March 23, 2008 Matthew 28:1‑10

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, 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. The angel said to the women, ADo 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. Then 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.@

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. AGreetings,@ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, ADo not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.@

Faith is Resurrected in the Midst of Death

I. Faith nearly dies when we face death

Have you ever seen a dead body? Do you know what it looks like? It is somewhat difficult to stare into the eyes of a lifeless person. They become dark and hallow. The skin becomes pale and the body seems as stiff as a board. Almost every time that I am on call to make death notifications I am confronted with death. Some scenes are uglier than others, but none of them are pretty. When the beeper goes off I am filled with some fear and trepidation over what I am going to see and who is going to be there and how they are going to react. You never know. Yet each and every one of us - if we live long enough - will end up facing death - sometimes in our own living rooms. We will see our spouses and parents, brothers and sisters, and sometimes sadly even our own children in a casket with makeup trying to color their lifeless faces. Then we also will be there.

Try to imagine then the walk that the ladies made to the tomb on Easter morning. Is it possible to imagine it - really? Put yourself in Mary and Mary=s sandals. They were going not just to look at the tomb, but to also anoint Jesus= body with spices and give him a proper burial. (Mark 16:1) At least Mary Magdalene was not standing too far away when Jesus was crucified. She was right there at the foot of the cross. (John 19:25) Both of them knew how bloody and beaten his body was. They saw the holes in his hands and the blood and water come gushing out of His side. This was the same Jesus they had followed throughout Galilee. They had seen Him perform impossible miracles of healing the sick, raising the dead, and feeding thousands of people. Remember also that for Mary Magdalene - she had been cured by Jesus of seven demons that had possessed her body and abused her for who knows how long. Yet now this man whom they called Messiah, the Christ, prophet, God and Lord - the One who gave so many people life and hope - was expected to be laying in a tomb. These ladies were facing the prospect of unraveling the cloths off of Jesus= dead body which had been in the grave for over a day. They would have to move his bloody arms, see the holes in his hands, roll his body over, and then unravel is lifeless eyes and stare into his pale and sunken face. This wasn=t just their friend they expected to be lying in the tomb. He was their God, their Christ, their hopes and their dreams. It is shocking to envision; impossible.

What is more shocking but that they went? How could they muster up the courage and the energy to even go? But they went even while it was still pretty dark out - they went to do this duty. Why? If they still believed Jesus to be dead, why did they go? Was there hope? Was it out of respect? We don=t know for sure. But somewhere in the deep recesses of their hearts nothing could remove the deep love for Jesus so that they still felt compelled to show one last act of respect to Jesus even in the grave.

Isn=t this a wonderful example of faith? In the midst of death, beyond any glimmer of hope, to hope anyway. Job reflected this kind of faith as he lay brooding in the pain of death and terrible boils on his skin as he said, Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; Faith is that which clings to the impossible; which looks for a glimmer of light when nothing is surrounding you but darkness. Faith even finds hope in the darkness itself. It believes that when God seems to be presenting Himself as dead He is still alive. It is able to see in His thunder and lightning both energy and music. Faith believes God to be a good God even when reason and experience screams that He is a devil. Faith goes to the grave even when nothing is supposed to be there but death and despair.

II. Faith is revived through the simple Word

Let=s go back to this wonderful Easter story. As the women were on the way, an earth shattering thing happened. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, 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. Just think, the last earthquake had occurred just over 48 hours prior to this when Jesus breathed his last. Now it was happening again as another earth shattering event had occurred. Jesus had raised from the dead. The angel appeared not to free Jesus, but to reveal that Jesus had freed himself. What a powerful scene it was. One angel was able to make a whole squad of men who were trained to act like lions end up shaking on the ground like scared little possums. Without a word; without touching a hair of their heads; they were reduced to nothing and then allowed to go running away.

The women, although they were on the right side, were no less afraid. Here in the midst of a still dark and cold morning they came face to face with a brilliantly bright and angelic creature. They were terrified. It shows that even believers are still sinful, and even with faith they have no choice but to respond to holiness - even the holiness of an angel with fear. Think also that Mary Magdalene, who had once experienced the darkness and presence of evil angels, was now experiencing a far greater fear - that of being in the presence of a holy angel. How did the angel respond? The angel said to the women, ADo 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.

