Exordium
When a person is going through tremendous difficulties, they can find themselves saying, “I feel like Job.” Hopefully, we won’t go through as great as hardships as Job did, but we Christians have and will face troubles in this sinful world. Yet, one of the amazing things about the book of Job is that in the middle of his great suffering—losing his children, animals, and health, right in the darkest moments—Job proclaims one of the most comforting verses in all of Scripture. Verses which we know, love, and sing! Job declared, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself,and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (19:23–27).
Over two thousand years before Jesus’ birth, Job makes a profound and confident expression of faith in the coming Savior. He must have known the Lord’s promises about the Savior’s death and resurrection. It was this faith in his Redeemer that kept Job from collapsing in his earthly trials. Because his Redeemer would again arise from the dead and live, Job was confident that he too would be raised from the dead and see his Redeemer face to face!
Job spoke as if God’s promises were already fulfilled. We are even more blessed than Job, because we know they have been! Jesus died for our sins and rose again on Easter morning! He has defeated sin, death, and the devil! But do you know this? Do you have the same confidence as Job even when you face earthly strife? Do you know that you have been connected to Christ’s death and resurrection by your Baptism? Do you know that because he lives, you will live also and see Jesus’ face to face in your very own body? Yes, you do! You know that your Redeemer lives! That is why you have come here this Easter morn! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Therefore, let us rise and sing of this glorious salvation made certain for us by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, with our festival hymn ELH #348.
He is arisen! Glorious Word!
Now reconciled is God, my Lord;
The gates of heav’n are open,
My Jesus died triumphantly,
And Satan’s arrows broken lie,
Destroyed hell’s direst weapon.
O hear
What cheer!
Christ victorious
Riseth glorious,
Life He giveth—
He was dead, but see, He liveth!
Mark 16:1–8
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large.
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go your way, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
And they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. (NKJV)
Do Not Be Alarmed… He Is Risen!
Dear friends in Christ,
One of my favorite stories from my wife’s childhood was told to me by her aunt. When my wife’s youngest sister was born her aunt watched my wife and her brother while her parents were in the hospital. When it came time to bring Elise and her brother back home, they got caught in a horrible thunderstorm with torrential rain. They could barely see the road in front of them. My wife was just two years old and extremely afraid. Her aunt was comforting the children saying, “don’t be afraid… it’s going to be okay!” Seeing that she was still distressed, Elise’s brother reassured her, “Don’t worry, Elise. Aunt Chrysa said it’s going to be okay.” Apparently, this settled it. Their aunt had said it was going to be okay, so they would be. In childlike faith, they trusted her words.
We sometimes find ourselves giving assurances and comfort. However, sometimes our words are just words. The situation may be out of our control. We might not be sure, but we try to put on a brave face for the sake of others.
This morning, we hear of the angel’s words of comfort to the women at the tomb. The women were afraid. They were frightened that first Easter. Their Lord was dead, and they came to anoint his body. They wondered how they would roll the stone away from the tomb. But when they got there, the stone was already moved, and they were greeted by an angel in a white robe! Now they were really afraid and perplexed! But the angel said, “Do not be alarmed.” These were not just empty words of comfort. It wasn’t just a band aid to cover their aching and fearful hearts. They were not just words of consolation to help with their grief.
The angel explained why they did not need to be afraid. “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here.” The angel gave them a reason for why they had nothing to fear. Jesus was not there! If Jesus’ body was gone, it means he had risen! The Jewish leaders had every reason to find the body of Jesus and prove his followers wrong. The soldiers had every reason to guard the tomb—their own lives depended on it! The empty tomb means that Christ had risen, which gives us every reason to not be afraid.
But why are we afraid in the first place? Fear comes naturally. You don’t need to teach a child to be afraid—they learn it all on their own. You probably won’t find a how-to-book for how to be afraid at the library. The first mention of fear we have in the whole Bible comes quite early—in Genesis 3:10, where Adam said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Adam was afraid of the consequences that his sin deserved. He knew God’s Law. He knew the punishment for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—death. So, he was afraid. He hid. But there is no hiding from God.
Sin brings fear because of the consequences it brings. Scripture states, “the wages of sin is death.” This isn’t just the death of the body, but eternal death in hell. Hell is a horrible place, because it is separation from God and all that is good. We can’t nor do we want to even imagine what it’s like. It’s a place of eternal suffering with the devil and his demons.
Because of our sins, that is what we deserve. Hell. No matter how good of a life you have tried to live, no matter how much you think you are better than the person standing next to you, you have sinned. Paul states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And there was nothing that we could do to change our predicament.
But God had mercy. He had compassion on mankind. He promised a Savior to Adam and Eve. Yet, he was not just for Adam and Eve. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus is your Savior too. He saved you by taking the punishment that your sins deserve, so that you could be forgiven. As Isaiah foretold, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities… And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5, 6).
Jesus cried out from the cross, “IT IS FINISHED!” Your debt of sin was paid in full. He was forsaken by God on the cross so that you never would be. The empty tomb matters because it gives us assurance that our redemption is complete. It means Jesus did save us—death could not hold him! The Bible says, “He was delivered for our trespasses, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). Jesus’ resurrection is God the Father’s stamp of approval upon the suffering and death of Christ. His resurrection is our proof and our comfort. Jesus offered himself up as the sacrifice once and for all for the sins of the whole world (Hebrews 7:28).
The angel said, “Do not be alarmed.” The resurrection of Jesus changed everything. Death no longer is the end. Because of Jesus, our fear of death is removed. Jesus is God and his word is true. He died and rose as he foretold. Jesus is our Savior, who is true God and true man. His promises never fail. And he promises us, “Because I live, you will live also.” He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25–26). Our body will be buried, but our soul will go to be with Jesus and on the last day God will raise up our bodies from the grave. This is the blessed hope for all those who trust in Jesus.
If Jesus died for your sins, if he rose again on the third day, if he has given you new-life and made you a child of God in baptism, if you have his word, what can man do to you? What can separate you from the love of God? Nothing. The world can mock you. The devil can send troubles your way and try to threaten you with death. One of the great ironies of the cross was that the devil thought that he had won, but it was where he was overthrown. If the devil threatens us with death, we can laugh at him. Because death is not the end.
I don’t know all the fears or worries you may be facing right now in your life, but you should realize, the very worst thing that this world can throw at you isn’t even a threat. We can say with Job, “For I know that my Redeemer lives… [and] in my flesh I will see God” (19:25,26). Our salvation is assured.
As the women left the tomb and faced different trials and hardships, they were comforted by the word of the angel who directed them back to the words of Jesus… “just as he told you.” That is our comfort as well. We haven’t seen the risen Lord yet. But we find comfort in the words of Jesus. Your sins are forgiven. You have been made a child of God through baptism. This is my body given for you… this is my blood shed for you for the remission of all your sins. Through these means of Grace, God forgives you and gives you strength to go forward in your Christian life.
Jesus’ resurrection changes everything. It means his word is true. We have comfort in this life and the next.
Do not be alarmed… Christ is with you always.
Do not be alarmed… your loved ones who have died in the faith are with Jesus, and you will see them again.
Do not be alarmed… the angels are rejoicing.
Do not be alarmed… Satan’s arrows all lie broken.
Do not be alarmed… death and hell have been vanquished!
Do not be alarmed… Your sins are forgiven!
Do not be alarmed… You too shall arise!
Do not be alarmed… Christ is risen. Alleluia!
Amen.