He Is Risen! (Matthew 27:57-28:20)

[Listen to an audio version here]

When we think about the world plunged into darkness, World War II is one of those times. The whole world seemed to be engulfed in war, and much of the world was being crushed under the boot of tyrannical government.

We have many stories that demonstrate the tragedy and darkness of World War II. One of the most poignant is that of Corrie ten Boom. She lived in Nazi-occupied Holland during World War II. Her family, trusting in Christ, believed that they needed to help the Jews. Eventually, they were caught. Corrie, her father, and her sister were all sent to Ravensbruck, a German concentration camp. The darkness had gotten deeper.

Jesus’ Burial
Perhaps this is the way the disciples would have viewed the death of Jesus. There was darkness over all the land, and finally Jesus gave up His spirit and died. His lifeless body hung there on the cross.

While this was going on, a man named Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Joseph was wealthy and a leader of the Jews, and he was secretly a follower of Jesus.

Joseph had prepared a tomb, most likely for himself. He had cut it out of the rock. The tomb was ready for use. Jesus, of course, had no tomb of his own. He was a man who had few possessions. However, in accordance with the Scripture, Jesus was buried with the rich. As the prophet Isaiah prophesied concerning the Messiah’s paradoxical burial, “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth” (Is. 53:9).

Joseph wrapped Jesus’ body in linen. Then, “he rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away” (Mt. 27:60). Imagine as he took the body of Jesus and laid it in the tomb. The light was shining through the entrance. Then, the stone was rolled over it. The darkness descended on the body of Jesus. He would no more see the light of the land of the living. “Messiah still and all alone,” as the song says.

All this was observed by some of the women who loved Jesus. Note that Jesus’ disciples were nowhere to be found. When the authorities came to arrest Jesus, “all the disciples deserted him and fled” (Mt. 26:56).

The leaders were not satisfied with simply killing Jesus. They wanted to make sure there was no chance that His influence would continue. They knew that He had said that He would rise from the dead. Their concern was that His disciples would come and take the body and claim that He had risen. Consequently, they asked Pilate, “[Please] give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first” (Mt. 27:64).

Pilate agreed. “‘Take a guard,’ Pilate answered. ‘Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how'” (Mt. 27:65). So, the Roman soldiers went and guarded the tomb to make sure the disciples would not steal the body. They also put a seal on the stone to make sure that it was not moved.

Thus, Jesus went to the realm of the dead. He was in the grave. Let us remember on this Easter as we face the prospect of the grave, whether its our own end or the end of those that love us, that Jesus has already gone there. He has entered the tomb, and He has transformed the grave so that a light can shine even in its darkness. We do not mourn as those who have no hope.

Jesus’ resurrection
But the darkness did not have the last word. That’s what we see in the next part of our passage. On Sunday morning, at the first light of day, Mary Magdalene and another Mary were on their way to the tomb.

And something happened. As the first light of Sunday morning shone forth, a light like the sun shone forth from heaven. That second light was not the sun. The earth shook, and an angelic being came down from heaven. He rolled back the stone and sat on it. The light was the angel come down from God’s heavenly throne room.

And what about the guards? Those crack Roman soldiers who would hold their ground in the face of the onslaughts of Gauls, Persians, Germans, and a host of other enemies, were completely overwhelmed by the presence of the angelic being. They shook in fear and became like dead men themselves when they faced a soldier of heaven.

In light of the fear induced in the Roman soldiers, it is not surprising that the angel’s first words to the women were, “Do not be afraid!” (Mt. 27:5). Easter is not a time of fear and darkness. It is a day of light and joy. Here’s what the angel said, “I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said” (Mt. 27:5–6).

What glorious words, “He is not here; he has risen!” Death had not conquered. The grave had not conquered. Evil had not conquered. Jesus had conquered death, the grave, and sin. There was hope! The one who was crucified, dead, and buried was now risen from the dead! The light is shining, and the darkness recedes!

So, people need to know what happened. The angel told them to go and tell His disciples and followers that He had risen indeed! In spite of what the angel said, they were afraid, but they were also filled with joy. Jesus’ resurrection was something totally unlooked for and unexpected that broke every pattern of nature that they had ever seen, yet the believed! They were filled with joy at what the angel said and fear in light of this astonishing event.

