Matthew 28:1-10
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.
2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 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.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped 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.”
Easter Changes Everything
There’s a show on Disney+ right now called What If…? It is produced by Marvel Studios and explores alternative endings to the Marvel movies you know and love. What if instead of Captain America, we had Captain Carter fighting for the Brits? What if the Avengers lost? How would the story go on? How much different would the ending be if you changed one seemingly small detail or moment at the start?
If you like Marvel movies, you might find that series interesting. Maybe you’ve already watched it. If you’re not into comic book characters, have no fear! This will be my last mention of them. I’m here to talk about Jesus. But I do wonder what a Christian version of that TV series would look like. What if Adam and Eve never ate the forbidden fruit? What if Pharaoh never let the Israelites go? What if David missed when he slung that first stone at Goliath?
Or, more fitting for today: What if Jesus never rose from the dead?
Can you imagine a world without Easter? I can’t! And it’s not because there would be no Easter baskets or Easter egg hunts. It’s not because we’d have to come up with another reason to eat ham or lamb on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. We wouldn’t be here if there were no Easter. The Christian Church wouldn’t exist. What would a world without Easter look like?
Well, we got a glimpse of it for about 36 hours after Jesus’ crucifixion, and it didn’t look good.
The disciples who had all promised that they would rather die than desert Jesus did exactly what they said they would never do. They ran away and hid because they were afraid that the Jews would do the same thing to them that they did to Jesus.
The men and women who had spent the last 3 years of their lives following Jesus wherever he went and listening to whatever he said suddenly forgot everything he had said to them. He had told them on at least three separate occasions, with at least one of them coming in the last week, that he was going to die in Jerusalem and rise again on the third day. But nobody remembered.
The women who went to the tomb were lost. They had no idea where to go from here. So they prepared spices to go and anoint a body that wasn’t there. They had misplaced their purpose in life.
In a world without Easter, Jesus’ disciples were disappointments to God and to themselves. They were afraid. They had forgotten everything that was meant to give them hope and peace. They were aimless and without purpose. In a world without Easter, Jesus’ disciples were a mess.
But let’s be real for a second. How much different is our world even with Easter? And I don’t mean for all the non-Christians or the nominal Christians. I mean for you. How different are you than those post-crucifixion, pre-resurrection disciples?
Some of us have been privileged to have spent enough time as Christians that we have been confirmed in our faith. Whether as children or adults, we stood before a congregation like this and made an oath to our God that went something like this: The pastor would say:
Do you intend to continue steadfast in this teaching and to endure all things, even death, rather than fall away from it?
And then we would respond:
I do and I ask God to help me.
Now, whether you have been confirmed or not – whether you have sworn an oath like this or not – has anything short of death kept you from being faithful to God’s Word? Or is a sports practice or a late Saturday night or the opportunity to spend time with your family all that it would take to keep you from spending time with God and his Word in church on a Sunday? The disciples made and broke similar promises, but at least they were legitimately afraid for their lives. Can you say the same?
The disciples followed Jesus and listened to him for 3 years, but in the moment of hardship it was as if they hadn’t heard a thing. Believe it or not, you have something even more valuable than 3 years of personal devotions with Jesus. You have the whole thing in writing. You have the promises of God written down to give you hope. You have the will of God in black and white to give direction and guidance for your life.
Does it take a death threat to make you forget what God says? Or is the reason that you don’t start your day with devotion simply that you opened a notification on your phone and lost the next hour of your life? When the doctor gives you that diagnosis you’ve been dreading, even if you can remember God’s promises to you, do you put your trust in them? Or do you find yourself spiraling and flailing for answers from WebMD and your friend down the street who went through the same thing, instead of seeking solace in Scripture and your Saviour?
Do you remember your purpose in life? Or do you find yourself lost, or so preoccupied with the next thing that’s right in front – the next day or week or year of your life – that you have forgotten your place in eternal life?
