Reflections on the Resurrection

At the turn of the century British journalist Frank Morison decided that he was going to apply laws of physical science to disprove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s not that he had anything against Jesus, he actually thought Jesus was a pretty great guy. He just wanted to clear away the myth from fact about Jesus and so he spent three years investigating the trial and resurrection of Christ in order to disprove it, and at the end of three years he did write a book, but it wasn’t the book he expected to write. The first chapter in his book is entitled The Book That Refused To Be Written, because he couldn’t write a book disproving the resurrection of Jesus because over those three years of study and examination he had come to believe that the body of evidence pointed overwhelmingly to the conclusion that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead. Frank Morison had become a believer. His book Who Moved the Stone is still considered a great apologetic for the resurrection of Christ.

If anyone could actually disprove Jesus’ resurrection they would do much more than damage Christianity, they would destroy it. Take away the resurrection and you don’t have Christianity. As Mark Driscoll writes, If Jesus is dead, then Christianity is dead. If Jesus is alive, then Christianity is alive.

The apostle Paul said the same thing in 1 Corinthians 15:17: If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile [which means pointless and useless] and you are still in your sins.

All that Jesus did and accomplished through his life and death stands on the reality of the resurrection, and that is why the angel’s words, He is not here, for he has risen, as he said (vs.6) mean so much to hundreds of millions of Christians around the world who are, like us, celebrating the empty tomb this Easter morning.

As we come to the empty tomb, let’s learn from Mary Magdalene and the other Mary’s example. They were the last to leave the tomb on Good Friday and the first to return to the tomb, out of devotion to Jesus. May we slow down our fast paced schedules, and even more importantly, our fast paced hearts, and come to the tomb this morning full of devotion and love for Jesus. He is our Savior. He is our Lord. He is our life. May our hearts, like the two Mary’s, be filled with fresh devotion for Jesus this morning.

They came to the tomb out of devotion, they left full of awe and joy, and we want to experience the awe and the joy and the hope and the gladness that the resurrection means for all those who believe in Christ. So let’s pause and ask God to meet us at the empty tomb this morning and by His Spirit fill our hearts with devotion for Christ and joy in Christ.

Pray

Three commands were given to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Two were given by the angel and the third one was given by Jesus himself. I want to draw from these commands they received three instructions that are good for our souls this morning.

I. Come see the place where he lay (vs. 5-6)

The first command is one that we could easily pass right over and not notice: come see the place where he lay. You’re seeking the crucified Jesus, he isn’t here, he is risen. In a moment I want you to go tell his disciples that joyful news, but first, come see the place where he lay. Take a moment here, don’t just hurry away, come into the tomb, look at the cold, hard slab where he lay, see the burial clothes as they lay on that slab, take a good long look at the trappings of death that surrounded Jesus for three days and nights.

Before we move on to the glorious meaning of the resurrection, let’s do the same. Let’s enter that cold tomb and consider Jesus’ crucifixion, death and burial. And let’s not hurry, let’s slow down our fast pace that wants to see things quickly and move on and let’s consider for a moment what it meant that Jesus died and was buried. And for us to really appreciate that, we need to pull back the veil and look at what no human eye was allowed to see.

Here’s what I mean: when we think of the cross, we tend to think of the Roman soldiers nailing Jesus to the cross, the Jewish leaders mocking Jesus, the two thieves on either side of Jesus, and the few disciples who had the courage to stand nearby and watch Jesus die.

And all that is true and very much a part of the crucifixion. The Bible says that the Jewish leaders handed Jesus over to Pontius Pilate to be crucified. It says that the Roman soldiers mocked Jesus and beat him and whipped him and nailed a crown of thorns into his head. Man was very much a part of the crucifixion. People were there, they saw all that with their own eyes. There were many witnesses.

And when we think of the resurrection, we think of Jesus appearing to Mary and Peter and Thomas and to all the disciples. We think of Thomas touching his hand and side and believing. We think of Peter eating fish at the seashore with Jesus and then walking the beach with him. We think of the disciples seeing the resurrected Jesus walking through walls. People were there, they saw all that with their own eyes. There were many witnesses.

But there were moments that the Father cloaked in secrecy, when no human eye was allowed to see or participate. These are the most holy moments and I don’t mean to imply that we can see what others didn’t see – God allowed no human eye to see these holy moments, but He does allow us to know a little of what went on, and it should move our hearts with fear and joy and amazement.

On the cross, after a period of men ridiculing and mocking, we read that for three hours there was a deep, unearthly darkness. Jesus, as he hung on the cross, was cloaked from human eye and for three hours what occurred was between God the Father and God the Son. It was both a holy and a horrible moment for it was then that, as Mark Dever writes,

He was abandoned by God, not just to the abuse of men (the part we can witness), but abandoned by God to the fury of God.

Like the sacrificial lamb was burned on the wooden altar, Jesus experienced a personal holocaust on the cross, but these were the very flames of hell itself, for as Mark Dever points out,

What are the flames of hell, other than the consuming fire of the wrath of God, poured out on sin? This is the wrath that was poured out on Jesus’ soul.

This was a moment hidden from all eyes and it was at the end of this time that Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” It was so that Jesus might bear both body and soul, the horrifying punishment for our sin so that God might justly forgive our sin because it had been paid for in full.

And the other moment that no human eyes were allowed to see was the actual resurrection. Many people saw the resurrected Christ, but no one saw his resurrection. How precious that moment must have been when God the Father raised his beloved Son from the dead, pleased with His Son’s perfect obedience and sacrifice, satisfied with His Son’s payment for our sins.

Jesus died to bear our sins and the fact that the Father raised Jesus declares that every sin was fully paid for – and that for the person who believes in Jesus Christ, there is no wrath left, no punishment left to bear, no judgment standing between us and God’s loving acceptance. If you are a Christian, you need never fear hell. And you can anticipate being with the Lord forever – in a resurrected body. And that brings us to the second point.

II. Go…and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead (vs. 7)

The angel then told the women to Go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. The message that Jesus is risen from the dead is like no other message in history! The resurrection isn’t just someone coming back from the dead, like Lazarus, only to die again – that’s called revivification, and there are many instances of that in the Bible and throughout history. The resurrection is much more than that. The resurrection is dying and then returning to physical life forever, or what the Bible calls eternal life.

Jesus’ resurrection tells us that human beings were created as soul and body. When a believer dies the Bible tells us that his or her soul goes immediately to be with the Lord in paradise. It’s glorious and its paradise, but it isn’t enough. We were created by God to be physical creatures and those who have gone on to be with Jesus long to be reunited with their bodies, but not their bodies as they knew them. The resurrected body is incorruptible – it can’t die, it can’t be hurt, it can’t be weakened. Limitations we know now will no longer apply – that’s why Jesus could walk through walls. And yet, we will be physical, which is why Jesus could eat with his disciples and could be touched and hugged. His resurrection assures every Christian that we will also one day be resurrected just as he was.

Last Easter, my father in law, Bob Lehman worshipped with us. It was the last time he visited Grace Community Church. The Lord called him home unexpectedly three months later. But he’s not dead, not really. He fell asleep – that’s what the Bible calls those who die in Christ. His spirit is with Jesus right now, but on the day when the dead are resurrected he will rise again in a new body, never to die again. That’s the hope that we all have if we are Christians and it is an amazing hope, a priceless hope, a lasting hope and it’s all built on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death holds everyone with an unbreakable grip, it is not in the habit of giving up anyone it takes. But death couldn’t hold Jesus, and because it couldn’t hold Jesus, death won’t hold us either if we believe in Christ. The same Jesus who said he would rise again and did, said that whoever believes in him would live forever. His word was true about his resurrection and that assures us it will be true about ours. The message of the resurrection is the source of our great hope and joy!

III. Do not be afraid, go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. (vs. 10)

Notice that twice the women are told to “go and tell”. The resurrection isn’t something you can keep to yourself! And to confirm that, Jesus tells the women to tell the disciples to go to Galilee. Look with me a few verses down what happens when the disciples do meet Jesus in Galilee:

Now when the eleven disciples went to Galilee…Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matt. 28:16, 18-20

Jesus gives them the Great Commission – more going and telling, only this time to the ends of the world. It’s a reminder to us this morning that as we rejoice in the resurrection, we should also be sharing the good news of a risen Savior with others. In a minute we’re going to sing a song rejoicing in the resurrected Christ, may the Lord stir our hearts to overflow with that joy to others.

If you aren’t a Christian, I want to be honest with you. The Bible says that someone must pay for our sins. God is just and cannot ignore sin. If you die in your sins apart from Christ the Bible says that you will be the one to bear the wrath of God for your sins. Jesus said that there will be some who rise to everlasting life, and some who rise to hear the horrible words, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

You don’t ever have to hear those words. Jesus died on the cross to bear the curse that rightfully belongs to you. Whoever believes in him will never die. I urge you this morning, don’t leave here without asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Maybe you came just because it was Easter and you figured it was the thing to do. But God brought you here to hear His call to turn from sin to Him and to believe on Jesus Christ.

After we sing, Matt is going to close us in prayer, and as he does, if the Lord has touched your heart and you want to invite Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savior, please pray silently with him. Then it’s important that you talk to someone so we can help you in your spiritual growth as a Christian.