In faith they came to the tomb to experience death, and their faith was rewarded with a vision and words of strength and comfort. I find it inspiring and intriguing how their faith was bolstered. Look at what their faith had to hold onto at this point. In it=s raw sense it is the word of an angel. When an angel appeared to Zechariah he was rebuked because he doubted the word and promise that he was given. He had to walk around unable to speak for almost a year because of it. I don=t recall the Scriptures ever stating that these women had seen an angel until this point. Yet Paul warned that we should not be swayed even by the word of an angel if it contradicts other Scriptures. The words of an angel are not enough.

But what do the words of the angel say? Where do they point the ladies to? An empty tomb. They are told to look at something that is not there - at an empty slab of rock and a few folded sheets. They are told to interpret this to mean that Jesus is risen, even though they neither saw Him nor heard Him. How could they know that this word of the angel was true? The angel=s assurance said to the ladies, Adon=t just take my word for it. This is what Jesus promised you long ago! AJUST AS HE SAID.@ And so it was the Word of Jesus - the Word of God - that was invoked and called upon to ratify this slab of rock and these folded sheets. It was that Word and promise of Jesus that was to reach into their hearts and say to the ladies, Ayour Messiah is not dead. You will not look into empty eyes. You will not feel cold flesh here. You will not witness the stiffness of a dead and lifeless body. You will not see anything here, because Jesus is risen. The empty grave proves it. The words of Jesus prove it. Believe it.@

Again, I find it amazing and intriguing that this is how faith works yet today. Our faith has nothing to hold to, nothing to see, nothing to touch, nothing but promises. We are told in words written long ago that it is in the very things that we cannot taste, cannot touch, cannot see, that there are miracles behind the emptiness. Even though we have never seen the empty grave, we are told to believe in it. Even though we have never seen the blood stained and folded sheets, we are told it really happened. And even the lasting miracles that Jesus does give us - thinks that we can taste and touch in baptism and the Lord=s Supper - what are they to our mind=s eyes but empty graves? We see no Holy Spirit splashing in the waters of baptism. If we were to put our faces in the water with a snorkel and goggles we would not see a spirit floating around. We taste no body or blood in the wine and bread. They taste just like any other wine and bread. Yet we are told to believe in things we can=t see and touch and act as if they really happened and still happen today. Why? Because God=s Word said so.

But it is through these words of the angel that the Holy Spirit comes knocking. He plants Jesus in our hearts and He feeds a faith that was flickering and dying - wondering if Jesus were dead. How do we respond? Do we hope beyond hope that these words could be true; that the same Jesus who we know was dead and crucified really walks and talks yet today? That the living Christ still enters and comes to us through water, word, bread and wine? This is what our reason is confronted with - an impossible scenario. Will our faith grasp it? Or will our minds reject it? Mary Magdalene had witnessed and experienced the miracle of being freed from demon possession. The other women had witnessed the miracles of Jesus time and again - seeing what His powerful words could do. They knew that with His simple words Jesus had raised Lazarus who had been dead four days. Who is to say He couldn=t raise Himself, JUST AS HE SAID?

III. Faith gives us energy to run

Their response was important. You see, this miracle and this message did not just have implications for the women - it also had implications for their friends and family. If they were to call the angels liars; if they were to go about depressed and not believe that it could be true; then they would end up in despair. Then all of their friends who could have known the truth would have remained in the dark while they sat outside weeping at an empty grave. The angel had higher and greater plans for them. After witnessing the empty grave, he told them to AThen 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.@ It was their duty and their privilege to spread a message that was beyond what they had ever hoped for. They went their expecting to wrap a dead body of a failure who would inevitably end up as a fraud. But God=s Word and promise changed everything! Even though they didn=t even see Jesus, they left believing that Jesus was exactly who He said He was - their Savior and their God. How do we know? God=s Word says that, Athe women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.@ The simple word of Christ strengthened their hearts, their souls, their legs, and their mouths. Yes, it turned them into the angel=s angels - messengers of the messenger - spreading the good news of Christ.

Today we find ourselves in the position of the women - running afraid yet filled with joy. Isn=t if a fearful thing to think that we sinners are standing in the presence of a holy God - one who sees our every move and our every action? Isn=t it a fearful thing to think and believe that these angels are actually among us - even though we can=t see them? It scares us to think of our sinful and weak selves sitting and walking and talking in such presence. Yet the message of the angel gives us joy. AHe is not here, he is risen, just as He said.@ What does that mean? It means that the sacrifice that He made on Good Friday through His death on the cross - it means that that sacrifice was satisfactory to God. It proves that in God=s eyes, our payment has been completed - that Jesus claim on the cross that our sins were paid for in full, Ait is finished,@ that the claim was true. It means that God=s Word is always true. Jesus predicted He would rise from the dead, and He did. Jesus promises us that whoever believes in Him will live, even though he dies. It means that even though each and every one of us will have to face death in all of it=s ugliness, at the end there will be an empty grave with no bones in it. Those dead bodies who were laid in the grave with makeup and decay will one day rise in no need of makeup and never again facing decay. It gives us hope to reflect with Job in Job 19:25‑27, AI know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyesCI, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!@