We don’t have to look at the 36 hours between Good Friday and Easter Sunday to know what a world without Easter would look like. We live it all too often in our day to day life. But that’s why I appreciate the fact that we get to celebrate this holiday every year. Because at Easter, we get to see the tender hand of our God as he deals with sinners like us.
When the women got to the tomb, they had all the wrong expectations. They didn’t expect to find Jesus alive, just as he said. They fully expected to find him dead. And yet, when they got there, the angel that God had sent to them did not wag a finger and say, “O you of little faith! Stop doubting and believe!” He said:
“Do 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.”[1]
What a gentle God we have, who works with us in our sinful weakness. He made it clear that these women should have remembered Jesus’ promises and that they shouldn’t have been ruled by fear or let anything else in life or death stand in the way of their faith in God, but he didn’t preach about it. He restored their hope and revived their faith by pointing them to Jesus, who had been crucified, but now was alive.
He had been crucified. But not for nothing. It was for me, and it was for you. Jesus died to forgive our sins, even for the times when we fail in our commitment to him or when we forget or doubt his promises to us. Jesus died to forgive us, and then he rose from the dead to give us comfort and peace and joy.
Look at the way the Marys left the tomb. They hurried away “afraid yet filled with joy.”[2] There were still all those same reasons to hole away behind locked doors. There were still all those same reasons to forget or to doubt Jesus’ promises. The Jews were still angry and powerful. They would still face opposition and persecution and difficulty. But having seen the proof of Jesus’ resurrection gave them a joy that surpassed their fear.
That’s what Jesus does for you. That’s why I’m so glad that Jesus did rise from the dead and that we don’t have to imagine a world without Easter, because the resurrection of Jesus gives you a joy that is so much greater than your fear or worry or frustration. And I think that’s really important for you to hear. The resurrection of Jesus does not take all your fear or worry or frustration or distraction away. The resurrection of Jesus infuses you with a joy that is greater than all of them put together.
If it is guilt you feel – if you’re ashamed at how little it takes to keep you away from God and his Word – listen to what Jesus said when he met the women: “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee.”[3] Not, “Go and tell those traitors… those deserters… those promise-breakers…” He says, “Go and tell my brothers…”[4]
That’s how Jesus feels about you too. Even though you fail him – even when you are unfaithful to him – he still considers you family. He doesn’t identify you by your sin or your weakness. He sees you through the lens of his love – the same love that compelled him to die for you to forgive you and rise again to give you the hope of heaven. If you feel guilt, see God’s grace at his graveside that calls you his family.
If it is fear you feel – if you’re worried about the world around you or what the devil and his demons might do to you – look at the Roman soldiers. They were hired specifically because they were supposed to be fearless and formidable but they fainted and were lying on the ground like the dead man they were supposed to be guarding. They posed absolutely no threat to the women. Jesus’ resurrection proved that he was far more powerful.
Now, there may still be reasons for you to have fear in this life – and God may not make all of them shrink like these soldiers did – but God still has far more power than any of the things that cause you fear, and he can and does protect you for your eternal good. If you feel fear, see God’s power here.
If you feel distracted or aimless – if you are lost in an endless to-do list that doesn’t let you look past tomorrow – listen to what both the angel and Jesus said to these women,
That is the daily lifecycle of a Christian. Come and see what God has done for you. Occupy your heart and your mind with the message God has given you in his Word – and while your reasons for forgetfulness and doubt will not go away, you will be filled with ever-increasing faith that produces in you a joy to go and tell your spouse, your children, your neighbour the good news of Jesus crucified but raised to new life for you.
A world without Easter would be a world full of guilt and fear and distraction. But Easter changes everything. Now we live in a world full of forgiveness and power and purpose because of Jesus. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.
[1] Matthew 28:5-7
[2] Matthew 28:8
[3] Matthew 28:10
[4] Ibid
[5] Matthew 28:6
[6] Matthew 28:10