April 12, 2020
Sunday. The day after the Sabbath. Two days after Good
Friday. This is the day Christians around the word celebrate the resurrection
of Jesus.
When we use the word “empty,” generally we use it in the
negative sense: empty fuel tank, empty wallet, empty stomach, empty house… but
at Easter we remember an empty cross and an empty tomb. The cross is empty, Jesus
has moved on to something much more glorious, much more challenging, much more
personal.
The women went to the tomb expecting a body that had been
crucified. What they found was an empty tomb. “But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that
you seek Jesus who was crucified.” [Matthew 28:5 ESV] It is interesting they went to care for the body without a
plan for rolling the heavy stone away from the tomb. Matthew gives the
impression that they witnessed an earthquake and an angel rolling the stone
aside. They watched the guards, Roman soldiers, fall into a dead faint (see
Matthew 28:4).
After the angel rolled the stone aside, he took up a casual
pose, “And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord
descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.”
[Matthew 28:2 ESV] The angel is not at attention, nor is the angel flashing a
sword to keep people away. Sitting is a relaxed posture. Almost as if to say, “Relax,
everything is awesome.”
The angel starts with “do not be afraid.” Fear is common
with humans. Fear is used to motivate and manipulate us. Don’t believe me? Just
watch the news. It’s interesting the message from God is “do not be afraid.” Once
we look past the fear, we will have a chance to see God at work.
Then the women are invited to see the empty grave. “He is
not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”
[Matthew 28:6] Luke records the question, “… Why do you seek the living among the
dead?” [Luke 24:6c ESV] It’s almost to say, you are looking in the wrong place.
If you are looking for a dead Jesus, a grave is the natural choice. Problem is;
today the tomb is empty!
The women are told, “Then go quickly and tell his disciples
that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him.” [Matthew 28:7 ESV] The first invitation was to “come
and see.” Now they are told to “go and tell.” The knowledge of a living Jesus
requires them to act, to obey, to give witness.
The women obeyed, “So they departed quickly from the tomb
with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met
them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and
worshiped him.” [Matthew 28:8 – 9] I do not think it is a coincidence that when
they were on their way to tell others about the empty tomb; they meet the main
character of their message. It seems obedience is the conduit to experiencing Jesus.
It’s one thing to have a dead Jesus. We can enjoy Jesus
being dead because it focuses on God’s love. We can focus on believing as a
matter of faith. It means we can go about life undisturbed because Jesus is not
involved in life. The flaw in thinking this way is the disciples’ early message
was Jesus crucified, risen, and coming again. Having a living Jesus is a very different
thing. The crucifixion is only part of the story.
The real question is what do we do with the resurrection?
Paul stated, “He was publicly identified as God’s Son with power through his resurrection
from the dead, which was based on the Spirit of holiness. This Son is Jesus
Christ our Lord.” [Romans 1:4 CEB] So if the resurrection is true, and it is,
what are you going to do about it?
While the cross demonstrates God’s love; the empty tomb leads us into personal relationship with the living God. The empty tomb leads
us to power in life. The empty tomb leads us to victory in life. This all looks
forward to the eventual return of Jesus and the justice, cleansing, and renewal
this world desperately needs.
Having a living Jesus means obedience. It means living a
holy life in a depraved, dying, and decaying world.
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