Will you run from the tomb this morning? Do you have people to tell? Has your faith been filled with excitement and hope in the midst of death? I hope so. Because if you instead decide to stay at the tomb and mourn, you will be cheating yourself of the joy that the angel and God wants you to have. If you tell no one about this promise of eternal life in Christ=s death and resurrection, you will be depriving them of the joy and hope that they could have. You will be leaving them to die in their own despair and end up in hell, when there is heaven and hope through these simple words and promises of the empty grave! Why on earth would you choose to live life and act as if Jesus were dead, as if God was dead, as if you were going to hell, when you have God=s Word that Jesus is alive? We have the most hopeful and happy message that people can have - that there is life after death in heaven! In Jesus we can give people a free holiness to cover their sins. In the crucified and risen Christ we can show people a God of love and mercy - which changes the countenance of God from anger and wrath to forgiveness and salvation. How can we sit still with such a message? How can we act as if Jesus were dead in light of such a message, unless we aren=t acting?

IV. Faith gives us hope to see

The women did not sit still. They started running. Without even seeing Jesus, in faith they simply went running with no evidence but a message. It was then on their way that their faith was rewarded with a vision that proved what they were promised. Suddenly Jesus met them. AGreetings,@ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, ADo not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.@ Here they were, face to face with Jesus. The same body that they expected to see laying in the grave was standing in front of them. The same face that they expected to see dark and cold was full of light and life. The same eyes that they expected to see closed and recessed were staring right at them. Everything they hoped for, everything that Jesus said would happen, happened. They fell at Jesus= feet and held on to them - those beautiful nail marked feet - walking and standing without pain - the greatest miracle of all!

Imagine what a beautiful thing it will be for us to have this same vision come true for us. There will be a day when Jesus steps out from under the bread and wine, where He comes pouring forth from the water and dashing from the clouds. Some day, as we are on the road, proclaiming Christ to our neighbors and our children, letting our lights shine by being faithful employees and spouses and children and parents - some Day the clouds will split. The trumpet will blast. The angels will appear. The dead will rise. The same One we have been worshiping, the same One we have been bathed in, the same One we have been eating, the same One we have been trusting as our Savior for all of these years will not only be our Judge, He will also be our Defense Attorney. He calls us who believe in Him - like His disciples - His brothers. We are family. He promises us life after death - an eternal life with no tears, no pain,, no glasses, no backaches, a resurrected body which will get to live in His presence forever. Some day our eyes of faith will get to see what we have been promised - a resurrection from the dead with our resurrected Lord.

If you=ve ever been told that your mom or grandma died, it is a very difficult thing. What is more difficult than hearing it is then going to see it. Sometimes people need to see it to really believe it. Even though it is painful, they go to the funeral home and look at the dead body so they really know and come to terms with the difficult fact that their loved one is dead. They need to cry. They need to touch the cold hand and see the lifeless face to come to the truth. It is sometimes necessary to accept the death that you need to see the death.

On Easter Sunday the women went to the tomb expecting to see death and feel death close up. They had seen Him die just feet from where they were standing. They saw His body be taken from the cross. They watched it get wrapped. They stood there as the stone rolled the tomb shut. With tears they went back to their homes in sorrow to prepare the spices. We left Jesus in the same way on Friday.

Painful as it was, the ladies went back to that tomb; to do what they could out of respect and love to Jesus. What they got was so much more! And so do we! In faith we are pointed to emptiness - to an empty slab of rock with some folded sheets. With powerful words we are promised that Jesus is risen! It=s these words that give our faith something to hope for. It=s these words that promise us that we are forgiven and Jesus= mission was successful. Cling to those words this Easter Sunday. It is the message of hope. Tell other people, Ahe is risen, just as He said.@ You may not see Him, but He is here looking over us. You may not smell Him, but He is here in the Supper. You may not taste Him, but He is here in the bread. You may not feel Him, but He is here in the water and the Word. And He is coming again. You will see Him. He promises you that; and His Word is always good. The resurrection proves it - giving life to your faith in the midst of death. Amen.