The Resurrection

Happy Easter! Easter is of course the day that the church historically focuses on the resurrection of Jesus. There are a lot of miracles recorded in the Bible, but this is the biggest of all of them. As you know, we have been walking through Matthew every January to Easter for five years now and it’s pretty incredible that we are perfectly landing on Matthew 28, Jesus’ resurrection, on Easter. That was not planned by me, but it seems like it was planned by someone else:)

I know I’ve told this story a few times, but about ten years ago, I was on a plane with one of my best friends, Kevin, and Kevin was talking to this man next to him. Kevin was trying to figure out what this man’s worldview was and he asked him, “So tell me some of the things you believe.” This man said, “Well, what I believe most people find very weird.” Kevin said, “That’s great! Same here! You go first and then I will.”

So this man began to talk about how he believes the moon is a spaceship inhabited by 4th dimensional reptilian aliens who deliberately interact with humanity in a way to direct the course of our world. Then, Kevin said, “Well, thanks for sharing. I believe that Jesus was really God and that He really resurrected after He died and that He’s going to come back one day and everyone who puts their faith in Him will resurrect as well and live forever with Jesus on a brand new earth. After hearing that, spaceship moon guys said, “Ok, now that’s weird!”

I think in Christian circles, we can lose some of the miraculous awe of the resurrection and, dare I say, some of the, to use his words, weirdness of what we believe. And when that happens, we can also lose a deep sense of why the resurrection matters. It isn’t just a theological box to be checked, it is the very heart of our faith. Why is the resurrection so important? Why does it matter for Matthew as he writes this gospel and why does it matter for us? That’s what I want us to see in this passage. Three reasons the resurrection matters.

1. In the resurrection, God the Father vindicates God the Son

When I say ‘vindicated,’ I just mean proven right. We are going to get to how the resurrection affects us personally, but if Jesus is not who He says He is, if He isn’t vindicated in his claims about being the Messiah, then the resurrection will NEVER affect us personally. The resurrection and the surrounding events in the resurrection prove that Jesus is who He says He is. This is THE defining moment of Jesus’ ministry. All the miracles, all the teaching, all the love and compassion do not have a lasting impact or relevance if Jesus is not who He claimed to be. That is, the divine Son of God who came to save us from our sin.

As we read, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (how would you like to be forever known as the other Mary?), they are walking to the tomb in hopes of preparing his body. Do you see how they needed to see Jesus vindicated? They had acquired spices to prepare his body as they would for any other loved one who died and was going to stay dead. They loved Jesus, they were honoring Jesus with their intentions, but they did not truly believe that He would rise from the grave or they would not be going to prepare His body to remain in the tomb. Everything we are about to see is a sweet mercy for these two women to see who Jesus really is and it will be for the disciples and us as well.

Jesus is vindicated four ways. First, he is vindicated through the earthquake. Just before the angel (who we will look at in a moment) appears to the Marys, an earthquake hits. Now, just the presence of an earthquake at this moment would have given anyone chills, but we talked two weeks ago about how earthquakes are used all over the Old Testament to communicate the presence of God, the judgement of God, and even the comfort of God. There was an earthquake at the moment Jesus died and now we have an earthquake as the women arrive at Jesus’ tomb showing God is very much present and Jesus is very much alive.

Second, Jesus is vindicated in the appearance of the angel. The angel in verses two and three is a special messenger from God. The angel’s appearance was like lightning and his clothes were white as snow. The angel is a visible picture of God’s holiness. If you combine all the accounts of this event in the gospels, it seems that the angel first appeared to the Roman soldiers guarding the tomb who were utterly terrified and ran off. The angel removed the stone and this is when the two women arrived and saw the angel on top of the stone. This was a divine confirmation that Jesus was no longer in the tomb. The guards had not taken the body and they had not arrived at the wrong tomb. It was a visible symbol of Christ’s victory over death. God the Father has vindicated Jesus’ claims that he had come to conquer death.

Then, third, Jesus is vindicated by the stone. This is easy to overlook, but the reason that stone was removed was not to let Jesus out. That would be ironic if after declaring His power over death, Jesus was trapped in the tomb until someone let Him out. Matthew and other gospel writers are clear that the stone was removed so the disciples could see that Jesus was not there. This was for the disciples and, as I will make the case in a moment, for us as well. To build a sure confidence that Jesus is who He says He is. This is to build their faith and also ours.

Fourth, Jesus is vindicated by the Roman guards. It’s funny that Jesus is vindicated by the very people who were there to stop anyone from believing that He would come back to life in three days as He said he would. These guards were placed here for the sole purpose of making sure that this Jesus movement ended once and for all. All they had to do was keep the tomb guarded and make sure that no one came along to steal Jesus’ body and make some crazy claim that He had come back to life. And these weren’t just some sort of hired security guards. These were soldiers, trained killers who had to guard this tomb at risk of being killed themselves if anything happened. Which makes the appearance of the angel all the more plausible because that’s about the only thing that could have made them leave their post.

