Prayer:
Did you hear the story of a man in Victoria recently who discovered a 4.6kg gold rock near Ballarat and Bendigo? It was worth close to $250,000!
How excited would you be if it was you?? After ensuring it was protected from thieves and insured, I’m sure you’d be saying to friends come and see. Come and see it and come and see where I found it. Many others are no doubt flocking to the site in the hope that their amateur metal detectors might find some precious gold also.
Today I want to invite you to come and see afresh the empty tomb and the risen Lord Jesus. He is more precious than the biggest gold rock. Maybe you found him many years ago, but you seek a deeper relationship with him. Maybe you’ve never quite encountered him before. Jesus longs for us all to seek him, he longs to bless us with resurrected life. And once we’ve found him, he wants us to go and tell others to come and see him also.
On the third day after Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried, Matthew’s gospel tells us that two of the Mary’s went to see Jesus in his tomb. Mary Magdalene and the “other” Mary. Most likely his good friend Mary of Bethany and not Mary his mother.
These women had been with him to the end, following him to the cross and had witnessed his death. They could not come to the tomb any earlier as it had been the sabbath day when Jews could not travel any distance or do any work. So, it was early on the next day that they went to be close to Jesus, to mourn him.
Just before, or as they got to the tomb, there was a violent earthquake. One might think that it was the earthquake that made the stone move from its secure position. But Matthew tells us that the earthquake occurred as an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, went to the tomb, rolled away the stone and sat on it!
Can you picture this angel, appearance like lightning and clothes as white as snow? He was obviously very strong as he rolled the heavy stone away, and very satisfied with his work as he then sits on the stone. Job done! I imagine him looking relaxed with his arms folded.
There were guards at the tomb. They had been sent to ensure no tricky business would happen such as the disciples coming to steal the body and pretend Jesus had risen! They were not expecting this supernatural event, and we read that they shook and became like dead men! This angel must have been quite a sight. While the supposed dead man, Jesus, comes alive, these men who were alive are now like the dead! They do not go and seek Jesus and embrace the new life he offers, they remain as dead, devoted and in fear to the ones who had sent them.
We read later that they ran to the Chief Priests to report what had happened, they would have been fearful for their lives if the body was missing. Ironically, they are now told to lie and say that the disciples had stolen the body, the exact reason they had gone to guard the body for! Many Jews of course went on to believe their false story.
When the women arrive at the tomb, they are met by the angel who immediately comforts them from any fear they may have, with the words most angels in the bible begin their dialogue with… “Do not be afraid.”.
The angel continues to assure the women, “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”
This angel is God’s messenger, God knew the women would be the first ones at the tomb, the women who had been loyal to Jesus. The women who would be the first to believe the resurrection.
The angel invites the women to ‘Come and see’, ‘Come and see the place where he lay”.
The stone had not been rolled away to let Jesus out, that had already supernaturally happened, the stone was rolled away to let the women in so they could bear witness to the empty tomb.
God chose women to be the first eyewitnesses! Why would he do this given that women were not respected as witnesses? If the disciples and the writers of the gospel were going to make up a story of Jesus’ resurrection, they would not have written that it was women!
God however respects women very much as valuable, trustworthy witnesses. Not only that but also as preachers of the word sent to tell others the good news!
Imagine the women who had come to see Jesus, they believed to be dead, now enter the tomb and discover it was empty. They had seen his crucified body taken off the cross, and had heard where the body had been laid. Now there is no body. Other accounts mention the folded grave clothes where Jesus had lay. You can just imagine Jesus arising and neatly folding the cloths before he miraculously left the tomb. Clothes that were evidence that he had been there but was no longer.
The angel tells them the obvious, that Jesus is ‘not here’, maybe the Mary’s were looking around to see if there was anywhere Jesus could have been hiding! But the angel continues with the amazing news, that Jesus has risen, just as he said.
Those women were Jesus disciples, had been journeying with Jesus along with the male disciples. They would have heard Jesus tell them that he was going to suffer and die but that on the third day he would rise again. They all seem to have forgotten this in their despair of seeing their beloved teacher and friend crucified.
But now these women are reminded of this fantastic, good news.
After being invited to come and see, the angel now tells the women to go and tell.
Go and tell the disciples what I have told you, and that they are to go to Galilee where they will see Jesus.
The women believe, the women are obedient, the women are still in awe and afraid, yet at the same time filled with joy as they run to tell the disciples.
We don’t know how far they get before they are stopped in their tracks.
Suddenly Jesus met them.
Wow! What a morning this has turned out to be for these two women who went to see a dead body. Instead, they have met an angel, been shown an empty tomb and now they are greeted by Jesus himself.
Can you imagine it?! What an emotional rollercoaster that would have been. From intense grief and sadness to overwhelming, unbelievable joy!
The angel had told them that would see Jesus with the other disciples in Galilee. But these women are so blessed, they don’t have to wait that long. They see Jesus on the morning of his resurrection.
Naturally they fall at his feet to worship him. The only fitting thing to do.
Worshipping at someone’s feet is a true act of reverential worship and adoration.
I hope you’ve come to meet and worship the risen Jesus this morning. Maybe in your heart you can bow before him and tell him how much you love and adore him.
Not only are we called to come and see, but Jesus comes to meet and greet us.
He echoes the angels’ words. Do not be afraid. The women may think they are seeing a ghost, but touching his feet and hearing his voice must have been reassuring.
Jesus reiterates the angels command to tell the male disciples to go to Galilee where they will see him. He uses the endearing term of brothers. These men who had deserted him and denied him will be forgiven and reunited with Jesus and commissioned to go and tell the world the good news.
But the women are the first to go and tell the amazing, good news. Now, not only can they say they saw an angel and an empty tomb. Now they can share that they have seen the risen Lord!
If they were running before, just think how fast they would be going now to see the disciples. Rejoicing, laughing, crying shaking their heads, wondering to each other if what they just saw was real – pinching themselves, knowing in their hearts that it was real, that Jesus had risen, just as he said he would! Perhaps they are remembering the conversations Jesus had with them all telling them that he would die and rise again. Perhaps they now chide themselves for forgetting and not having faith. But all that doesn’t matter now because they have seen him. In meeting Jesus, the women have been transformed.
Can you see them arriving where the disciples are huddled and forlorn, bursting in, puffing and both yelling out, ‘We’ve seen the Lord! He has risen!! You’ve got to go to Galilee and then you will see him too!’
The simple good news we celebrate this morning is that Jesus rose from the dead. He defeated sin once for all on the cross so that we might be forgiven, and he defeated death and he lives so that we might live forever.
Jesus is so more beautiful and precious than the biggest gold rock. He offers us so much more than any amount of money. He offers us new and eternal life filled with his love, joy, and peace.
If you haven’t met Jesus before then come and meet him. Ask him into your life, he is waiting to greet you. If you do know Jesus already, then ask him to fill you more and more that you may have a deeper and even more joyous relationship with him. He longs to fill and bless you, just like he did with the two Mary’s that first resurrection morning.
But don’t just leave it there. As you are filled with wonder and joy, go, and tell your brothers and sisters, your neighbours and friends and invite them to come and meet the risen Lord too.
Let’s pray:
Living Lord Jesus, we praise and adore you. We thank you for the new and transformed life you offer us as we come to seek you. We pray for more and more people to come to know you. Help us to go and tell the world the good news of Easter, to tell everyone how much you love them.
From Romans 15:13, I pray, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Christ is risen: He is risen indeed. Allelujah!