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EASTER
SUNDAY
YEAR
A ACTS
10:34-43 COLOSSIANS
3:1-4 MATTHEW
28:1-10 MARCH 23,
2008 Matthew
28:7-10
Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from
the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to There was a
sense of urgency on that first day of the week. Why must the women go
quickly to tell the disciples? Why not stay behind and enjoy the moment?
They just experienced what they thought could never be. The two Mary’s had
been there that Friday afternoon. They saw that Jesus was dead and that he
was placed in the tomb. They were there when the stone was rolled against
the opening of the grave. Now they discovered that Jesus was not there. He
was not in the grave. There was someone at the grave but it was not Jesus.
The guards that had been there were nowhere to be found. There was an
angel sitting at the tomb. The angel told them the good news that Jesus is
Risen! Why not stay in the moment? The women went with fear and great joy.
News like this must never be kept secret. It must be told. The angel told
them to go quickly and tell the disciples. Tell the disciples so they too
can receive this message of life.
Why is it so
important for us to hear this good news? Why must we tell it? We tell
others about the resurrection because we are a people of faith. Faith
grows by hearing the word of God. Faith and life are tied together in the
proclamation that the one that was crucified in our place is Risen.
Because he is Risen you and I will also be raised from the dead to
experience the victory of life. Peter and the others were locked away in
that upper room. They were locked away because they were afraid. Jesus
died, people recognized them as being followers of Jesus and now they
might get arrested. They were afraid but the message of salvation would
set them free. The news of the Risen Christ would set them free. They
would be able to unlock the doors and they too would proclaim the message
if salvation. Matthew 28:3-5 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. In both the crucifixion and resurrection we have the
earthquakes, the splitting of rocks, and the opening of tombs. All of
these events say that something drastic has happened and is happening.
Even though we cannot separate the birth and life of Jesus from his death
and resurrection, the resurrection of our Lord is the most important event
in all of human history. It happened for Jesus but it is important not
just because it happened to Jesus. Resurrection faith does not just
believe that a dead body came back to life, or that the tomb was empty on
Easter morning. Many who believed that Jesus was John the Baptist raised
from the dead did not have resurrection faith. The soldiers and chief
priests who knew the fact that Jesus had come back to life did not have
Christian faith in the resurrection. What is needed for resurrection faith? Resurrection faith is
shattering of the status quo. In that place and time women could not be
witnesses yet they were called by God to be witnesses of the resurrection.
All of the disciples who had run away and Peter, who had denied Jesus, are
called "my brothers" by the risen Jesus. The women also become agents of
reconciliation! Not only is the believers' attitude about death radically
changed but also their attitude about people whom society considered least
such as women and children, was changed. They could now begin to
understand what Jesus was talking about when he talked about resurrection.
Jesus talked about going to You have resurrection faith when you listen to the women as
they give witness to the risen Christ. Your faith is developed as you
unlock the doors of your heart to receive the message that is proclaimed
by many people around the world. You unlock the doors and you come out of
hiding and your entire life changes. You do not dwell on the events of
yesterday when Jesus was in the tomb. You do not go to a grave to see
Jesus. You have this life changing experience and you allow the Lord to
change you. The women were on their way. They were in a hurry to tell Peter
and the others that Jesus is Risen. They are about their mission when they
were joined by the risen Christ. Did the risen Christ interrupt them in
their work? Sometimes when I am studying I come across items that get me
off of what I am studying. What I come across might be something spiritual
and educational but it becomes a distraction to what I am really trying to
do. Was this the case for the women in hurry to tell the others? Of course
not. Jesus is not a distraction for the women. He is the reason they are
going. When we are about the work of witnessing for the Lord, Jesus comes
to us. He blesses us with the assurance that we are doing what he asked.
He encourages us and allows us to see and touch him. Jesus blesses us with
his word and clarifies everything that needs explaining. When you are
about the work of the Lord, Jesus Christ shows up and ministers to you
along the way. How can I be sure that Jesus is Risen from the dead?
Resurrection faith is not based on a preponderance of the evidence. The
chief priests and soldiers had plenty of evidence that Jesus is alive. The
soldiers saw first hand that the stone was rolled back. They told the
chief priests and they made up a story so that others would not believe in
the resurrection of our Lord.
You and I can be sure of the resurrection not because there is an
empty tomb or an empty cross but because we have experienced the presence
of the risen Christ. We have the testimony of those to whom he appeared
and by his own continuing presence among his disciples. We have the Holy
Spirit that instructs us and the power of life that is given through
Christ our Lord. We need to proclaim a resurrection faith today. We do not
merely proclaim a historical event. We proclaim a faith event. We go in
our own sense of urgency to tell the others that Jesus is no longer in the
grave. We proclaim that death could not hold him. We proclaim the defeat
of the power of death and the resurrection to eternal life. You can
believe this promise and you must go and tell his brothers and sisters
that Jesus is Risen. Alleluia. |