Some have asked how we can really know the tomb was empty. If you think about it, the tomb had to be empty. There is no way this message survives if it wasn’t. We even see the lengths the religious leaders went to to create false narratives about what happened. 11 While they were going, behold, some of athe guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people,b‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to cthe governor’s ears, we will dsatisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among theJews eto this day.- Matthew 28:11-15. But that false narrative never took hold because no one believed that these disciples could defeat these guards or slip past them. It made no sense.

It reminds me of that scene in Independence Day when Will Smith was stealing a helicopter to fly back to Las Vegas to save his fiance and ends up also saving the First Lady. As he’s stealing the helicopter, this massive soldier stops him and Will Smith says, “Tell them I hit you.” And the soldier gives a look like, “What? Now you’re just insulting me.” That’s how I imagine these Roman soldiers as they are told to say they were asleep and the disciples got past them and stole the body.

The resurrection really happened. This past weekend, Angela and I were speaking at a Weekend to Remember marriage conference out West and we got permission to bring our daughter, Ivey, with us because it was her birthday and she wanted to see snow and mountains. One of the things she really wanted to do was snowmobile which I told her was way outside of our budget. Well, in God’s providence, the first night we were there we ate next to a single guy in his 30’s who had no budget and a top of the line snowmobile and he offered to teach Ivey how to drive it. He was such a great dude and one of the nicest people I have ever met. So, we got to talking about faith and he believed in a God in general, but wasn’t sure about the Bible. I asked him what he thought about the resurrection and he said he thought it could be something to take figuratively, but not literally and that you could still hold a lot of Christian doctrine without it.

Then I asked him if the resurrection wasn’t literal, why did Paul write this to the Corinthians? 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, zhow can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, athen not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that bhe raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and cyou are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who dhave fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope2 in this life only, ewe are of all people most to be pitied. - 1 Cor 15:12-19

Matthew’s main point is that the resurrection really did happen. And not only do we have human testimony to that end, we have divine testimony as well. All logic leads to that end. The problem of believing that Jesus is who He says he is and that He really did resurrect isn’t the lack of records or intellectual credibility. It is our own sin that prevents us from seeing it. And by sin, I mean the faultiness in our souls that not only leads us to make decisions that do not honor God, but a faultiness that also causes us to worship other things the way we should worship God. It’s a disease that causes us to believe that there is a God (and most everyone I meet does believe that), but that the resurrection is impossible. That just doesn’t make sense. If there is a God who created life, why would the resurrection be impossible? Why would it be any less possible for God to resurrect life than to create life? In the words of Tim Keller, “It’s impossible to say the resurrection is impossible.”

But, the resurrection isn’t just an intellectual or academic truth, it changes both our lives and eternity, which leads me to my second point.

1. In the resurrection, we are comforted

We can see two ways that we are comforted in this text. They aren’t the only two things, but they are two very important things and we see them in the words of the angel to Mary and Mary. First, we are comforted in our doubts. The angels say: Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen as he said. Matt 28:5,6a Just put yourself in their situation. They loved Jesus and were devoted to him, but either haven’t comprehended what He said about resurrecting or not fully believed it. And here is an angel in his full glory confronting their unbelief. Now, if you or I were God and we had been resurrected from the dead and been abandoned by the disciples in our greatest hour of need, what would be the first words we would tell them? They probably wouldn’t be nice words. You had one job! Wait three days! You couldn’t give me three days?? But, that isn’t how God operates with us. This angel doesn’t speak harshly to them, he doesn’t rebuke them, he comforts them. “Do not be afraid, for I know you seek Jesus who was crucified.”

God’s desire is to comfort his children. We don’t always think we need comfort…until we get a bad medical diagnosis or lose a job or a relationship we value falls apart. Trials challenge what we believe. They create doubts…and that is normal. It doesn’t make you a bad Christian. But, Jesus’ resurrection means that we can have comfort in this life knowing that he is alive and well and with us through everything. And we can have comfort knowing that, because of the resurrection, this affliction we feel is momentary.

Paul calls Jesus’ resurrection the first fruits. We looked at this two weeks ago, but this just means that what is true of Jesus’ resurrection will also be true for us. At the end of time, we will resurrect with glorified bodies that will always be in shape, that will not grow old, and that will never fail us. And everyone knows that I think we will be able to fly as well. I was talking to an older man not long ago and I asked him how he was and he said, “Well, my knees need to be replaced, my back hurts, I don’t sleep well, but I know I’m going to get a new body in the resurrection so I’m doing pretty good.” Do you know how we could summarize that response? I’m not afraid. That’s the comfort of the resurrection. The truth of our secured resurrection in Jesus Christ to an eternal future with no pain, no failing bodies, no broken relationships, no anxiety, no financial strain, no loneliness, no depression, no guilt, and no fear should relieve the fear we experience in this life by building us up in our faith. Paul says in Romans 8, 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time nare not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us…22 For we know that sthe whole creation thas been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. - Rom 8:18,22 But more than all that, we will be with Jesus!

