“Go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead…” (Matthew 28:7)
The Easter Story is an emotional rollercoaster. It takes us from the depths of human cruelty and agony to the highs of the most incredible and hope-giving miracle and for many, this story is the most important moment in history. Why not join us this Easter and discover afresh what it means and why it matters so much?
He is Alive!
The Indestructible Son
How do you destroy the sun? (pictures – tear them up…)
Blow it out – You’d have to blow so strongly it would take 10^41 Joules – If you had all the energy produced in the world saved up for the lifetime of the universe, you would still only have a miniscule amount of the energy needed to blow out the sun!
Water – like throwing petrol on a fire… the sun runs on fusion reaction and Hydrogen is the fuel.
Nuclear missile – like throwing a match onto a bonfire.
Humanity despite all its advances, is still puny in terms of power. We are excited about going to the moon again, but shouldn’t we be more excited about the one who made the sun, the moon and the Trillions of other stars and planets?
Yet, when Jesus, the Son of God, did come, it wasn’t as people expected or wanted. He did not behave according to human ways but challenged people to change and live according to God’s ways. Although, some enthusiastically followed him, many rejected him. They wanted to stay in control and did not want to bend to God’s ways.
It is a ridiculous idea to think you can destroy the sun. But is it not even more ridiculous to think you can destroy the one who made the sun?
Yet, on Good Friday, they tried to destroy the Son of God.
Destroying the Son (Red background)
Mocked by the Soldiers and Leaders (Crown of Thorns)
The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus, by dressing him up as the King.
They put a scarlet robe on him, put a staff in his hand and a crown of thorns on his head. Then they bowed down and cried out, “Hail, King of the Jews.” They were showing that although, Jesus was meant to be the all-powerful one, they were the ones really in power and control. Like bullies throughout history, they exerted their power by beating up their victims. So they hit Jesus around the head and spat on him. Then they led him away to nail him to a cross.
And on the cross, people continued to mock Jesus. The Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law, who had arranged for Jesus to be killed, mocked him saying:
“He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:43)
They thought, they were being proved right. Jesus’ death showed that God did not care for him, that he was not the King of the Jews. That they were in control after all.
Disciples Scattered (terrified)
For the disciples, Jesus’ closest friends, Jesus’ crucifixion and death must have been an utterly terrifying moment. Jesus had already said to them what would happen:
“Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'” (Matthew 26:31)
But imagine how they would have been feeling early on that Sunday morning. Their best friend, leader and teacher had been brutally mocked, beaten and crucified in front of their eyes. They would have been sad for him and heartbroken at losing him.
Yet, he had also represented all that they had hoped for. That God was going to make things better, that the Kingdom of God was coming and that they would have a key place in God’s new kingdom with Jesus in charge. With Jesus’ death, their hopes were shattered, their dream destroyed.
They now felt utterly powerless, in the face of the brutal power of the leaders and Romans. It was a terrifying place to be.
… But things were about to change.
Some women followers of Jesus, eager to do the little they still could for Jesus were heading for his tomb to anoint his body with spices. As they approached something amazing happened.
The Angel: Terror for the Soldiers (Angel with sword)
At the grave, there were some soldiers guarding, the tomb, so that no-one tried to steal Jesus’ body and make any claims that he had indeed come back to life. The leaders were still asserting their power and control, even over a dead Jesus. But what happens next makes a comic mockery of their power and control.
An angel appears! He appears demonstrating God’s power, causing an earthquake and rolling the heavy stone away from the tomb. Suddenly, the might of the leaders represented by the guards becomes useless in the face of the power of God:
“The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.” (Matthew 28:4)
The angel comes with all the majesty of God and mortals cannot stand before him. This is comedy. The ones set to guard the dead, themselves appear dead. Whilst the one who was dead is now alive. Just one angel was enough to terrify the guard at the tomb. But Jesus had said when he was arrested,
“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53)
Twelve Legions of angels is around 60,000.
When the authorities were told what had happened, they did not want to accept that they had not been in control, that they were powerless to destroy Jesus. So, they paid the soldiers lots of money to keep quiet about it and told them to say that Jesus’ body had been stolen.
The Angel: Hope for the Disciples (Angel with smile)
The angel is a terror to the guards, but to the women, who are still desperate to serve Jesus, he has powerful news.
They don’t need to be afraid of him. Rather he has come as a messenger, to give them a message for others. He shows them that the tomb is empty and explains why: Jesus is alive!
Then he says,
“Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” (Matthew 28:7)
Why the emphasis on Galilee? Perhaps this is to fulfil what was said in Isaiah:
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honour Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan– The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:1-2)
The disciples who were all Galileans, had been in a moment of great darkness, but now with Jesus alive again, the light was dawning. It may have seemed for a moment, that the Son of God had been destroyed, but man cannot destroy the Son of God. God’s power is undefeatable.
So, the women go, and we are told they are both afraid and joyful. The mixed emotion of joy and fear – is natural given the circumstances.
Let’s think a bit more about these two emotions…
Fear: We are not in control!
For the women after hearing that Jesus was alive, fear was a natural response. This was beyond their comprehension or experience. People don’t rise from the dead. How can this be possible? When the impossible starts happening, things become scary. We are out of control, none of the old assumptions are true anymore.
We all like to be in control. To think that we have power to make things go exactly as we want them to. To be able to choose the course of our lives. But, we have to accept that there is so much we cannot control. There is so much that is beyond our power.
To accept the resurrection of Jesus, is to accept that God is ultimately in control. His power is indestructible, the worst that humans can do, is powerless to overcome God. People tried to kill Jesus, the Son of God, but God raised him from the dead.
Perhaps this Easter as you contemplate the resurrection, you need to accept that God is in control and you are not. To do so, is an ultimately freeing experience.
Joy: Disciples can know the power of God
It is freeing, because it enables us to discover the joy of those women on that first Easter Sunday. They were coming to realise that God has power over even death itself. There is hope that they will see the crucified Jesus again and before they know it they meet him on the way.
But it is also joy, because it means that to be one of Jesus’ followers, is to know this same power at work in our lives. A power over even death itself.
It is not our power to control, but it is God’s power to use for our benefit. And when we realise that Jesus, the Son of God, loves us so much that he died for us, but also has the power of the resurrection at his fingertips, then no matter how bad things become, no matter how powerless we feel, we can trust in God’s power for our ultimate salvation.
Perhaps a good way to end is with the words of Paul from Ephesians:
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,” (Ephesians 1:18-20)
St. George's Church Ramsgate 