With Fear and Great Joy: Matthew 28:1-10 - Resurrection of Our Lord

¹After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ²And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. ⁵But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” ⁸So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (NRSV)

Happy Easter from Georgia's Callaway Gardens! by JR P.
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Hal is blind.  Gus is an amputee confined to a wheelchair.  With both men well into their eighties, you’d think they’d be shut-ins.  But they’re not…

On Sunday morning, blind Hal pushes Gus’s wheelchair down the sidewalks and across the streets of Los Angeles, and right through the front door of their church—with Gus telling Hal where to go.  They come to worship Christ—and everybody is inspired. 

I consider this a miracle—though not along the lines of a near-death experience or recovery from a deadly disease.  This is a miracle of HOPE flourishing in the face of blindness and disability.

It’s resurrection happening in our time, which is a good thing—because it feels a little odd to be celebrating today, even though today is Easter… 

Just three days ago, we were stripping the altar and singing “Go to Dark Gethsemane.”  Now, we’re surrounded by flowers, we’re singing alleluias and celebrating! 

But has anything in your life changed drastically for the better since Friday?  Has the world become a better place?  What happens when the flowers wither and the echo of alleluias fades?  Why celebrate resurrection?

These are the questions facing the two Marys in today’s Gospel.  They’ve gone to see the tomb, and suddenly, there’s a violent earthquake, and an angel comes down and rolls the stone away from the tomb.  The soldiers guarding the tomb are literally “scared to death.”

The angel tells the women that Jesus has been raised, and that they will see him back home in Galilee.

Then we are told that they leave the empty tomb “with fear and great joy.”  Even as they encounter the resurrected Jesus on the way back to Galilee, the fear does not go away, and here’s why:

1.     They’re likely still reeling from watching the tomb practically explode…

2.     Jesus’ resurrection does not erase the fact that he was crucified.  The women and his disciples are in mortal danger due to their association with him.

3.     What’s going to happen now that Jesus is alive?  Truth is, life is not going to return to the “normal” they’d known before. 

Resurrection means God is doing something new!  Resurrection means change.  With change comes fear. 

It seems that the future promises MORE FEAR and LESS JOY.  Why celebrate today if tomorrow there’s not enough money to pay the bills?  Or when you get those test results back from your doctor?  How can you celebrate resurrection with your loved ones still lying in their graves?

How will there be joy when you see on the news that we’re on the brink of war with Syria, North Korea, Russia?

The trouble with resurrection is that these things don’t go away.  Life’s hardships and challenges remain.  Death still happens.

But on the way to Galilee, Jesus meets the women.  He doesn’t go the whole way, but here’s there in that moment.  His message is simple: “do not be afraid.  Go on your way, tell my disciples, and they will see me too.”

This is Jesus’ promise to you today: you will see me.  You will have joy.  You will be alright.

On that cross, evil and death accomplished their absolute worst.  Earth and hell met at Golgatha—and Jesus triumphed.  Sin is answered with forgiveness; hate with grace.  God quite literally blew up death.  And now, there is nothing you can do and nothing that can happen to you for which Jesus will not have the last word.  When death and evil strike, Jesus strikes back and wins—all the time, every time.   This is the very essence of hope. 

Hope is resurrection.  It is God’s gift to move you forward, even as fear and sorrow remain.  God will work “little resurrections.” Prayers will be answered in ways you didn’t expect.  You will be inspired and encouraged in your faith by people you meet.  You’ll find courage and strength to do things for others you never thought you could do. 

You will be a new creation—with new attitudes, new values, and new ways of seeing reality. 

You will have peace through the assurance that there isn’t anything from which God can’t bring resurrection.  By grace, every hardship and every fear creates new possibilities for resurrection.

So what will you do when the Easter flowers wither and the echo of alleluia fades?  Resurrection cannot be found dwelling on the past or in hiding away from your troubles.  When you do, death and evil get the upper hand.  But with hope, you face the world. You take risks to do good.   You move forward to love and serve, trusting that you’ll encounter Jesus when you do.

Yesterday is history, today is mystery—but the one certainty is that Jesus is alive.  You will see him and he will bring you joy.  He will put his alleluias in your heart and on your lips.