The Resurrection of Our Lord

The Resurrection of Our Lord: Easter Day (A)

April 12, 2020

Text: Matt. 28:1-10

Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!

            Do not be afraid.  Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.  And that is the end of all your fear.

            There are those who should be afraid.  When the angel descended from heaven, his appearance like lightening, his clothing as white as snow, and rolled the stone from the tomb and sat on it, the guards trembled for fear of him and became like dead men.  Those who would keep Jesus dead and buried should fear.  First of all, they cannot do it.  Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, alleluia, whether or not they have given their permission.  Secondly, those who will not receive the risen Lord Jesus cannot receive His resurrection victory of life for all who are in Him.  Instead, they receive the very death He has defeated.  The guards “became like dead men” (Matt. 28:4; ESV).  They were nearly scared to death.  It is a warning to them and to all unbelievers.  Whoever will not receive the risen Jesus will suffer eternal death and condemnation.  For them, there is great reason to be afraid.

            The women are also afraid when they come to the tomb.  They, too, see the holy angel, and they, too are sinners.  You have to understand that angels are not the effeminate beings with wings and halos you place on top of your Christmas trees.  They are fearsome creatures, radiating the very holiness of God, in whose presence they continually stand.  They are beautiful, but they are not tame.  There is nothing “Precious Moments” about them.  You would fear, too, if you saw an angel in his unbridled majesty.  “Has God sent His ministering spirit to slay us?” the women wonder.  Every time an angel appears to someone in Holy Scripture, the people rightly fear.  And that is why the angel must preach.  “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here, for he has risen, as he said” (vv. 5-6).

            Why don’t the sinful women need to fear the holy angel?  Because Jesus was crucified for their sins, and now He is risen from the dead, as He said.  Yes, He was crucified.  He really died.  It was a real corpse they put in the grave.  His death made atonement for the sins of the world.  And that means the sins of the women, the sins of doubt and fear, of not remembering the Words of Jesus, His Promises that this must happen (His suffering and death), and that He would rise again.  And it means the forgiveness of your sins, the sins of fear and anxiety about coronavirus, the sins of worry about the economy and your daily bread, the sins of depression and despair, lust and covetousness, selfishness and idolatry.  Yes, your sins of fearing, loving, and trusting other things and other people above the Lord your God.  Jesus died for those very sins.  Jesus died for all your sins. 

            And now He is risen from the dead.  Bodily.  And that means God has accepted His sacrifice of atonement.  The resurrection of Jesus is the Holy Absolution of all your sins.  It is your justification, the Father’s declaration that you are righteous, not by your own merits, but by the merits of Jesus Christ His Son, who was crucified and who is now risen from the dead.  And it all happened as He said.  The disciples, the women, we should have known it would happen this way, for He had been saying this all along.  The Son of Man must suffer and die, and on the Third Day rise again.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the confirmation and vindication of all that Jesus said and taught.  He is who He says He is: God’s Son, our Savior.  The proof is the empty tomb.  He has done what He says He came to do: Save us from sin, death, and the devil.  The proof is the risen and living Jesus Himself, who appeared to many eyewitnesses, beginning with these very women.

            As the women are running from the tomb with fear and great joy, suddenly Jesus meets them on the way.  It is all true.  They see it with their own eyes.  And His sermon is the same as that of the angel He had sent: “Do not be afraid” (v. 10).  No more need for fear.  Here I am.  Here are my wounds.  I am the Crucified.  I am risen and living.  All that causes you to fear is at an end in me.  Go and tell my brothers.

            What causes you to fear?  We are all more afraid in these days of uncertainty.  Will I get sick?  Will I, or someone I love, die?  What will happen to the economy and to my job?  What will happen to our nation and society?  To the world?  We don’t know.  We are not prophets.  For all our predictions and educated guesses, we are all groping around in the dark.  There is no end of fear in that. 

            But we do know this: Whatever we are going through at the moment, it is all passing away.  The end of all of this is resurrection!  Because Jesus is not in the grave.  He is risen from the dead, as He said.  You are baptized into Christ.  (If you’re not, let’s talk, and do something about that.)  Baptized into Christ, you died with Him.  Your sins are forgiven.  Baptized into Christ, you are raised with Christ.  Spiritually now, with living faith in Him.  Bodily on the Last Day, when the risen Lord Jesus appears to you and calls you out of the grave.  Whether you die from coronavirus or abject poverty, cancer or a car accident… whatever it may be, the risen Lord Jesus will not leave you dead.  He will raise you.  Without sin.  Without sickness and death.  To live with Him in His New Creation for all eternity.  That is what the resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplishes for you. 

            In the meantime, your fallen fears are tempered by great joy.  Easter joy.  Christ is risen!  And as you go your way, the risen Christ meets you in His Word and with His risen body and blood in the Supper.  He is not in the tomb.  You won’t find Him there.  You will find Him where He has promised to be for you: In the means of grace, in His holy Church.  Even when we can’t meet together in the building.  The Church is His people, His body, among whom He comes with His Baptism, preaching, and Supper; with His forgiveness, life, and salvation.

            Go and tell your brothers.  The word “angel” simply means “messenger.”  Jesus doesn’t just send heavenly angels to tell the Good News that Jesus is risen.  He sends pastors to preach it.  He sends you to confess it.  Just as He sent the women.  Just as He sent the Twelve.  It might be good in these difficult times to greet people (from an accepted social distance, of course) with a hearty, “Christ is risen!  And that changes everything!”  We have real hope to give to an otherwise hopeless world.  Speak to the fear with Easter certainty and great Easter joy.

            Do not be afraid.  Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.  All your sins are forgiven.  The devil and hell are defeated.  Death is coming to an end.  And that means coronavirus, too.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the end of all fear.  Nothing and no one could keep Him in the grave.  Nothing and no one will be able to keep you there, either.  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son (+), and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  Alleluia!