Tonight, as the night before, she cannot sleep. She keeps tossing and turning on her hard, straw-filled bed, then crying again, more tears, until there are no more tears inside her. When she finally falls asleep for a few moments, in the early hours of the morning, she has nightmares: Of blood, of death, of torture – again and again she sees the sadistic grimaces of the roman soldiers, as they wip him and beat him. And she cannot do anything, can only watch in desperation, as they are killing the man she loves. She watches him die, over and over again, can see him look at her for the last time, him, the One, her only love and hope, he who had rescued her and who loved her.
But she breaks down only at night. During the daytime, she has to be strong. He would have wanted it that way. And she has to take care of his mother, who – like her – had to witness the humiliation and murder of her own son.
And the men? The men are useless. One of them had sold Him out to the authorities, then hung himself, another, his closest follower, had denied knowing him three times, to save his own life.
And now, this morning after the second night, nobody wants to go to the grave with her. Just his mother has risen at this early hour and made some tea. Mary Magdalene rises, washes, puts on her clothes and packs some spices – the body has to be prepared for burial, and given the mild temperatures, they cannot wait any longer.
The two Marys silently walk up to the tomb where they know his body was placed, each deep in her own thoughts. Mary Magdalene can only guess what Jesus' mother is thinking right now. To lose a child. Unimaginable. As they get closer, she feels fear grip her heart. What if the guards won't let them prepare the body? What if they arrest them? And how will they move the big rock which has been used to close the tomb?
Finally, they reach the tomb. It is still dark, but some early morning light begins to creep up on the horizon. Two Roman guards are sitting on the floor in front of the tomb by a small fire. As they see the women, both get up and one walks up to them, snarling menacingly: “What you want?”
Think, Mary, quickly – say the right thing!
But there is no need for her to answer. God will answer the question for her.
Let's look at today's scripture:
Matthew 28
The Resurrection
[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."
The Guards' Report
[11] While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. [12] When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, [13] telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' [14] If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." [15] So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
The Great Commission
[16] Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee , to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. [17] When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. [18] Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
To me, these are the most important words in the whole Bible:
“He is not here – he has risen, just as he said.”
Why are they so important?
Because without Resurrection, there is no Christian faith. Without Resurrection, it's all a big lie, a colourful story at best. Without Resurrection, Jesus was a charlatan, maybe a preacher, but not the Son of God. Without Resurrection, there is no eternal life for me and you.
Jesus' rising from the dead is the centerpiece of our Christian faith. It is our liberation and salvation. It is what gives us hope and life.
Naturally, God's enemies realize this, too. So from the very beginning, they have tried all they can to discourage people from believing in the risen Christ.
As we just heard in Matthew's gospel, they immediately invented a story to try and explain what happened, a cover-up. They cannot allow the truth to spread. Normally soldiers who fail to guard a man on the cross or in the tomb would have been executed. But not in this case. They are paid blood money to keep them silent. To try and bottle up the truth. But the truth – as we know – is stronger than that.
How do we know it really happened? There are many books (Josh McDowell: "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" and "A ready Defense") about the resurrection that look at historical facts and theories and eyewitness-accounts.
But for me, the most amazing proof is the change that happened in the disciples: They went from a discouraged, sad, fearful group of people to strong, enthusiastic, fearless believers once they had seen the risen Christ. They were not afraid to endure prosecution and even death for their faith – and it's pretty difficult to die for something you have made up and that you don't really believe in.
So what does this message mean for us as a church, today on our first anniversary?
1. It's a message of LIBERATION
Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we have been forgiven our sins. As resurrection symbolized a new beginning for Jesus, it can also be a new beginning for us. Satan had offered Jesus so much! (Matthew 4,8-9: ‘Again, the devil took him on a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. “All this I will give you”, he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”) But Jesus rejected him and instead pursued obedience – and by doing so, he actually gained more: (Matthew 28,18) “All authority in heaven and in earth has been given to me.” This is also true for us: If we decide to follow in his footsteps and choose the path of obedience to God, if we give up our old lives as he did on the cross, we will be given new lives, a hundredfold better and more fulfilling and richer than the old.
2. It's a message of HOPE
In our lives, we are like Mary Madgalene, like Peter and Thomas: We are afraid. Kiasu - Afraid to lose. Afraid to fail. Afraid to open up and make ourselves vulnerable. Afraid to lose our job. Afraid to lose our worldly possessions, our money, our health. Afraid to speak up when we witness injustice. Finally kiasi – afraid to die.
