In Matthew 27:57-28:9, there’s an impossible assignment – keep Jesus in the grave. The authorities expected to keep Jesus in the grave and the disciples and followers of Jesus expected to come and see Him in the grave. But you can’t keep a good man down.
The miracle of Easter is the fact that Jesus died and rose again. At the tomb the angel said, “He is not here for He has risen just as He said.” Jesus died. He was dead. He gave up the ghost, He said, “It is finished” and yielded His spirit to the Father. The soldiers said He was dead. The authorities said that He was dead. His friends took Him and laid Him in the grave because He was dead. Jesus was dead. He wasn’t unconscious. He wasn’t sickly. He was dead.
The messenger of Easter was an angel. The appearance of the angel is quite striking. The dramatic arrival of the messenger was a severe earthquake and the guards shook with fear. Then the angel rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb and sat on it. It was moved, not to let Jesus out, but to let people see He was gone.
The message of Easter is three-fold:
- Come and See.
It’s as if the angel said, “Come right in and look. Here’s where He laid. He’s no longer there. See for yourself.” Though based on a fact (the resurrection of Jesus), Christianity is not so much a system of beliefs and adherents to a set of doctrines. It is a personal relationship with a living Jesus.
Whatever your doubts or misgivings about the truthfulness of the Easter story, don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself. As a matter of fact, if you believe just because someone told you, that’s not enough. The Gospel is not a second-hand religion. It must be received one person at a time. So, I encourage you to investigate the truths for yourself. Don’t quit until you find the answer.
- Go and Tell.
The angel told the women to “go quickly and tell His disciples.” And then “they ran to report it.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful for all those who have heard of the risen Savior to go quickly and tell others? Who do you know who needs to hear the wonderful message of Jesus?
They ran with “fear” and “great joy.” Seldom do we feel fear and joy at the same time. But the events caused them fear, but the message gave them joy. I’ve found many times two opposing emotions in my life at the same time. At the funeral of a Christian, I often feel sorrow and joy – a tear and a smile – as I think of my temporary loss but the permanent hope of Heaven.
The women went to the graveyard sad and slow. But they left the graveyard glad and their hearts were aglow because they had come expecting to see death and instead, they had seen life. And they were thrilled; they were excited, they were rejoicing.
- Fall and Worship.
I love the fact that the risen Jesus met them. He took the initiative to meet them. And Jesus takes the initiative to meet you and me. They didn’t go find Jesus. Jesus went and found them. He greeted them. He looked at them. And He had fellowship with them.
What was their response? They fell and worshiped Jesus. That is always the appropriate response when we realize who Jesus really is. Worship is expressing our love deeply for one who is a priority. We love many things: money, sports, family, etc. But Jesus is the only one who deserves to be loved with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
You can read some of my other Easter messages: 5 Results of the Resurrection, Jesus is Alive, Grammatically Correct Easter.