When we went through Holy Week, we saw how the people anticipated the Messiah to come and conquer the Romans. On Palm Sunday, we witnessed the celebration and then we saw how as Jesus was prosecuted and beaten, the hopes for the Messiah were dashed. There was no way this man, who refused to even argue his case could have been a great and mighty Davidic warrior, who would lead the people to victory. We saw the anger and resentment of the people as Jesus failed to live up to their expectations.
And on Good Friday, we saw him die a brutal and painful death. And we struggled with the discomfort of the gory crucifixion. We struggled to see this so-called Savior die, but we also struggled because many of us were living good Friday for ourselves—we were in a state of isolation, of fear, of darkness, of depression, of rejection and anxiety. We suffered Good Friday as we struggled with life’s trials. And so we waited, desperate for Easter. And on Easter we saw 3 women approach the tomb and meet an unnamed, unknown man. They did not find Jesus as they had expected and they left in fear. There was no celebration, there was no joy. Just fear and confusion. Mark’s account of Easter morning was rather anti-climatic and disappointing. No pomp and circumstance. No earth shattering moments. Just fear and bewilderment and 3 women who walked away in silence.
And for many of us, while that Easter encounter was disappointing, it was real—we came on Easter to see the Risen Christ and we did not find him. And we feared that in not seeing and touching him that our Good Friday moments might last forever. We feared that Easter hadn’t and wouldn’t happen for us. And yet the promise was still there. There was still the promise of an encounter with Christ and so we kept looking for that Easter event.
Last week we came back, still seeking Easter and we followed John’s account and saw Mary Magdalene by herself as she approached the tomb. Again Jesus was not to be found and she was distressed—someone had stolen her Jesus and she was desperate to find his body. Then as she left the tomb she saw Jesus, but did not know him. She couldn’t recognize him. And in her story, we found our story—that sometimes the Jesus we expect to meet is not the one we find. We saw that if we are to encounter the Risen Lord that we have to remember that our God is a god of the unexpected. We will find answers to prayers in place and at times we simply did not expect. And as we left, still seeking our own Easter encounters, we were to look in unexpected places and know that God would meet and answer us in ways we never even could have imagined.
And today we hear the Easter story from another perspective—we hear Matthew’s account. Again we see Mary Magdalene and with her this time is “the other Mary”—possibly Jesus’ mother, possibly the mother of James, possibly another Mary entirely.
Matthew’s account, I think, is more of what we hope for. The angel comes with great power and rolls away the stone and it’s like an earthquake—the other book end on Jesus’ battle with death. Earlier in Matthew’s story, as we stared at the cross on Golgotha, as Jesus breathed his last, the sky went dark, the temple curtain tore, and the earth shook. Jesus entered the battle with death and now, on Easter morning, with the sun shining and an angel whose brightness was like lightening, the earth quakes again. The end note on death! The battle has been fought and Jesus won!
And the angel says to the women, “Do not be afraid!” The angel tells them that Christ is risen and they must go to Galilee to share the good news. And so they leave with a bit of fear, but also with joy! Finally there is joy!! And then there’s Jesus—on the road, ready to greet them and he too tries to assuage their fear—“Do not be afraid.”
Those words aren’t just for Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, they are for us—Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of life’s trials. Do not be afraid of those Good Friday moments. Do not be afraid—I am with you. Do not be afraid—I have conquered death and I am with you—full of life and of promise. Do not be afraid! And the women bowed down and worshipped the risen Lord and then went to proclaim the Good News.
Finally, an Easter story that feels like Easter! The earth moves, the mountains tremble, there is joy and celebration. There is an actual encounter with a Jesus we recognize and we can worship him as our Lord and Savior! Praise God!! I don’t know about you, but I was starting to wonder when we were actually going to experience the Good News—not fear and doubt, but actual Good News!
But there’s a hitch. There’s this part in here that I’ve never really paid any attention to until this year-the guards told the chief priests what had happened and they told the elders and the elders paid the guards big bucks to lie and say that Easter didn’t happen, there was no resurrection—the body was stolen and yes there was an empty tomb, but Jesus is still dead. There is no risen Lord. The Easter story is a lie.
What?!?! We just met and worshipped the Risen Christ—we finally got to an Easter moment we could believe and you’re gonna lie about it?! And not only did you lie about it, but people believed you! Lots of people believed the Easter lie. There is no victory—just death and sin. You can’t be saved, this Jesus is a fraud! And the scary thing is that when you’re living a Good Friday trial, it’s easy to believe the lie. When you’re stuck in desperation, it’s easy to reject the Good News because you can’t feel it or see it. It’s easy to question whether Jesus really did rise, if he really did conquer darkness when you’re still trying to stave off the darkness, still desperate for the light.
But the story that it didn’t happen is a lie! It’s a lie!
The truth is Jesus rose from the dead. The truth is he conquered death. The truth is that through him we have new life and new hope. The truth is he meets us on the road, or in Galilee—the place where we’ve always known him, or in unexpected ways, but he meets us! The truth is Jesus is the light of the world and he came to us and the darkness could not overcome it!
The truth is Easter is real and we have to have faith in that. We have to hold onto the truth, even when we can’t feel it because the truth is real and the doubt is false—it is of the devil and in it there is no freedom.
How many of you know that Utah beat the Lakers again last night? No really, a couple of nights ago they played and Utah tore ‘em up and last night it was like there was no chance of recovery—the Lakers just couldn’t beat them.
No? Hmm…well, if you didn’t see the game or if you don’t follow sports, you might be inclined to believe me…after all, I’m the preacher, why would I lie? Unless you were there, you’d fall for the lie. But here in this room there is an evangelist—someone who will proclaim the truth and proclaim it with such tenacity that you will have to believe him-for he holds the true story—that the Lakers came back from defeat and beat Utah. But without an experience of your own—or without the testimony of the evangelist—you’d fall for the lie…
It’s much the same with the Easter story. For people who haven’t experienced Easter—a life-giving encounter with Christ, or for people who are overwhelmed by the darkness of Good Friday00it is easy to believe the lie. And we need enthusiastic and dedicated evangelists to speak the truth. We must battle the lie that Jesus is just a man and not a Savior. We must battle the lie that we have to earn God’s love and forgiveness. We have to battle the lie that God has neglected us and does not care.
For our God is real! Our God is alive! Our God saves! And our God reigns—the gospel needs you to be an evangelist. We need you to tell the story. We need you to share the Good news.
The end of this passage contains “the great commission” where Jesus tells the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AND to teach them to follow everything that Jesus taught.
Our call isn’t just to proclaim the good news, and not even just to baptize, and not just to teach, but to teach so that people will DO what Christ taught. Now, he’s a pretty radical guy at times—loving our enemies, eating with prostitutes and criminals, giving everything away for the sake of the gospel—people aren’t just going to jump on board, they need to be convinced that Jesus matters, that he’s real, not just in general, but real to you, alive in you! Giving your hope, even in those Good Friday moments. People need you to proclaim the Easter story in a way that is vibrant and tangible and believable, they need you to share the light and the hope and the promise.
Christ is Risen!
And the story needs to be told!
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