Fear, Joy, Confusion

April 05, 2015

(Easter Sunrise)
Matthew 28:1-10

Scripture lesson: Matthew 28:1-10

28:1

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at
the tomb.
2

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled
back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The
guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5

The angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 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.
6

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly
Jesus met them. Greetings, he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said
to them, Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.
Jesus had been buried in a hurry because it was necessary for his burial to be complete before the Sabbath began.
The Sabbath began at sundown and by the time that Jesus died on the cross, there wasnt much time. In order to
get the job done, they had taken shortcuts. Once the Sabbath was over, Jesus friends wanted to give him the
respect that he deserved and bury him properly. And so at dawn, when the Sabbath was over and the next day
had begun, a group of women headed for the tomb so that they could care for Jesus body. They were worried
about how they might be able to get into the tomb. The stone in front of the tomb was large and they knew that
the two of them were not strong enough. Perhaps they hoped that the soldiers who had been stationed there to
guard the tomb would help them, maybe they had faith that God would somehow provide what they needed, or
maybe they just hadnt thought things through.
But before they could arrive at the tomb, an angel came down from heaven and rolled away the stone. The
guards who were there were so afraid, that they were paralyzed with fear. And the angel spoke to the women,
telling them that there was no need for them to be afraid, that Jesus had risen from the dead, that they should
look and see for themselves and then go and tell the disciples and the other followers of Jesus.
The two Marys did as they were told. They hurried to tell the others but on the way they were met by Jesus who
once again told them to carry the good news to the others and that he would meet them in Galilee.
But even when the women told everyone what they had seen and heard, no one believed them. Dead is dead.
Death is permanent. People do not just rise from the dead. It sounded impossible. (Luke 24:9-12)

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary
Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they
did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran
to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to
himself what had happened.
And so Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for themselves and found nothing more than an empty tomb with
abandoned burial clothes inside.
Those first moments and hours were filled with a strange mix of emotions. They were afraid. Afraid that they
couldnt open the tomb, afraid of the angel, afraid that someone had stolen the body of Jesus, and afraid that the
Roman soldiers might blame them. But they were filled with joy at the news that Jesus had risen from the dead.
But the news was so hard to believe, and their culture had taught them not to trust the testimony of women and
so they were very confused.
Death is permanent.
Isnt it?
People dont just rise from the dead.
Do they?
It was impossible.
Or was it?
(Pause)
It was hard to believe.
(Pause)
But it was true.

He is risen!
People: He is risen!

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