As they left, they met Jesus, and they fell down and worshipped Him. He then said these remarkable words. “Greetings. Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me” (Mt. 28:10). It was a new day! Jesus still loved those who had fled from Him in His greatest trial. He called them not only His students, His disciples, He called them His brothers. It is a new day indeed! It is a day of forgiveness. It is a day of restoration. It is a day of reconciliation. Those who had turned away from Jesus were now going to be restored and reconciled to Him.

That’s what the resurrection means for me and for you. However many times we have failed Him, whatever this past year has been like, Jesus says, “Go tell my brothers and sisters, I am risen. It’s a new day. Forgiveness is here.” Believe it, and it is yours!”

For not everyone believes. The leaders of the Jewish people knew what had happened. They had the guards’ report. Yet, instead of believing it, they rejected it. They told the guards to give a false report and gave them money to do so. They knew their false report of being overcome by the disciples would get them into serious trouble with their rulers. The leaders said that they would intercede on their behalf to make sure that didn’t happen.

People still do the same thing. We do not necessarily act on the basis of evidence. We see what we want to see and what confirms our own bias. It’s easy to let the viewpoints of our own group or side blind us to reality. This blocks us from faith, and this often blocks us from love. We need to be people of the truth, no matter what it costs. We need to be lovers of the truth like Josh McDowell. He was an atheist trained as a lawyer. He set out to disprove Jesus’ resurrection by legal standards. He was overwhelmed by the evidence that Jesus’ resurrection had actually occurred in history and became a follower of Jesus. He wrote down the results in his book, The Evidence that Demands a Verdict. If you have questions about this, take a look. Consider it. Find out for yourself.

Jesus’ encounter with the disciples
Some time after this, Jesus came to His eleven disciples and met them. They worshipped Him, but note that it says that some doubted. The Bible does not hide the weaknesses and frailties of its “heroes.”

Jesus wanted them to know that He was now with them. He assured them that His resurrection means the efficacy of His power, precepts, and presence. These will be our next three sermons. We will look at Matthew 28:18—20 in much greater depth, but let’s just take a brief glance.

Jesus says that the resurrection ensures His power. All authority has been given to Him. This means that He has all the power He needs to bring restoration to the whole world. He has power to enable us to believe, to love, and to do great things for His kingdom.

Jesus says that the resurrection ensures the efficacy of His precepts. He says to baptize and teach. Through His Word and sacraments, He will gather and guide His followers in the future, all those who would believe through the words of the Apostles.

Jesus says that the resurrection ensures the efficacy of His presence. He said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt. 28:20). He would never leave them as He did when He went into the grave. He would be present with them forever. No one would be able to stop them because He would be with them and would protect, guide, and empower them. His presence ensures the success of their mission and work in the world. The light has dawned, and Jesus is here. The darkness will not overcome.

Conclusion
And that’s what Corrie ten Boom learned. She saw God work in the darkness. She saw in the darkness of the concentration camp that God’s light could shine in the darkest places. She knew the truth of the promise, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the age,” and even into the darkest corners of the world. She saw Jesus’ power overcome hard hearts, comfort those on the way to death, and do miracles to protect and provide for His people. You can read about them in her wonderful little book, The Hiding Place.

One of the greatest examples of Christ’s power is one she recounts at the end of her book. After the war, she went to tell people of Christ’s light and love and how it could shine in the darkest of places. She went all over Germany and the world. At one of her meetings in Germany, she froze. There, was one of the guards from Ravensbruck. He went up to Corrie and thanked her for her words. He said, “I know the light of which you speak. I have repented of my sin and become a believer in Jesus Christ.” He extended his hand, but Corrie could not move. All the terrible memories came back, which are worse than the book recounts. Then, all of a sudden, she felt a power rush through her and she was able to extend her arm and take the hand of her former persecutor. It was the power of the risen Christ. It was a new day. The light had dawned. The darkness receded.

And that’s still true for you and for me. Christ is here, and He still works in us to enable us to believe when we doubt, to enable us to love when we’ve been hurt, and to enable us to do good that we never thought we could do. That is the power of Christ who is with us forever! The light is shining! The day has dawned! The darkness recedes! It’s a new day! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!