This life is hard, it hurts, but the groanings we hear are leading to life. I have heard the groanings of the birthing room and the groanings of the cancer ward and they are very different groanings. One is leading to life and the other is fighting death. We need not be afraid because the groanings we experience in this world are leading to life for those who hold fast to Jesus. He is risen and so shall we because he said it would happen and it DID happen!

Then, secondly, we are comforted by an invitation. The angels say: Come, see the place where he1 lay. Matt 28:6b Come, see. The angel is inviting the women to see the tomb. He’s inviting them to know the truth. They are scared and they are doubting, but he invites them in. And the angels are just echoing the heart of Jesus who said. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. - Matt 11:28 Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. - Luke 18:16 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. - John 6:37

You know how you come to Jesus? You hear his words with a different heart. You hear his words with a repentant heart. You realize that we do worship other things in place of Him. Worshiping something just means to live for it. To make it our highest priority. We worship physical beauty, we worship sexual satisfaction, we worship material things, and we worship professional success…but we don’t naturally worship God. A repentant heart looks at Jesus’ words, maybe over a long period of time, and begins to reflect and begins to see it. You begin to see how weary you are from these other pursuits. How they haven’t given you the satisfaction you want. You begin to see Jesus as the rest that you long for. You see that Jesus doesn’t just want you to be more moral or just get more religious. He just wants you to stop being your own savior. He wants you to stop being your own judge. You see that He is gentle and humble in heart and that in Him you can find rest for your weary souls. You see that He just wants you to come to Him.

That is the invitation of the angel to the women and because the angel works at the will of God, this is also the invitation of Jesus to us. And for all those who accept that invitation, one more thing is true in the resurrection.

1. In the resurrection, we are commissioned

Look at verse 7: Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, the is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you - Matt 28:7 Then we read that they went with great fear and great joy. Then the disciples saw Jesus and He said something similar to them. Do not be afraid; ygo and tell zmy brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” - Matt 28:10

We see a pattern here. The women are told to go and tell the disciples, then the disciples are told to go and tell all those who were with Jesus. And if you read the gospels and Acts you see hundreds of people seeing the resurrected Jesus. And then just before he ascends, he gives this same command to them and us with one change. Instead of going and telling believers about Jesus’ resurrection, we are called to tell unbelievers about Jesus’ resurrection. Verse 18 And Jesus came and said to them, h“All authority iin heaven and on earth has been given tome. 19 jGo therefore and kmake disciples of lall nations, jbaptizing them min2 nthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them oto observe all that pI have commanded you. - Matt 28:18-20

When people think about the mission of the church, they can think more in terms of conscription than commission. Conscription is when we are called against our will to do something like go fight in a war. When we are commissioned by Jesus, while there may be fear like the Marys, there is also great joy, like the Marys.

Two weeks ago, I told the story of how I became a Christian. I was a senior at FSU and everything about my life changed. My life change was a very visible one because I was so involved on campus and people began to ask me about it. I stood up in our weekly fraternity meeting and told them, “I know I’ve changed a lot. I just want to tell you that I’ve become a Christian. I’m not here to tell you how to live your life, but I’m here if anyone wants to know more.” There was a lot of confusion in the room and people wondered if they should support me, challenge me, or make fun of me. And all three of those things happened. But, so many people wanted to know more. Two Bible studies began and I got to see God use me to bring a lot of people to Him. I got to experience both the fear and joy of being commissioned by God. A commission that is extended to every person who puts their faith in Jesus.

We used to live for ourselves, but now we live for someone greater. This isn’t a response to the gospel, but at the core of the gospel itself. We are now caught up in something far greater than we could imagine. Jesus’ resurrection isn’t about proving some point, it’s about us being a new creation commissioned to be a real part of fulfilling God’s purpose in the world. To know Jesus is to be commissioned to a new way of life and a new work. In the words of Samwise the brave from Lord of the Rings, to be a part of everything sad coming untrue.

I wonder how many of us this morning are like these women who have come to the tomb with good intentions, but little expectation. We come to our Bibles, we come to worship with good intentions, but little expectation that God is going to work a miracle. That He can really comfort us, that He can really use us, that He can really change our hearts. Every Christian ends up in that spot at some point in time. Or, maybe you go to church a couple times a year with friends or family and you go with good intentions, but little expectation that God can change your heart, your life, and your eternity. The Bible says that if we just acknowledge to God that that is where we are, amazing things will happen.

A myth cannot sustain us in our trials. A legend cannot help us face death. A fun, nice story alone cannot comfort us in our sadness. But Jesus is none of those. He is not a myth, he is not a legend, he is not just a fun story. He is real. And you can bet your life and eternity on him. That’s what this passage tells us.

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