
oh,
death,
is your
victory?
Where,
oh,
death,
is your
sting?
It's gone.
We have
victory over
death itself
through Jesus
Christ,
our Lord.
The list
goes on.
We could
talk about
how Jesus
is in
heaven,
interceding
for us
right now.
God,
he wouldn't
be if
there was
no
resurrection.
We could
talk about
how the
promise was
given that
a son of
David would
come to
sit on
David's
throne
and rule
forever.
Could that
be fulfilled
without Jesus
rising from
the dead?
No.
The
resurrection
of Jesus
is everything.
It's the
foundation of
all that we
hope for
and long
for and
are waiting
for as
Christians.
It's the
foundation of
everything God
has promised
to his
people through
all generations.
But beyond
all this,
there is one
thing that
the resurrection
of Jesus
means for
each one of
us that's
even more
precious,
at least to
me,
than all the
rest.
You know,
I was watching
a thing with
my family
last night.
It's the
story of
Jesus done
in some
live theater.
And I got
thinking,
you know,
the disciples
had it really
good.
They got to
walk with
Jesus while
he was here.
They got to
see his face.
They got to
see the
miracles that
he did with
their own
eyes.
They were
able to
touch him
and feel
him.
And he
was able to
touch them.
They had a
very tangible
relationship and
friendship with
Jesus that
was unique and
personal to
each one of
them.
the
resurrection of
Jesus means
that each
of their own
personal
relationships with
Jesus didn't
end the day
that Jesus
died.
Think about
that for a
moment.
What John
had with
Jesus,
the Apostle
John,
didn't end
when Jesus
died.
It continued
after Jesus
was raised.
That special
bond that
Peter had
with Jesus
continued
after Jesus
was raised.
that friendship
that Mary
Magdalene had
with Jesus
before he
died.
It didn't
end the day
of his
death.
That friendship
continued after
he was raised.
Now for all
of them and
for us,
having a
relationship
with Jesus
has changed.
When he
went back to
heaven,
in some
respects,
it became
almost like
a distance
relationship,
a relationship
that now
happens through
his spirit
that comes
to live
in us
when we
believe.
But there
is coming
a day
when Jesus
will return.
A day
when that
tangible,
physical,
visible
relationship
with Christ
will be
restored for
Peter
and John
and Mary
Magdalene
and for us
who believe
in him.
For all
of us who
have never
seen him
face to
face,
for all
of us
who have
never,
like they
did,
felt his
strong
embrace,
there is
coming a
day when
we too
will have
that kind
of relationship
with him.
We'll see
him with
our own
eyes,
face to
face,
we'll be
able to
touch him,
feel his
embrace,
we'll hear
from his
human lips
that yes,
he did
indeed hear
every single
prayer that
we prayed.
The
resurrection
of Jesus
is the
foundation
of all
that we
hope for
and long
for and
wait for
as Christians.
It's the
foundation
of our
salvation,
yes,
but to me
the most
precious thing
of all
is that it
means that
each of us
can personally
know Christ
himself today
because he's
alive.
We can have
that friendship
with him
today,
knowing that
one day
that distance
will be gone
and we
will have
his
continued
love and
friendship
forever
in person.
This is
what it's
all about.
Do you
remember what
Jesus prayed
on the
eve of
his death?
This is
what he
said to
his father,
John 17
3,
he said,
now this
is eternal
life,
that they,
my followers,
those you
have given
me,
that they
might know
you,
the only
true God
and
me,
Jesus
Christ,
whom you
have sent.
This is
what life,
life eternal,
life forever
is all about.
It's all about
knowing Jesus.
Jesus goes
on in his
prayer.
We won't
go into
all the
details.
He prays
not just
for his
immediate
disciples,
but also
for those
who will
believe in
him through
their
message.
He prays
that they
would be
unified
and be
one,
that he
would be
in them.
He says,
I want
those you
have given
me to
be with
me where
I am
and to
see my
glory,
the glory
you have
given me.
Do you
know that
Jesus longs
for that
kind of
personal
relationship
with you?
he prayed
for it
just before
he went
to the
cross.
A face
to face
see my
glory,
you
with me
where I
am
kind of
relationship.
He went
to the
cross
because he
desires that
kind of
relationship
with you
and with
me.
And if
he hadn't
been raised
from the
dead,
we could
never have
that with
him.
So that's
the thing
that I'm
celebrating
most today
because he
rose from
the grave
and is
alive today.
We can
know Jesus
Christ himself
personally,
deeply,
and one
day visibly
and tangibly
face to
face.
Let's
pray.
Amen.
Father in
heaven,
we give
you glory.
Lord Jesus,
we give
you glory
and we
worship
you today.
You are
our king,
we believe.
You are
the son
of God
and we
thank you
that you
have even
brought
yourself
down to
the level
of brother
and a
friend.
We love
you so
much and
we long
for that
day when
you will
come back
and you
will raise
us to
new life
with you
forever.
May that
day come
quickly.
In your
name,
amen.
Amen.