Good Easter Sunday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
This day, perhaps more than any other day of the year, is a Day of HOPE for our world, do you agree? WHY? Because this is the day we celebrate that Jesus Christ rose from the dead after His brutal crucifixion on that day we often call Good Friday.
Of course I wasn’t there 2000 years ago to see it, and neither were you! So how do we know it’s true? Oh yes, I’ve seen the pictures of the “Garden Tomb” in Jerusalem and I’ve even visited it four times over the past 20 years or so, but still, I’ve never met anyone personally who was there that Easter morning 2000 years ago!
The Biblical accounts of this Easter Sunday are found in all four Gospels: Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-49 and John 20:1-23. Each is quite different from the others, but combining them together gives us a wonderful picture of a remarkable day, a day unlike any other! I left you yesterday with the friends and followers of Jesus, in the darkest day of their lives.
Dr. Luke is the only Gospel writer who gives us the impression that at least some of the women were using ‘Dark Saturday’ to make some preparations for the following week. He writes: “The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how Jesus’ body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” (Luke 23:55,56)
That Passover Sabbath would have been very special for all Jews. It was a day of HOPE. Hope that someday God would do for the Jews of that era, what He had done for the Hebrew slaves in Egypt…deliverance from their oppression. It was a day of HOPE that someday God would send Messiah, their long promised deliverer!
But for these close friends of Jesus, it was, I believe, despair beyond description. Several of them had been convinced Jesus was that long promised Messiah, but now Jesus’ body was dead and buried. The spices and perfumes the women gathered were part of the Jewish burial process of caring for the body of someone they loved, both before and after burial in a cave/tomb. The women evidently had no thought, no hope of ever seeing Jesus alive again.
The fact that all the Gospel writers tell us the women went to the tomb very early, before daylight, on that Sunday is indication they likely knew nothing about the guards on duty nor the seal which had been placed on the tomb. (Matt.27:62-28:4) They went before daylight to complete the burial process Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had begun hastily on Friday afternoon, when those men had removed Jesus’ emaciated body from the cross and brought it to this nearby tomb, at least temporarily.
I assume all of us, my “Walking with Jesus” friends, have experienced the death of a friend or family member, so it should not be difficult for us to imagine the brokenness of heart that these friends of Jesus were experiencing.
I have no doubt during that Passover Sabbath the disciples and women friends of Jesus were gathered together, perhaps at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, in Bethany, just over the hills of Olivet, grieving and discussing their memories of Jesus… His wonderful life, His amazing miracles, His hopeful messages, His love for everyone, His explanations of God and God’s Kingdom.
Perhaps occasionally someone mentioned that Jesus had told them He would rise after His death, (Matt. 20:18,19) but I see no evidence there were any plans being made, any discussion of, or anticipation of His possible resurrection. In fact I wonder if they may have been discussing moving Jesus’ body to some place where a proper funeral and burial might take place with appropriate days of mourning and celebration of His life?
Is that perhaps why the women went so early with additional spices and perfumes, for further wrapping the dead and badly damaged body of their friend Jesus? Of course it’s also important we remember that especially the more high profile disciples like Peter, James, John, Andrew, Matthew were probably fearful for their lives, assuming those who called for Jesus’ death would be wanting His disciples dead also.
Matthew reports there had been an earthquake at the death of Jesus on that Friday afternoon, (Matt.27:51) and another earthquake early that Sunday morning. Matthew even uses the words “a violent earthquake”! (Matt. 28:2) In all four Gospel accounts it was the women friends of Jesus who first went to the tomb. Why do you suppose? It has always troubled me that none of the disciples either went with the women or were motivated to go to the tomb in the middle of the night, even earlier than the women. WHY?
May I ask a challenging question? Look at your extended family, as far back in your ancestors as you know. Who are the more spiritually motivated, more spiritually disciplined, the more spiritually devout, men or the women in your family? Why is that?
Matthew tells us those first women at the tomb encountered an angel who shocked them with the explanation that their death spices were not needed! “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here…” (Matt. 28:5) It’s only a few words, but it was the right place to start for these dear, broken hearted women who loved Jesus and wanted to serve Him, even in His death! I’m glad the angel acknowledged their fear. Of course they were afraid… an earthquake, an angel from heaven speaking to them, and the rock rolled away from the tomb! I’m also glad the angel, in only a few words, confirms that he knows who they are and why they have come to the tomb.
I think that gave the angel credibility to believe what he next proclaimed, even though unthinkable… unreasonable words which they could not quite grasp, words of resurrection: “He is not here, He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where He lay.” (Matt. 28:6)
It’s one thing to hear shocking news, it’s another to be invited to come and look at the evidence. In fact in this case the angel invited the women to step INTO the evidence, by entering the tomb to get a very close look at the place where Joseph and Nicodemus had laid the dead body of Jesus. Some, if not all of those women had watched those men bring Jesus’ body there and roll the stone to close the tomb on that Friday afternoon. (Matt. 27:61) They knew exactly where to come that morning, even in the pre-dawn dim light.
But nothing could have prepared them for what they have now seen with their own eyes and heard with their own ears. How long do you suppose they lingered there? Do you imagine they asked the angel some other questions? Matthew tells us “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them…” (Matt. 28:9) Oh my!
It’s one thing to see an angel… and even though we have many Bible stories about people encountering angels, I’ve often wondered how I would react if I saw an angel. But now these dear women are seeing Jesus! The Jesus they had watched die. The Jesus whose body was so badly beaten He was almost unrecognizable! The Jesus they’d watched wrapped in linens and buried in the tomb. It was impossible, illogical, unreasonable…even though the angel had said it was true, now as the women looked at Him, Jesus, their minds could not compute what their eyes were seeing!
And then He spoke “Greetings” is what Matthew tells us Jesus said. I wonder if Jesus called them each by name? Matthew reports the women rushed to Him and fell to the ground grasping His feet. Perhaps they nearly fainted. Perhaps they needed to verify by touch what their eyes saw and ears heard but still they could not believe? Jesus told them to go and tell His disciples what they had seen, and heard and touched!
My friends, may I invite you to find time today to read each of the resurrection accounts found in all four Gospels? Look closely at how the people responded to the news of resurrection, and for those who actually encountered the risen Jesus, please take note of how that encounter affected them. I think it’s safe to say those encounters with risen Jesus that day were among the most precious stories those people told to whomever would listen, for the rest of their lives!
From that day to this, every person who has heard of the resurrection of Jesus Christ has been left with a critical decision to make… is it true or fantasy? I wonder what your decision is and how your decision has affected your life? For me, it’s absolutely true and it has changed my life forever! Tomorrow we’ll look at how it changed some of the lives of others too. For today, as you read the Gospel account of Resurrection Sunday, here’s a powerful worship song, sung by children who have HOPE!
Today’s Scripture: Matt. 28:1-10.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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