Matthew
28:1-10
1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the
week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And
suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending
from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was
like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards
shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not
be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not
here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7
Then go quickly and tell his disciples, "He has been raised from the dead,
and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This
is my message for you." 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and
great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said,
"Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and
worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell
my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus
who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said.
·
When I was a young boy, I looked
forward to Easter for the usual reasons that young children look forward to
Easter – chocolate! As for the celebration of Easter in our church, I had a
favourite Easter hymn – one that has disappeared from just about all the
hymnals around! As I got older I looked forward to the festival for different
reasons – family gatherings, the Easter dinner, the Easter worship. My
expectations changed as time passed just as I changed.
·
What do I look forward to now? I
could kiddingly say that, as a pastor, I look forward to a time of rest after
the busyness of Holy Week… and it does get busy. I look forward to to seeing my
entire family for a holiday meal since we all still get together for it. I look
forward to the Easter worship service and actually all the services of Holy
Week. I find them powerful and quite meaningful.
·
I also look forward to proclaiming
the Easter message, the Good News of the Resurrection.
·
It is good news for all of us. If the
Resurrection was only for Jesus, it would be wonderful, but we’d have to ask
what meaning it would have to us. If Jesus rose from the dead, it would mean a
lot to him. It would show his divinity and the power of God. It would fit into
the myth of the celebration of new life with the coming of Spring.
·
But Jesus did not rise from the dead
for his own purposes only. From the Gospels, we know that very little he did
was done for himself alone. One theologian called Jesus “the Man for others.” Even
his times of rest have a meaning for all of us.
·
Jesus did not rise from the dead for
himself only. Just as his birth shows that he took on our nature as a human
with all that accompanies it, his Resurrection tells us where we are all to be
headed. As Paul wrote to the Colossians - When Christ who is your life is revealed,
then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
·
The day of Jesus’ Resurrection is a
day of hope for us all. Yes, it is mysterious and beyond our understanding.
We’ll never comprehend what exactly went on or how it happened. However, do we
have to understand a thing in order to experience it? I, for one, hope not;
otherwise, how could we experience the simplest things, like a pie… or a
beautiful day… or love?
·
In the face of this mystery, we might
be fearful, because things we don’t understand can cause us to be afraid. So
what are the first words from the angel when the two Marys reached the tomb?
What did Jesus say to them when the touched him?
·
Do not be
afraid! This greeting or words of comfort
are found all over the Gospels in the face of things beyond the understanding
of people.
·
Do not be
afraid! What Jesus endured, he endured for
us and his Resurrection promises us new life. What will come remains to be
seen, and whatever will come is under the mercy of God.
·
Do not be
afraid! The love Jesus has for each of us,
the love that took him to the cross still exists and will be with us always.
·
Do not be
afraid! Whatever may come, the promise of
Jesus remains solid and will not be put aside.
·
Do not be
afraid! This is a festival day and a day of
joy.
·
Do not be afraid; I know that
you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been
raised, as he said.
·
Christ is risen! (He is risen
indeed!)
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