Easter

Alive!

Matthew 28:1-10

 

Opening Words:   There are 52 weeks every year. Each one is important and not a single one should be wasted. Have you every stopped to consider how many weeks have occurred in the history of the world? However, there is one week that changed our world forever, Holy Week! On the Christian calendar Holy Week is the last week of Lent, beginning on Palm Sunday and ending at dawn on Easter. It is the week the church remembers the final days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It recalls the expectation s of Palm Sunday, the rejection of Maundy Thursday, the devastation of Good Friday and the final victory of Easter morning.

 

This is Easter morning and on Easter morning we remember the single greatest event in the history of the world, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let me say this clearly. If you are of the mindset that the resurrection of Jesus is really not important then you have abandoned the faith. The resurrection of Jesus is the very foundation of our faith. Your belief in the resurrected Jesus is not just important, it is indispensable. May God give you ears to hear Matthew’s version of that very first Easter morning. We are in the twenty-eighth chapter of Matthew, verses one through ten. Let me call this message, “Alive!”

 

Matthew 28:1-10          1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

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2There 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. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7Then 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." 8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

 

I love the story of the Sunday School teacher, who asked her class on Palm Sunday, what is Easter and why is Easter important? One little girl spoke up saying: "Easter is when the whole fami ly gets together, and you eat turkey and sing about the pilgrims and all that." "No, that’s not it," said the teacher. "I know what Easter is," a second student responded. "Easter is when you get a tree and decorate it and give gifts to everybody and sing lots of songs." "Nope, that’s not it either," replied the teacher. Finally a third student spoke up, "Easter is when Jesus was killed, and put in a tomb and left for three days." "Ah, thank goodness somebody knows" the teacher thought to herself. But then the student went on: "Then everybody gathers at the tomb and waits to see if Jesus comes out, and if he sees his shadow he has to go back inside and we have six more weeks of winter."

Let there be no doubt about it. Easter is not a national day of thanksgiving. Easter is not the celebration of a newborn babe in a barn filled with animals. Easter is not a celebration of spring nor is it an excellent excuse to color eggs. Easter is a true Christian holiday because Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ! They tell me in the Greek Orthodox tradition many people tell jokes on Easter because God planned out his favorite practical joke on Satan. It looked Satan had won. Jesus was dead and Satan must have celebrated all day on that Saturday. But Sunday is coming. On20Sunday God thinks outside of the box and resurrects his one and only son. His resurrection changed everything. I Corinthians 15:14 says, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” But Christ has been raised from the dead so our preaching is useful and so is our faith.”

 

Did you know all but four of the major world religions are based on mere philosophical propositions? Of the four that are based on personalities rather than philosophies, only Christianity claims an empty tomb for its founder. In 1900 B.C. Judaism’s Father Abraham died. In 483 B.C. Buddhist writings say Buddha died. Islamic writings say on June 6, 632 A.D. Mohammed died. The only one that is alive is Jesus. Let me make this more clear. In 33 A.D. Jesus died but came back to life appearing to over 500 people over a period of 40 days. The resurrection separates us from the rest the world!

 

The story of the resurrection really began on a Friday afternoon at 3:00. Jesus is dead, as he=2 0hangs there two common criminals. His body is taken down from the cross. In a certain way Jesus was lucky. It was not uncommon for the crucified to be taken down and thrown into a pile of lifeless corpses; their bodies would be eaten by the buzzards or wild dogs. Arrangements were made by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus that Jesus’ body would be taken down and placed in a new tomb. A large stone was rolled in front of the entrance to protect from thieves. The Roman government was persuaded by Jesus’ enemies to place guards in front of the tomb to eliminate any future problems. This was all done by dark because the law prohibited any burials on the Sabbath. On Friday night, all day Saturday and all Saturday night, Jesus laid in the tomb. And why not? He was dead! Jesus had no visitors over that period of time because it would violate the law.

 

According to the Gospel of Matthew it is early on Sunday morning and Jesus receives his first visitors, two women with the same first name. There is Mary Magdalene and another Mary. When they arrived you know what happened. You hear this story every year! There are really three remarkable events in this story. The first remarkable event is the great earthquake. Only Matthew mentions this earthquake but this earthquake is worth mentioning because it reveals to us that God has done something truly special. The second remarkable event is that the giant stone has been rolled away. The third remarkable event is the announcement of the resurrection. According to verse three it is made by an angel, whose clothes were white as snow, symbolizing purity. The angel tells the women of the resurrection but the women experience the resurrected Jesus for themselves in verse nine.

