Jump Start # 2069

Matthew 28:1 “Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.”

This is Easter weekend. The world pauses for just a moment to think about an empty grave in Jerusalem. The weekend is filled with eggs, candy, dressing up and family gatherings. For those early disciples, every Sunday was resurrection day. For the world, as soon as Sunday passes, it will return to the way it was with little change coming from a tomb that was emptied by God to save our sins.

But for those first disciples, that resurrection weekend was filled with all kinds of tears and emotions.

On Friday, Jesus was crucified. Everyone scattered. The heavy hand of Rome came crashing down. The disciples were in utter shock. Jesus who had changed the weather, cured lepers and seemed unstoppable was now at the hands of Roman soldiers. Jesus didn’t get out of this. He was brutally executed. It was not quick and merciful. It was slow and torturous. That night, I expect those disciples huddled in fear. Would someone turn them in? Would the doors burst open only to reveal more soldiers? The blood was everywhere. It was so terrible. Like a horrific crime or car accident, the hours following are lived retelling and reliving the horror over and over again. Talk would have turned to how terrible it was to be living as prisoners of Rome. If they could only break free from Roman dominance. If only the Messiah would come. He will restore our nation, they thought. He will make all things right. We will once again be the glory as we were long ago. Wasn’t Jesus supposed to be the Messiah? But now, he was dead. Tears filled their hearts as they sat in silence, thoughts swirling in their heads. How could this have happened?

On Saturday, the reality of Jesus being gone started to sink in. Is this all over? What are we supposed to do? Who will lead us? Are we supposed to go back home? Was that it? He had helped so many people but now he was dead. What are we gong to do? Should we go back to Galilee? Should we stay here? The emptiness and the pain of Jesus being gone was felt. Why did Judas turn Jesus in? What happened to Judas? It was so great being with Jesus. He always knew what to do. Remember the time he healed the man with the withered hand? Remember the time we were all stuffed in a house and some guys lowered a crippled man through the roof? And, do you remember Jesus telling that man to get up and to walk and he did. Remember the demon possessed man who ran at us, screaming and shouting. Remember the Lord demanding those demons to leave and they entered the hogs and they all jumped off the cliff. Remember? But now, there was just the loneliest of each other. Confusion. Uncertainty. That long, long Saturday. What do we do now?

On Sunday, early, while it was still dark, some went to the tomb. They rushed back with excited words that He was not there. What about the Roman soldiers? What about Pilate’s seal? What about the stone in front of the tomb? Others hurried to the tomb. It was empty. Grave clothes remained inside. What does all of this mean? If someone took him, why did they unwrap him? Were the Romans involved with this? Where would they have taken his body? The pain of Friday and the emptiness of Saturday are now filled with questions on Sunday. What does all of this mean? Some women claimed they saw him alive. Others have reported seeing him. And, then He appears. There He is. Alive. Resurrected. He’s back. But we saw you killed. There was no way you could have survived that. We saw them carry your body into the tomb. You were dead. But now, here you are. Sunday quickly turns into a day of excitement and joy. He is alive. He is with us.

As the Lord talks, they remember He had said this. He told them that He would be killed and then be raised on the third day. Now, it’s making sense. Now, they are starting to get it. Now, they are seeing Him as they never saw Him before. It’s one thing, quite remarkable, to raise the dead. But to raise yourself after you have died? Unbelievable. But it’s true.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday—for you and I, it’s the weekend. For those first disciples, it was shock, pain, emptiness, confusion and then celebration. He is alive. Rome couldn’t defeat Him. Pilate couldn’t defeat Him. The Jews couldn’t defeat Him. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is God. Jesus is alive.

You and I have our own Friday, Saturday, and Sunday moments in life. Grief, shock and pain. Emptiness of a loved one gone. The confusion of what to do next. But for believers, Sunday comes. Hope renewed. There is life after death. There is joy after sorrow. There is peace knowing that this life isn’t it. There is confidence in knowing that the best is yet to come.

Up from the grave He arose. Not just an Easter thought, but the exclamation point of the Bible. Not just a Sunday thing in April but the foundation of our belief. Every Sunday is resurrection day. Every Sunday is indeed, the Lord’s Day.

That Sunday encounter for those first disciples put a fire in their belly. They now knew. No one could silence them. Arrest them. Imprison them. They would never be quiet again. They knew. They believed. They were changed. It’s that same fire that we need in our bellies today.

Up from the grave He arose…

Roger

Jump Start # 86

Matthew 28:1 “Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.”

  Resurrection day—this is the setting of our passage today. It’s early in the morning, the ground is wet, and it is just getting light outside. The women have been busy. They have gathered spices to anoint the body of Jesus. His rapid burial did not allow Joseph and Nicodemus time to take care of the body as it is generally done. The women came to do that. They expected to find Jesus there. In one of the Gospels they even ask, “who will roll the stone for us?”

  They will be surprised, as all the world will be, and especially Satan, to learn that Jesus has risen from the dead. He is simply not there. This is God’s exclamation point! Paul said Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection” (Rom. 1:4). This is why Sunday is special. This is why we call it “the Lord’s Day.” It is His day. This is when the disciples took the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7). Taking the Lord’s Supper on Saturday has no meaning. On Saturday Jesus is still in the grave. But things are different on Sunday. Up from the grave He arose.

  And who saw the risen Jesus first? It was a group of women. Women! Women, who were not permitted to testify in court. Women who have very few rights and privileges. Women whose thoughts and opinions were not sought after. Yet Jesus did not feel this way. The Samaritan at the well was a woman. The adulterous person that Jesus offered grace to was a woman. If this story was made up, women would have been excluded. What they saw and what they knew didn’t matter. If man who had written the story, credible doctors, lawyers would be seen showing up at the tomb. They would have a host of “important people” not someone like Mary, who once was possessed with seven demons. This shows that the story was not written by man, nor made up by man. This has a sense of rawness and genuineness about it. As we sometimes say, “We couldn’t make something up this good.”

  John tells us that Mary ran to tell Peter. She thought the Jews or the Romans had stolen the body. Luke tells us that two angels appeared to the women and declared “He is not here.” In Mark, the women were told “that He is risen.” Matthew shows the angels telling the women to “go quickly and tell the disciples that He is risen.” What a journey they took. Don’t you wish you could have witnessed the excitement as they told the disciples what had just happened?

  Sadly, most of the world has pushed all thoughts about the resurrection to what they call “Easter Sunday.” Other than that day, not much attention is made to Jesus’ resurrection. But for believers it changes everything. Death is not so painful because of the resurrection of Jesus. We know Christ wins and Satan is doomed because of the resurrection. Forgiveness that has been promised is realized in the resurrection. And most of all, because of the resurrection, we know that we will live on. Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. Living forever away from God is. The resurrection is our hope and assurance that we can spend forever with God. What a glorious thought. The women came to that grave, uncertain, maybe even scared, they left running to tell the good news! Resurrection has a way of doing that, even to us 

Roger