By rising from the dead, Jesus sends us a clear message: Do not be afraid. As long as you believe, you're ok. No harm will come to you. Because you are not alone: “I am with you always, to the very end of age.”
3. It is a message – a command – to COME OUT.
Why was the rock removed from the tomb? Not for Jesus – he was already out. It was done for the two Marys – so they could see that Jesus had come out. And it is metaphorically removed for us – so we can come out of our tombs after we die, so we also have eternal life in Jesus.
But I believe the rock is not just removed after we die – already, here and now, it has been moved aside and we have been freed to step out, to come out of our tomb.
Are we living in a tomb? Well, my interior designer doesn't think so. Jo and I don't have bare rock walls at home – we have plaster, orange and blue paint and framed pictures. We have comfortable sofas and a big dining table to entertain friends. Actually, it's quite a cosy nest, not a tomb at all.
But maybe that's exactly the problem: Our lives are all very cosy, comfortable. We live in our own little world, with our own little spaces, our own friends, comfortable workspaces, familiar faces in the gym, our cosy church where we know everybody (and don't speak to strangers) – we live lives where everybody is mostly like us. We share the same preferences, similar tastes in music and clothes. Actually, when we go out on a Saturday night, we almost all look the same. One big family with many brothers … and sisters.
But Jesus commands us to step out of our cosy life, to come out of our tombs. The teenage days when we put a sign on our door saying ‘Do not enter', complete with a skull and two crossed bones, are over.
In his first words after He was resurrected he said:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28,19-20)
“Therefore go” – go out, step out, come out. Don't sit on your butt and enjoy your cosy little lives, but GO – next door, into a new neighbourhood, across cultural boundaries. Go to people that are different from you – that have a different colour of skin, different genders, different languages and traditions. Go and offer them the gospel – be an example of My love. Don't preach to them and try to change their ways – but offer yourselves. Help them in their lives, reach out to them, fight for those that are discriminated against, that suffer injustice.
Show them that My love includes them – not just in the next life, but right here, right now. Make a difference in My name.
“Baptise them” – offer the gospel, show them My love and if they are curious what makes you shine, what makes you go out of your way, tell them. Initiate them to the Christian faith. Share the good news.
“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – for the first time: in the name of the Son. Jesus is now sitting next to God. His suffering and resurrection is the bridge to the Father. He has suffered for us, for me, for my sins – and has washed me clean through his blood on the cross.
“Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you” – show them was Jesus is all about. Tell them about His amazing Grace. About how He can make us new. And about His law – that we should love one another like he loved us.
The gospel is simply not something we can keep to ourselves.
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), the world-famous violinist, earned a fortune with his concerts and compositions, but he generously gave most of it away. So, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he wasn't able to buy it. Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price, he returned to the seller, hoping to purchase that beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector.
Kreisler made his way to the new owner's home and offered to buy the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession and he would not sell it. Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea. "Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?" he asked.
Permission was granted, and the great virtuoso filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector's emotions were deeply stirred. "I have no right to keep that to myself," he exclaimed. "It's yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it."
“He is not here – he is risen, just as he said” - “I have no right to keep that to myself” – we have no right to keep the good news to ourselves – that Jesus has died for us and that he is risen from the dead and that he is Lord.
On this 1 st anniversary, I believe God is sending a clear message to our Free Community Church:
We need to come out. Without fear.
Step out of our comfortable tombs and get going.
Do something – and do it for the least of His brothers.
Step out of our comfort zone and reach out to other people.
They may be poor, they may be persecuted because of their race or background, they may be ridiculed because they are transgendered or looked down upon because they are sex workers.
We all know what it feels like to be discriminated against, to be hated and despised. This experience and knowledge is a privilege. A privilege that allows us to empathise with others. To understand how they feel – and to offer them Jesus' love through us.
Not by pushing our Christian faith down their throats. But by listening to them, getting to know them and – in any small way we can – helping them and thus sharing the love that Jesus had for them. Making them feel and experience that Jesus died for them, too – and that the risen Lord loves them just as much.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, we thank you for sacrificing your life for us. Thank you for cleaning us and giving us a clean slate, a fresh start. Thank you for bringing us new life. Lord, you removed the stone from our tomb because you want us to come out. To step out of our comfort zone and reach out to other people. To share your love with them. We are afraid to do this Lord, we are afraid of the consequences. But you have promised to be with us, to take away our fear. So give us courage, Lord, to do your work – right here, right now. Amen.
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