 

The resurrection of Jesus is the single most important event in the history of the world but what difference has the resurrection made to us and our generation? It is not just a story of what happened two thousand years ago. The resurrection of Jesus has influenced your life more then you will ever know. The resurrection influences the way that you look at the past. The resurrection influences the way that you live in the present. The resurrection influences the way that you anticipate the future. So if you are ready to look at how the resurrection has influenced your life say, “Amen!” I am going to be brief because we have ham to eat.

 

Past

The resurrection of Jesus affects the way that we perceive our past. Without the resurrection of Jesus there is not hope for the forgiveness of sins. How many people do you know who are constantly reviewing their past mistakes? The resurrection liberates you from your past. Ephesians 1:7 says it clearly, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the richness of God’s grace.” On the moment Jesus walked out of that tomb you had the opportunity to forget your past mistakes and have a relationship with God. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

Present

The resurrection affects the way that you live today. Without the resurrection your life has no meaning or purpose. Your life is nothi ng more then a collection of random acts of kindness. How many people do you who are disillusioned with their lives because they have discovered there must be more to life then shopping? Philippians 3:13-14 says, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind me and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called he heavenward in Christ Jesus.” On the day that Jesus walked out of that tomb you had the opportunity to understand there was more to life then this world has to offer. It is not all about you. It is all about God place for you in the salvation of the world. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

Future

The resurrection affects the way that you look at the future. Without the resurrection there is no hope of going to heaven. There would be no hope of a great reunion with loved ones who have passed years ago. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him may not parish but have eternal life.”  On the day I die don’t cry for me. I am going to heaven, not because I am a good person. I am going to heaven because I worship and serve a perfect and resurrected Jesus. If you would like to spend eternity in heaven say, “Amen!” Let me end with this story.

 

It was back on March I found myself in Washington DC with sixteen international students. I go to our nation’s capitol annually for several reasons. First, I love Washington DC. It is my favorite place in the world. If I could move anywhere, I was move there. Second, I go to Washington DC because I love my wife. I go to chaperone these trips of international students to help my wife, Kathryn, who is the Director of Protestant Campus Ministry at Youngstown State University. These trips are important because there is more to our country then Youngstown. These trips maybe the only chance for these foreign visitors to experience the history and energy of our nation‘s capitol.

 

In three days we saw all the sights. We went to Arlington National Cemetery. We saw the changing of the guard and the Kennedy graves. We visited or saw the Washington and Lincoln Memorials. We visited the Vietnam War Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the Second World War Memorial. We saw the capitol building and the White House. They toured the holocaust museum and explored the Smithsonian Museum of their choice. We had dinner in Georgetown. We saw all you could see in a few short days. We ended our trip by going to the National Cathedral. I believe it is the city’s best kept secret.

 

Have you been to the National Cathedral? Built by private funds, the structure alone is impressive. It took 83 years to complete. The construction began in 1907; the cornerstone was set under the guidance of President Theodore Roosevelt. The construction was completed in 1990. It is a functioning Episcopal Church, full of Christian symbolism.

 

I was with sixteen international students, each one br ight and inquisitive. Most of these students were not Christians, some of the students believed nothing at all. It was March and the cathedral was decorated for the season of Lent. One of the young women was from Taiwan. Did you know there are twenty million people on that island nation? The largest religion is Buddhism, 800,000 believers. The second largest religion was Christianity, 400,000 believers. The vast majority of the people believe nothing, she believed nothing. She asked me many questions. She asked me about the season of Lent. I did my best to explain Lent to her and then she asked me another question. I will never forget her question. She asked me, “And when do you remember the resurgence?” I really didn’t understand what she was asking. I had to think about it, and then it hit me. She wasn’t talking about the resurgence. She was talking about the resurrection. And I told her about Easter and how Jesus walked out of the tomb. I told her that we believe that Jesus conquered death, itself. I told her when I died I am going to heaven because Jesus conquered death. I said everyone who knows Jesus as their Lord and Savior is going to heaven. (I hope I planted a seed that day!) She looked at me and this lovely bright none believer said, “This Jesus must give you great comfort!” She couldn’t have been more right!

 

This is Easter morning and on Easter morning we don’t remember the resurgence. On Easter morning we don’t just celebrate the coming of spring or colored eggs. On Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus! Your belief in the resurrection is not just important, it is indispensable! The resurrection changed everything, your past, your present and your future. And all of God’s resurrected people said, “Amen!”