Exordium
“Now I saw in my dream, that the highway up which Christian was to go, was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was called Salvation. Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back.
He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending, and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulcher. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the sepulcher, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.”
In John Bunyan’s, “Pilgrims Progress,” he tells of a Christian’s journey to the heavenly city. The man carried a terrible burden on his back, which was his sin. But when the man came to the cross, when God the Holy Spirit worked faith into his heart, the burden was “loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the sepulcher, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.”
He writes, “Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said, with a merry heart, ‘He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his death.’ Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him, that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden.”
On Good Friday, the burden of our sins fell off our backs. On Easter, we can see them no more! Because Christ is Risen! Through faith in Jesus, his death is your death, his life is your life, and his resurrection from the grave your future. That’s why we 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!
St. 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)
Speaking of the Empty Tomb, Paul Gerhardt writes (v. 3)
This is a sight that gladdens—
What peace it doth impart!
Now nothing ever saddens
The joy within my heart.
No gloom shall ever shake,
No foe shall ever take
The hope which God’s own Son
In love for me hath won.
This is the song of every believer. How wonderful! “Now nothing ever saddens the joy within my heart. No gloom shall ever shake, no foe shall ever take the hope which God’s own Son in love for me hath won.”
Each year the contrast between the first Easter and our Easter celebration strikes me. They were full of fear and sadness while the church is full of cheer and gladness. Although the women and disciples would soon join in with our singing, they didn’t initially. This is helpful, because it reminds us that even God’s people need to be assured by Christ and the vital difference the resurrection makes. While we rejoice today, there are times throughout our day, year, and life, where we can be overcome with fear and sadness as well. We too can be blinded from the life changing news of Easter. And so, it’s helpful for us to remember why the disciples and followers of Christ went from sad and fearful folks to stalwart and faithful believers and proclaimers of his word, refusing to deny it, even when threatened with death.
Jesus had been very clear about his mission. He would be betrayed, suffer, and killed… and on the third day he would rise (Mark 10:33,34). The disciples knew this and so did the religious leaders, which is why they wanted soldiers to guard the tomb. But through all the events of Holy Week and Good Friday, the disciples and women seem to have lost hope and sight of this. What’s more, it’s one thing to make a promise, but another thing to keep it.
While the disciples and followers of Jesus had seen him fulfill prophecies and keep his promises, they hadn’t seen the most important one fulfilled—rising from the dead. When the women came to the tomb, they were expecting to find Jesus’ body. They wondered how they would roll the stone away so they could anoint his body. But to their shock, surprise, and amazement—they find a man clothed in a long white robe sitting by the tomb! This man was an angel. He assures them—do not be alarmed! He is risen! He is not here. Go tell the other disciples! You will see him in Galilee. “There you will see Him, as He said to you.” The angel showed that Jesus kept his promise. This changed everything.
Christ’s resurrection is the event upon which all our salvation depended on. Paul writes, “If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” If Christ had not risen, that means that you are still stuck in your sins. Scripture says, “The soul that sins shall die,” and “The wages of sin is death.” This is not just physical death, but eternal death in hell. That was our future. That was our lot if Christ had not risen. All his promises would have meant nothing! But since Jesus did rise, “in Christ all shall be made alive” (I Cor 15:22). His promises are true!
Christ’s resurrection matters because it is God the Father’s seal of approval upon Jesus’ redemptive work. The Father accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for the sins of the world. As Scripture says, “He was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” The resurrection is proof that Jesus has paid for the sins of the world, that he will raise us from the dead, and that nothing can separate us from his love, not even death!
But oh, how the devil seeks to rob you of the joy Jesus has given you. Of course, the devil is active with his false teachings. If he can get people to change the teachings of Scripture or cause them to doubt, he knows he is well on his way to removing our Easter joy—“Did God really say?” But one of the easiest ways the devil robs us of our joy, is through hypocrisy. A hypocrite is simply playing a part, a pretender. He leads a person to profess they are a Christian, but ignore God’s word, harbor hate, envy, greed, or lust, all the while pretending to be righteous. Instead of repenting of our sins, he leads a hypocrite to point fingers at others, condemning them, and never seeing the sin in their own hearts. Our old sinful flesh doesn’t need much convincing in this regard. This is why Paul writes in our Epistle, “Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Yet, another way the devil robs us of our joy is by making your troubles in life seem insurmountable, making mountains out of mole hills. He tries to bring doubt with his lies and terror with his threats. He hides God’s presence and tries to make you afraid and think you are all alone. But this is simply not true.
The resurrection gives us hope as we face all the problems of life whether it is the devil’s lies, our sin, or daily struggles. But sometimes people can feel like the Pastor is simply trying to Band-Aid over our troubles when he points us to the comfort of the resurrection and our hope for the future. But if Christ did rise, that is all that matters. As we think about the troubles we are facing, so often we can feel like they are existential problems. But because Christ lives, we can face these troubles with courage and joy. Your greatest problem of sin has been removed. Christ lives! It really does change everything as it did for the disciples and followers of Jesus. In the world we are bound to have troubles, but our troubles will come to an end. Paul puts it best, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). But even as we go through our hills and valleys of life, we have peace, because if Jesus would go to the cross for our salvation, we know he will be with us in every trial in life. And we have his promise that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,” not even death!
You and I are sinners who are prone to pride and despair. God knows this. Christ knew he wasn’t coming to save perfect people with cookie cutter lives. He came to save sinners, which is why he calls us to confess our sins and receive his forgiveness. He knows we don’t have the power within ourselves, and so he connects us to the power of his death and resurrection through our Baptism. Paul writes, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” In our Baptism, he made us children of God. As Christians, we still sin and doubt, but we go to Christ who is our strength and life. No one is beyond his forgiveness and saving help!
Last fall, the kids and I planted tulips in the garden. Even in the middle of the winter the kids would remind me of this and say, “I can’t wait to see the tulips!” When we planted the bulbs in the ground, they didn’t look impressive, almost dead in fact. But I assured the kids that these would turn into beautiful tulips next Spring. By Jesus rising from the dead, he gives us the assurance that one day he too will raise our very bodies from the grave. This is the truth Paul testifies to: “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption… It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.” Just as a tulip bulb planted will grow into a beautiful plant, so too will our buried bodies be raised to new life because our Redeemer lives. We will see God face to face in a place where there is no sin or sadness, but peace, rest, and joy. The best is yet to come! No one can take this joy from you! Because your sins are forgiven! Death has lost its sting! And the Devil has no power over you. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen.